SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE EMMA S. BARRIENTOS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER ADVISORY BOARD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2026, AT 6:00 P.M. PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER - EVENT CENTER, FIRST FLOOR, ROOM 1406 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR. AUSTIN, TEXAS 78752 Some members of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, contact Michelle Rojas, 512-974-3771, Michelle.Rojas@austintexas.gov. CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Angelica Navarro (D-8), Chair Hilario “Larry” Amaro (D-10), Member Lynda Quintana (D-6), Member Noemi Castro (D-2), Member Raul “Roy” Reyna (D-1), Member Alexander “Al” Duarte (D-7), Member Selma Sanchez (D-9), Member John Estrada (D-3), Member Vacant (D-4), Member Cynthia “Cy” Herrera (D-5), Member Lillian “Lily” Zamarripa-Saenz (Mayor), Vice Chair AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB- MACC) regular meeting of February 4, 2026. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing on the Teen Camino’s programs Breaking Barriers event and The Big We event hosted by the Asian American Resource Center in collaboration with A3 Art Alliance Austin. (Sponsors: Navarro, Zamarripa-Saenz) Presenter(s): Olivia Tamzarian, ESB-MACC Culture and Arts Education Marketing & Outreach Representative, Austin Arts Culture, Music and Entertainment & Michelle Rojas, ESB-MACC Culture and Arts Education Manager, Austin Arts Culture, Music and Entertainment DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 3. 4. 5. Presentation and recommendation to support Academia Cuahtli’s FY 2026–2027 budget recommendation of $130,000 and the creation of a full-time Program Director position. (Sponsors: Navarro, Zamarripa-Saenz) Presenter(s): Dr. María Del Carmen Unda, Co-Convener, Academia Cuauhtli, Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Texas at Austin Approve a recommendation and letter to City Council on FY27 budget. (Sponsors: Navarro, Zamarripa-Saenz) Approve a request for a $515,000 increase to the FY2027 Latino/a/e Artist Access Program (LAAP) budget to support dedicated technical and marketing staff capacity; fund essential lighting and sound infrastructure upgrades; and expand cohort size and …
3.25.26 MACC Sta(cid:431) Report – Website - Facebook - Instagram Please share our social media posts, sign up for our newsletter, and check out our upcoming events! Caminos Teen Leadership Program Upcoming: 2026 8th ANNUAL BREAKING BARRIERS YOUTH MENTAL WELLNESS DAY March 28, 10 AM – 3 PM Millenium Youth Entertainment Complex Link to RSVP on Eventbrite Save the date, March 28, for this year’s Breaking Barriers event designed, planned, and coordinated for teens-by-teens. This event It is a safe space to "break barriers" in mental health stigmas for teens via connection through community conversations and creative artmaking. Activities include screen printing, live music, zine-making, and more. Note: You can attend without an RSVP, but RSVPs will be needed in order to secure your lunch! *HS Volunteer Credit: All you'll need is your volunteer paperwork for sta(cid:431) to sign at the event, email Eufemia Rivera at eufemia.rivera@austintexas.gov for more details. Follow the program on Instagram @atxcaminos to stay updated! Breaking Barriers (Rompiendo Barreras) is an annual event advocating for mental health awareness created by teens, for teens! Join us for a powerful day to share thoughts, ideas, art, and music by teens, for teens! Breaking Barriers is an annual event led by the teens in the ESB-MACC's Caminos Teen Leadership Program. It is a safe space to "break barriers" in mental health stigmas for teens and find connection with one another! Breaking Barriers is a space for conversation, connection, and creation–We want to empower each other to break barriers, talk about our experiences (or not), and heal through creating, and building community with other teens (Ages 13-18). ACTIVITIES: Screen printing (totebags, caps, t-shirts, and more) Lunch and Snacks provided (IF you RSVP*) Live Music and Community Conversations Crafts like Jewelry Making, Air dry clay, etc Collaborations Upcoming: Art Alliance Austin Presents: The Big We Friday, 3/27 12:00pm-8:00pm Saturday, 3/28 9:00am-12:00pm Asian American Resource Center The Big We: A Creative Convening | AustinTexas.gov WHAT IS THIS EVENT?! Austin’s creative community has experienced a perfect storm of reductions or delays in Federal, State, and City funding; a lack of performance, rehearsal, and studio space; and little civic infrastructure to provide a safety net for artists, performers, and arts organizations when hard times fall. More than a few arts spaces and institutions have closed, some as old as 35 years, while arts organizations “hunker down” into silos, to keep producing their work on …
TO: Mayor and Austin City Council FROM: Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Advisory Board DATE: March 25, 2026 SUBJECT: Support for Funding Value-Engineered Items and Staffing – ESB-MACC Phase 2 Dear Mayor and Members of the Austin City Council, On behalf of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC) Advisory Board, we write to express our strong support for key investments needed to ensure the successful completion and long-term operation of the Phase 2 expansion. First, we recommend that City Council approve the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget for the ESB-MACC as it will be presented by staff. This includes support for an increased operating budget proportionate to the expanded size, scope, and utilization of the facility, as allowable. Ensuring that operational funding scales appropriately with the facility’s growth is essential to fully activate the space and deliver high-quality programming, maintenance, and community services. We further urge the inclusion and funding of the value-engineered (VE) items associated with the Phase 2 expansion in the City of Austin’s upcoming annual budget. As outlined in the January 5, 2024 memorandum provided by the Parks and Recreation Department (attached for reference to the detailed VE items and estimated costs), approximately $6 million in construction scope was removed from the Phase 2 project through value engineering processes. While these reductions were necessary to align with prior budget constraints, they represent critical components that directly impact the functionality, accessibility, cultural relevance, and long-term sustainability of the facility. Importantly, the Phase 2 design reflects extensive public comment and community input gathered over multiple years. The elements that were value-engineered out are not incidental—they are directly tied to the community-informed vision for what this cultural center should be. As such, restoring these components through future funding is not only a matter of project completion, but of honoring the voices, priorities, and expectations of the Austin community. The deferred items include, but are not limited to: ● Auditorium and lobby renovations essential for community programming and performances ● Black Box theater upgrades, including projection, lighting, and sound improvements ● Expansion of parking capacity to better accommodate visitors and large-scale events ● Modern wayfinding systems, including digital kiosks and directories ● Rehabilitation of restrooms and upgrades to public-facing infrastructure ● Acoustical treatments and gallery enhancements to preserve the integrity of exhibitions ● Solar panel installation to advance the City’s sustainability goals ● Landscape improvements and …
ESB-MACC ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES FEBRUARY 4, 2026 EMMA S. BARRIENTOS MEXICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER REGULAR MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2026 The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center convened in a Regular meeting on February 4, 2026, at 301 W. 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. (Some members of the ESB-MACC Advisory Board participated via videoconference.) Chair Navarro called the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Meeting to order at 6:13 p.m. Board Members in Attendance: Angelica Navarro, Lillian “Lily” Zamarripa-Saenz, Hilario “Larry” Amaro, Noemi Castro, John Estrada, Cynthia “Cy” Herrera, Raul “Roy” Reyna. Board Members in Attendance Remotely: Lynda Quintana. Board Members Absent: Alexander “Al” Duarte, Selma Sanchez. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Hector Ordaz signed up to speak on agenda item 4, “Discussion on FY26-27 budget priorities regarding building operations, programming, and event planning.” APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center regular meeting of January 7, 2026. The minutes from the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center regular meeting of January 7, 2026, were approved on Vice Chair Zamarripa-Saenz motion. Board Member Reyna seconded. Motion passed on an 8-0 vote. Board Members Duarte and Sanchez absent. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing on January and February programs, marketing and outreach efforts, signature event planning, and staffing updates. Olivia Tamzarian, ESB-MACC Culture and Arts Education Marketing & Outreach Representative, Austin Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment (ACME), reported on Casa de la Cultura programs, Youth and Family Education programs; Caminos Teen Leadership programming, current and upcoming marketing and outreach efforts; signature events; collaborations; the Latino/a/e Artist Access Program (LAAP); and staffing updates. (Please see the Board and Commissions Website for backup material.) DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. Update on Phase 2 Construction Project. 1 ESB-MACC ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES FEBRUARY 4, 2026 Heidi Tse, Capital Delivery Project Manager, Austin Capital Delivery Services, provided an update on the Phase 2 Construction Project. The update included estimated and substantial completion timelines; temporary certificate and certificate of occupancy; project milestones; emergency project items; and construction progress photos. (Please see the Board and Commissions Website for backup material.) The meeting was recessed at 7:27p.m. until 7:34p.m. without objection. Discussion on FY26-27 budget priorities regarding building operations, programming, and 4. event planning. Public Communication General Speaker: Hector Ordaz, introduced himself as an artist and as a member of several working groups, including the Hispanic Quality of Life Commission, …
ACADEMIA CUAUHTLI ACADEMIACUAUHTLI.COM MISSION STATEMENT WHO DO WE SERVE? 2022 CONVENERS Academia Cuauhtli (Eagle Academy) is a culturally sustaining, languagerevitalization, out-of-school program for elementary schoolIndigenous/Latinx and emergent bilingual students attending the AustinIndependent School District (AISD). Academia Cuauhtli offers instructionand a co-constructed curriculum in Indigenous, Mexican American, TejanoStudies, and STEM courses in both English and Spanish. Located at theEmma S. Barrientos, Mexican American Cultural Center, Our Saturdayclasses are entirely free and taught in Spanish by AISD master duallanguage teachers. As a community of educators, we provide rich, culturally-relevant lessons.Informed by research, our certified, master bilingual educators providecurriculum and pedagogy that promotes academic achievement, ethnicpride, and a positive sense of family and community.Honor our community’s cultural heritage, fostera social justice consciousness, and reclaim ourcollective identity in pursuit of educationalfreedom.AISD Title 1 SchoolsBilingual teachersSpanish-speaking students and familiesDr. Angela ValenzuelaDr. Emilio ZamoraDr. Christopher Milk Bonilla TESTIMONIALS NUMBER OF LIVES IMPACTED Teachers 72 Students 429 NUMBER OF PD CLASSES 200 Teachers completed professional development workshops with Academia Cuauhtli YEARS OF TEACHING EXPERIENCE MENTORSHIP 3-21 yrs. 40+ Mentored successfully graduate students of color. Three whom are now professors. academiacuauhtli.ut@gmail.com │ 512-364-0700 https://www.facebook.com/AcademiaCuauhtli"As teachers, we get to teach for the sheer joy of teaching and the students get to learn just for the sake of acquiring knowledge. The students do not have to worry about standardized tests here. We cover topics thatare near and dear to their hearts—their language and culture." - Cuauhtli Teacher"Academia Cuauhtli is a place for kids to learn about their culture, roots, and reinforce their identity. I want my children to learn values and other important lessons so when they grow upthey are confident. Cuauhtli teaches them values that they may not fully understand now but I am sure they will remember these lessons later on and understand." - 2017-18 ParentAcademia Cuauhtli is part of NLERAPP, a tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) About Academia Cuauhtli & Nuestro Grupo Nuestro Grupo, meaning "Our Group," originated from a pivotal meeting held at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC) on September 20, 2013. This gathering, organized by the University of Texas at Austin's Texas Center for Education Policy (TCEP) under the leadership of Dr. Angela Valenzuela, brought together seasoned community leaders to address literacy and curriculum issues within Austin's Mexican-origin community. Against the backdrop of a statewide movement for Mexican American studies, Nuestro Grupo emerged as a response to the expressed …
