Item 2. Look Back at 2025- Year Review — original pdf

Backup

Look Back at 2025 with the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center As we close out the year, we want to take a moment to share some of our highlights of 2025. Thank you to our MACC community and our collaborative partners! Because of you, we expanded our programming reach to new locations and new audiences! A special thanks goes out to those organizations that hosted our MACC programming in 2025. Thanks to the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Asian American Resource Center, Dougherty Arts Center! We thank the Parque Zaragoza, Pan Am, and Dove Springs Recreation Centers, our Senior Centers, our Austin Public Libraries and other city sites for hosting us! In 2025 we accomplished quite a lot of firsts! Our Caminos teens created incredible murals in the Pocket Park outside the MACC that tell visitors about the rich cultural history of Mexican Americans in Austin. We explored new places to host our programs. For the first time ever, we held our La Mujer event at the historic Parque Zaragoza Rec Center. We also held our Teen conference at the AARC which allowed us to expand the event to incorporate a dynamite workshop from SaulPaul and to reach even more teens. We collaborated with the annual Grito de la Independencia at Republic Square park and with the Fiesta Reclamada event in May, produced by A3 Art Alliance Austin. In August we collaborated with the Mexican Consulate on a film screening of Pedro Paramo at the Carver. Our collaborations made this possible. Our Education Programs included Spring Break and Summer Camps, afterschool programs, and Breaking Barriers Teen Conference, hosted for the first time at the Asian American Resource Center. We reached a younger audience with Morning Glories in collaboration with Waterloo Greenway. We collaborated with the Dove Springs Community Library for their Noche de Fiesta nights in September and December. Holistic Wellness/ Casa de la Cultura programs provided a wide variety of workshops and classes, including the Day of Wellness at Sunset Community Garden, and Sabados en Familia with Waterloo Greenway. We offered workshops on will writing and, homebuying! We stayed fit with bilingual wellness classes that included self-defense workshops, salsa, bachata, cumbia dance classes, kayaking, swimming, drumming, guitar, and yoga workshops! And we connected with Austinseniors through Cine de Oro and painting classes. Our signature events and annual collaborations kept going strong! We were honored to host some of our most popular and well-attended annual events like the Awards of Excellence ceremony, La Mujer, and of course Día de los Muertos. We were collaborators on Austin Parks and Recreation’s Pan Am Hillside Summer Concert Series which saw great attendance despite the Summer heat! In 2025, we worked with hundreds of artists such as musicians, instructors, dance, visual artists, and theater and will continue to expand our support in 2026 with the return of visual arts exhibits and the Latino Artist Access Program to name a few. And we are very excited for new program such as a culinary arts program in the new Cocina! Now let’s look back at some highlights of 2025! December 2025 Casa de la Cultura 3rd Annual Tamalada Conley Guerrero Senior Center Friends and family learned to make traditional tamales with our friends from Tamale Addiction. Our friends from Sana Yoga and Herbal Action Project joined to provide great resources and activities including champurrado kits. At the end of the workshop, participants left with tamales and a recipe card so that families could host their own tamaladas! Collaboration with Teatro Vivo: La Pastorela! Asian American Resource Center (AARC) Teatro Vivo presented their annual performance of “La Pastorela!” December 19th- 21st. This traditional Mexican folk play is a tradition that’s been at the MACC since it opened! It’s performed every year around the holidays, and it retells the journey of the pastores or “shepherds” with a modern take and lots of fun for audiences of all ages. November 2025 Día de los Muertos Oswaldo AB Cantu Pan American Recreation Center We celebrated our 18th annual Dia de los Muertos with partners like Mexamericon, Latinos in Architecture, and so over 20 local organizations and non-profits. The collective Day of the Dead altars, art installations, & activities fostered an appreciation for the sweetness and fragility of life. We all gathered under the tent during a rainy afternoon to watch a powerful dance by Danza Azteca Guadalupana and rejoiced in the celebration of life and our ancestors. The MACC also took Dia de los Muertos into the community throughout October! The education department hosted sugar skull making workshops at Rec Centers and Community Centers. We installed an ofrenda at the Zilker Botanical Garden. And we participated in the Oakwood Cemetery Day of the Dead celebration which honored local families in the Mexican American Community. Highlights of the MACC’s Day of the Dead event on November 1st included: Outdoor stage with live music from Gary Hobbs, Marca Especial, and The Tiarras. In the Education Area, free face painting and sugar skull decorating for families and participants of all ages and a Community Altar. MexAmeriCon featuring artist panels, games, and graphic arts that showcase the storytelling traditions of the Latino/a/e community through comics, art, and pop culture. Artisan Vendor Market which supported local Latino/a/e entrepreneurs. Piñata-inspired large scale sculptural art installations by Las Piñatas/Latinos in Architecture (LiA)  October 2025 Sábados en Familia: Bilingual Storytime and Hands-On Crafts Austin Public Library Branch Locations On the second Saturday of the month, we present Sábados en Familia- our a free cultural arts and crafts program that takes place at libraries all over Austin. Families with kids of all ages can participate for free in this drop-in program. A hands-on art project follows the bilingual storytime. Here were some fun highlights of the Sábados en Famila program in 2025: In December 2025, we read ’Twas Nochebuena: A Christmas Story in English and Spanish. We presented a cooking demonstration featuring ponche and buñuelos, and we created hojalatas, or tin art, alongside festive Christmas ornaments. In November 2025 we read "Together We Drum, Our Hearts Beat as One", a moving and powerful book about Indigenous resistance and female empowerment. We decorated mini drums while enjoying a beautiful dance performance by Mario Ramirez and Sarah Mendez from Kalpulli Mitotiliztli Yaoyollohtli (Heart of the Warrior). In February 2025, we read La Guitarrista, and then were joined by Delia Perez Meyer and Carlos Meda who led kids though song and rhythm on the guitar. There is still time to join a Sabados en Familia program in 2026 at these Austin Public Library locations: January 10, 2026 | 12PM-2PM | Windsor Park Branch February 14, 2026 | 12PM-2PM | Milwood Branch March 14th, 2026 | 12PM-2PM | University Hils Branch April 11, 2026 | 12PM-2PM | Cepeda Branch May 9, 2026 | 12PM-2PM | Ruiz Branch Summer - Fall 2025 Casa de la Cultura All Levels Yoga with Aneika We offered free Bilingual Yoga classes every Saturday October- December 2025 with Aneika Perez! Body, mind and soul align as we move with intention through gentle movement guided by breath. We incorporate meditation and sound to regulate the nervous system. Sunset Kayaking (18+) In collaboration with Austin Rowing Club, we offered FREE Kayaking on Lady Bird Lake! From Late June- Early October, folks were able to Chair Yoga A gentle form of yoga that can be done seated in a chair. These modifications made yoga accessible to people with various physical abilities. This was a repeating program, once-twice a month June- December. experience a relaxing evening on the water with kayaks, oars and life jackets provided! September 2025 Grito de la Independencia At Republic Square Park We collaborated in celebration of Mexican Independence Day with the Austin Saltillo Sister Cities Association, Downtown Austin Alliance, The Consulate General of Mexico in Austin, and the Mexic-Arte Museum. Viva Mexico! The 5th Street Mexican American Heritage Corridor and Cultural District was designated in 2025! Spanning along 5th Street, the corridor is a living testament to the enduring legacy and contributions of Mexican Americans to Austin’s history, culture, and identity. July - August 2025 Hillside Summer Concert Series Pan Am Recreation Center We had so much fun with you all on the Hillside! We offered different hands-on art project every week, and we collaborated with KOKE Tejano Radio to promote the event! Check out the musical lineup from 2025: July 15 DJ Robert Ligues, La Distancia, Angel y Vimana, Nova Band July 22 DJ Party Pete, Los Funky Monkeys, Celeste Curiel, Willie "The Kid" Cantu & Starlight Band July 29 DJ Flaco, Jorge Tamayo & Friends Paul Limon, Angeline B Marie Ruben Ramos & The Mexican Revolution August 5 DJ Robert Ortiz, Grupo Cruzsante, Daniel Lopez y Aventura, Conjunto Cats June 2025 Awards of Excellence The Long Center At our Awards of Excellence ceremony, we recognized remarkable Latinos/as/es for the highest artistic excellence they bring to the cultural arts of Austin, TX. Courtney Enriquez, Emerging Artist Visual artist and muralist who learned from Sam Coronado and recently had her solo exhibition of mixed media artworks inspired by the Lotería at La Peña Gallery. Claudia Chapa, The Arts Award-winning mezzo-soprano opera singer who is the newly appointed Curator of Hispanic and Latinx programming at Austin Opera. Chuy Chacon, Service In 2024, Jesus “Chuy” Chacon received the State of Texas and the Austin City Proclamation for 30 years as Roy Lozano’s Ballet Folklorico de Texas’ Artistic Director. Walter Guzman, Arts Education Walter Guzman is the founder and director of the local Guzmán Ballet Folklórico dance group which ensures that the next generation continues to embrace and celebrate the richness of Mexican culture. Fred Cantu, Lifetime Achievement Long-time Texas broadcaster Fred Cantu is often called a local icon after spending 45 years on the air in Austin. He was the first anchor for Telemundo Austin when it launched in 2009. Daniel Llanes, Lifetime Achievement Daniel worked in environmental justice, historical preservation, and cultural arts traditions. He practiced a Mezo-American folk medicine, and used his music and art to inspire people and foster an appreciation for Austin’s Coahuiltecan history. Daniel Llanes, 1949- 2025 Daniel Llanes is best known for decades of activism, advocating for social and environmental justice with organizations such as PODER, River Bluff Neighborhood Association, Save Our Springs Alliance, La Raza Roundtable, and the Undoing Racism Austin Collective. Daniel’s legacy lives on after his passing on December 4th, 2025. The MACC community recognizes what a great impact he had on the Austin and the MACC community. Our thoughts go out to Daniel’s family. Pocket Park Murals Inauguration “Pocket Park” on Rainey Street The Caminos Class of 2025 completed their work on the Pocket Park located outside of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center at 64 Rainey Street. They worked alongside artist Miguel Santana, their mentor for this project, for several months to complete the murals on donated benches. Watch the video! Caminos Class of 2025 Graduation Dougherty Arts Center Caminos Teen Leadership Program is an immersive; one year long paid internship empowering Austin-area Teens to carve their own path in the creative arts. They are high schoolers passionate about pursuing a creative career that can make a palpable difference in their communities. They are also very curious about learning more about Latin American and Indigenous cultures in the Americas and sincerely want to serve other teens by creating content and events that are relevant and enriching. In so doing, they become Ambassadors of Latinx culture in Austin while receiving precious professional development and empowerment along the way. The 7th Class of the program graduated this year! May 2025 Tortilla Making Workshop Veracruz All Natural This all-ages event was for learning (or perfecting!) corn tortilla making skills, guided by the wonderful folks of Veracruz All Natural! Hosted by the then Holistic Wellness Program, HWP attended to the needs of the total person while remaining rooted in our Latino/Mexican American cultural identities. True wellness is a combination of Physical, Social, Environmental, Financial, Intellectual, Emotional/Mental, Occupational, and Spiritual aspects and, like the diversity of our people, deserves to be nourished and cultivated to enrich individual lives and uplift our community. April 2025 La Mujer Parque Zaragoza A celebration of women inspired by the first feminist of the New World, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, with food, art, and performances by womxn. In its 14th year, the ESB MACC's annual La Mujer event celebrates women and women-identifying individuals in Austin’s Mexican American and Latina/o/x/e community. This event was on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Open to all ages, gender identities, and cultural identities where women can be seen, heard, and empowered. Free workshops and activities focused on wellness, women in justice, know-your-rights, and all-local visual and performing arts groups. There is a focus on uplifting and hiring women for all roles of this event, down to our graphic design, sound engineer, etc! March 2025 4th Annual Day of Wellness Sunset Valley Community Garden A day full of Birdwatching with (Travis Audubon), Gardening (with Herbal Action Project), Yoga & Meditation (Guided by Aneika Perez), Cooking Demo-Lentil Soup (with Sana Yoga), and more! Day of Wellness also featured Arts & Crafts with ESB- MACC EDU Team, Live Acoustic Guitar with Isai Chacon, Paletas from Mom & Pops All Natural Frozen Pops, and Live Nature Painting with Matilde. Resources and Information were provided from PEAS (Partners for Education, Agriculture, and Sustainability) and Ride Bikes Austin. Breaking Barriers: Teen Mental Wellness Conference Asian American Resource Center Breaking Barriers is an annual event led by the teens in the ESB-MACC's Caminos Teen Leadership Program. It is a safe pace to "break barriers" in mental health stigmas for teens and find connection with one another! February 2025 Volunteer Appreciation Event February 20th, at Hardie Alcozer Law Firm We held this event to recognize our ESB-MACC Volunteers who help make our many events successful! Attendees enjoyed a light meal, group building activities, and got to network and hear about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. Then we closed out the event by making birthday card for kids with rare and undiagnosed conditions- we were able to collect so many personalized, unique cards that will bring smiles to their faces! Thanks so much to all our volunteers! January 2025 Fiestas y Recuerdos: Digital Youth Art Exhibit The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (ESB-MACC) in affiliation with the Smithsonian Institute presented the Fiestas Y Recuerdos Youth Exhibit. This annual youth art exhibit was formerly known as Figuralo. The exhibit highlights cultural diversity and holiday traditions. Fiestas Y Recuerdos showcases the creative and original works from the young artist community in Austin, TX.