Our Story

After a wave of youth violence in Santa Maria in 2015, Latinx students from various organizations, including Future Leaders, Just Communities, Youth Making Change, and CAUSE, asked local leadership to address the issue of violence by supporting a cultural and creative arts center that could serve as a creative hub where individual voices are validated and connected to our Latinx culture, and where a push for public art that is reflective of our economic, cultural, and social contributions, are highlighted and celebrated.

 
This request went unheard by our local leadership. Toward these ends, we created a thirteen-member Development Committee representative of a wide demographic. These included educators, parents, students, LGBTQ, indigenous, business, and faith-based representatives, among others. This committee developed the mission, the vision, name, logo, and the structural foundation for what would become Corazón del Pueblo or, by its official name, the Cultural and Creative Arts Center of the Santa Maria Valley.​​

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On June 6, 2019, we were officially granted our 501c3 status by the state of California. We proudly serve the Santa Maria Valley and partner with community leaders to elevate the role of diverse arts and artists in our local communities.