Brief History
On the occasion of its 43rd anniversary, the Center remains true to the vision of its founding artists, providing an opportunity for all to discover their potential in the arts, the building of reconciliation, and social change.
From the very beginning in 1968, the Center’s artistic content and leadership has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the very highest standards of artistry, and to a reflection of the community’s complex cultural and social identity. The early curriculum emphasized indigenous African-American music (jazz, blues), alongside a classical European music repertoire. In the mid-70s and 80s, the Center added Regional Mexican music and dance practices, with workshops, performance tours, and residencies in theater, new media, and improvisational poetry. In the late 80s and early 90s, the Center incorporated a new repertoire area, creating the only public ceremonial Mien/Khmu/Hmong (Laotian) music and dance curriculum and ensemble in the US, led by an important elder Laotian Mien Priest/Artist. The Center convened the first Mien cultural festival in the U.S., bringing groups from throughout the West Coast region to Richmond.
Today, the Center provides hands-on exploration for children, a conservatory level training program, and ensembles in diverse cultural performing art forms for teens, district-wide residencies and after school classes for children from pre-K to 12th grade, and professional development for local public school teachers. The Center provides instruction and performances in blues and jazz, classical European chamber music and ballet, West African music and dance, traditional Mexcian music and dance, and utilizes theater and film/media production to help young artists – and renowned master artists – build works about issues ranging from environmental pollution to urban violence and HIV/AIDS.
The Center has also been acknowledged for its work with national & local awards, including the 2004 Arts & Humanities Award from the Richmond Arts & Culture Commission, a 2004 Daniel E. Koshland Civic Unity Award from the San Francisco Foundation to Artistic Director Jordan Simmons, the 2002 Juvenile Justice Commission Award for Outstanding Service by an Organization from the Contra Costa County Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Commissions, the 1999 Coming Up Taller Award from the President's Committee on the Arts & Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts.