LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes opens its inaugural 2011–2012 academic year with two, two hour, K–12 exhibition school tour opportunities that celebrate the contributions of Mexican and Mexican Americans in Southern California:
• Calle Principal, grades K-3 (one hour in the exhibition and one hour in an urban development workshop)
• LA Starts Here!, grades 4-12 (one hour in the exhibition and one hour in a print workshop)
• El Jardín , grades K-12 (garden and culinary tours and workshops) Please check back for program availability.
Two hour school tour reservations are available Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:00 am to 10:00 am or 10:00 to 12 noon. A required teacher/chaperone to student ratio for school tours is 8:1.
LAUSD and Title 1 schools, from any school district, will receive free admission, with an organized school tour reservation.
For more information and costs for all school tour reservations please contact the Education Coordinator at 213-542-6242 or email schooltours@lapca.org.
Calle Principal: Main Street Los Angeles, 1920s
Calle Principal explores a particular decade on Main Street and in the story of Mexicans and Mexican Americans in Los Angeles: the 1920s. Seven vignettes and four interactive stations in Calle Principal serve as entryways to an investigation of the people who lived and worked here, revealing forces that shaped ideas about ethnicity, identity, and community. Each vignette is designed to encourage visitor interaction with inquiry-based activities that prompt critical thinking about how Mexicans and Mexican Americans lived in the past and how they live in the present. Each vignette includes hands-on activities for children ages five through eight and their families.
LA Starts Here!
The first of its kind in approach and scope, LA Plaza’s inaugural exhibition, LA Starts Here!, examines Mexican and Mexican American history and identity in Los Angeles. Iconic artifacts, one-of-a-kind interactive experiences, and captivating films reveal the region’s rich and often unfamiliar history as a multicultural project from its first settlement. Visitors of all backgrounds are encouraged to think critically about the shaping of cultural and national identity in an increasingly diverse world. Video, audio, and touch screens are available throughout the exhibition, and visitors are asked thought-provoking questions about themselves and their families, making this an ideal destination for children ages nine and up and their families.
El Jardín: Vertical Garden
LA Plaza’s Vertical Garden is a visual representation of the plants and grasses unique to Southern California. Early Mexicans and Mexican Americans thrived in this environment of grasslands and chaparral by learning about the many uses of both wild and domesticated plants. This glimpse of native flora enables visitors to understand and appreciate the culinary and medicinal contributions these plants have made to the region.
El Jardín: Edible Teaching Garden Program
El Jardín, the edible teaching garden at LA Plaza, exemplifies our commitment to celebrate the contributions of Mexican and Mexican American culture by creating sustainable urban agriculture. A teaching garden also offers active and engaging connections to the sciences and humanities. The garden employs the principles of companion planting, which is a technique for growing organic crops in a self-sustaining ecosystem. The garden life cycle, from compost to table, is presented in a natural learning environment, in an interdisciplinary, collaborative, and student-centered context.
El Jardín: Culinary Arts Program
The Culinary Arts program at LA Plaza actively serves the public by promoting the appreciation of Mexican and Mexican American cuisine through educational demonstrations and hands-on cooking experiences. Participants learn about the contributions that Mexican and Mexican American foods have made to world cuisine. A vital component of the Culinary Arts program is a commitment to increasing an awareness of nutrition and its role in promoting healthy living.