CreArte Latino Cultural Center will present “A Taste of Latin America,” a fundraising event celebrating Latin American food and culture, Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at CreArte Latino, 8251 15th St. E., in Sarasota.
The evening, which includes a dance performance by local artists, is sponsored by the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Mi Lic Hispano Abogados de Accidentes and an anonymous donor. To purchase tickets ($100), visit createlatino.org.
“CreArte’s mission is to be a conduit for cultural exchange between Latinos/Hispanics and the community at large through art, education and service,” said Carol Hartz, CreArte’s executive director. “We hope that by offering guests an authentic taste of Latin American culture, we will encourage them to explore more aspects of Latin American life.”
Food for “A Taste of Latin America” will be provided by The Colombian Point; Huanchaco Peruvian Grill; La Guadalupana (Dominican Caribbean); Mirnas Cuban Cuisine; and La Brisa Tacos y Mariscos (Mexican). Local dancers Yajahira and Sebastian Galindo will represent Jalisco, Mexico, through dance, song and traditional costumes.
“CreArte has experienced tremendous growth in just a few short years,” said Hartz s. “The communities of Sarasota and Manatee have strongly supported us, confirming that our services and events are important to them. Our goal is to expand our offerings to reach more English speakers in ways that don’t require understanding Spanish. Dance, music and theater productions in Spanish with English subtitles is an important way to make CreArte accessible to the larger community.”
Hartz said CreArte is currently working on several community outreach initiatives that involve collaboration. In the past year, initiatives have included theatrical productions presented in Spanish and English; the popular Amigos Online Book Club; theater workshops for children and adults; and Conversemos en Español, an online class for English speakers.
For more information about the CreArte Latino Cultural Center, visit creartelatino.org or CreArte Latino on Facebook.
Submitted by Sue Byron
