Preparations underway for El Paso’s Mexican American Cultural Center, community asked to participate in planning

EL PASO, TX (KVIA) -- Preparations for the opening of El Paso's Mexican American Culture Center continue, as the center is set to open later this year. This facility aims to showcase the arts and traditions of Mexican-American people in the borderland region.

The project was funded by El Paso voters through the 2012 Quality of Life Bond program. The center is located in the Downtown Arts District on W. Franklin Ave, next to the Museum of History. 

Rebecca Muñoz, the director of the Mexican American Cultural Center says the center is committed to celebrating a wide range of traditions, including visual arts, music and culinary arts. The native El Paso staff is currently working on fine-tuning the program for the inaugural year. 

Muñoz told ABC-7 she hopes the community feels reflected through this initiative, “I think it's really important for us to be able to celebrate the variety of expressions. We see a lot of mariachi and ballet folklórico, but there's so much more representation that is needed. And for our community to see their own traditions represented in our institution will be really great.”

Community outreach is at the forefront of their efforts, the Mexican American Culture Center is hosting a meet and greet event tonight, May 9th, at the El Paso Museum of History. The event will start at 5:30 p.m., the staff invites the community to learn more about the institution and share their suggestions for future programming. “Maybe there are artists within their families or cooks within their families that have not had their stories told on a larger level. So we want to get all of that information” Muñoz says.

Muñoz also told ABC-7 they plan to hire this summer and will host another meet and greet event for local artists in two weeks. 

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