Art Transforms Communities- Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural's documentary/book project

http://www.indiegogo.com/Art-Transforms-Communities

From Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore,


In the neglected Northeast San Fernando Valley, many can only see chaos.

However, in this area of Los Angeles, home to many with little material means, there is an abundance of innate imagination and talent. Art. Song. Music. Poetry. Dance. Stories. Ideas.

The arts have consistently proven to be the most effective means to lift the most desolate areas, bring together fractured communities, and transform lives, especially those in the grips of violence.

Knowing that the first move from chaos isn't order, but creativity, Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural has, since 2001, served as the cultural cornerstone of the Northeast San Fernando Valley, offering a diverse array of free and low-cost arts and cultural workshops and events. We are also the only full-service bookstore in the area, offering an eclectic selection of mind-nourishing books, including poetry from our own nationally-recognized Tia Chucha Press.

When we provide places for people to imagine, to express, to share, and to create, we uplift the spirit needed to also help remove the real constraints of current economic and social realities. We have survived and succeeded because we have always responded to obstacles by becoming more imaginative and encompassing. We have refused to give up on the arts. We have refused to give up on artists and, as we are all artists, we have refused to give up on our community.

In celebration of our first decade of building community through arts and culture in the Northeast Valley, we're creating a documentary film and book, to be released in 2012, called "Art Transforms Communities" in collaboration with Denise Sandoval, Chican@ Studies Professor at California State University Northridge, and filmmaker John Cantú. The project will feature interviews and essays from Northeast Valley artists who have intersected with Tia Chucha's over the years. 

The Los Angeles County Arts Commission has generously provided a matching grant of $10,000 for this project, but we won't receive the funding unless we raise the first $10,000. We need YOUR help to ensure this vitally important project will see the light of day.

Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to this project today!  Also, please help us to spread the word. Strength in numbers!  With your support, we can do this!

In Solidarity,

Luis & Trini Rodriguez, Co-Founders, Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural

& Tia Chucha's Board & Staff