Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History is a community gathering space dedicated to presenting art and history exhibitions, performances, festivals, educational presentations, and outreach programs in collaboration with many community partners from the city and county of Santa Cruz. In a typical year, the organization reaches over 85,000 people through art events and school engagements. This grant will support the organization’s performing arts and community engagement activities, and it aligns with the Performing Arts Program’s Communities strategy.

In recognition of the Hewlett Foundation’s 50th anniversary, the Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions initiative supports the creation and premiere of 50 exceptional works of performing arts. This grant will support the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History at the McPherson Center in developing and presenting lead artist Susana Ruiz’s “The Last Chinatown.” The project will culminate in a performance and augmented reality experience that will explore the erasure of Santa Cruz’s historic Chinatown and its connections to xenophobia and anti-Asian violence.

The Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History spent 2011 reinventing itself as a thriving, central gathering place where local residents and visitors can experience art, history, ideas, and culture. A core component of these activities is a suite of free and low-cost community programs, in which performance and performing artists play a central role. In the museum’s most recent fiscal year, 63 percent of its 37,000 visitors attended participatory events. With this grant, the museum plans to deepen the role of performing arts in community programs and create a residency and training program for performing artists interested in strengthening their community engagement practices.