Inside La Casa, the South End's new arts and community center
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A mural by artist Alvin Acóma Colón in La Casa's lobby. Photo: Steph Solis/Axios
When Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción's arts center opens, it will host concerts, youth arts programming, workshops and maybe a quinceañera (a traditional 15th birthday celebration for Latinas).
The big picture: La Casa, a $33 million project, will be the largest Latino arts center in New England.
- La Casa — or the Center for Arts, Self‑determination, and Activism — will also be a community hub for residents of IBA's Villa Victoria community and other Bostonians, says Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, IBA's CEO.
Driving the news: The four-story, 27,000-square-foot building opens May 15 with a concert featuring Eguie Castrillo, a musician and Berklee Latin percussion instructor.
- The center will host its open house, including a dance party, that weekend.
- The building will host public concerts and events, but it will also be home to IBA's wraparound services for residents, staff offices, teen arts programming and other Villa Victoria events.
What they're saying: The Puerto Rican founders who launched IBA in 1968 saw art as a tool to unite residents, foster trust and show that their culture and history matter, Calderón-Rosado told Axios.
- "We have continued that legacy, and with La Casa, this will continue for generations to come," she said.
Flashback: IBA planned to renovate an existing church building on West Newton Street in 2017, but the building was so dilapidated that the city condemned it.
- IBA reemerged with a plan in 2019 to build a new community and performing arts center.
Today, preserved elements of the church appear throughout the building, from terra cotta tiles on the second floor to the church's original stained-glass windows adorning a basement lobby.
Zoom in: The hallmark of the center is the Jean and Tom Yawkey Hall, a 200-seat performance venue.
- The seats are attached to risers that fold in, allowing up to 400 people to fit in the space.
- The other floors have meeting rooms, office space and community programming space, as well as a second-floor terrace overlooking the "casitas" that are part of IBA's housing portfolio.
The intrigue: The center features works from contemporary Puerto Rican artists, including Antonio Martorell's paintings over fabric and Alvin Acóma Colón's mural in La Casa's lobby.
- Colón's mural, made with acrylic paint and spray paint, details a group of 1968 protesters in the corner, alongside residents playing dominoes and hugging, the cuatro, bongos and imagery referencing Taíno culture.
What's next: Martorell will visit La Casa to run arts workshops and celebrate the center's opening.
