Children’s Cultural Center La Vecindad

From its humble offices in Cuernavaca, Children’s Cultural Center La Vecindad serves 55,000 children and 9,000 adults throughout 33 municipalities in the state of Morelos, Mexico. A multidisciplinary laboratory for creativity, La Vecindad introduces young people to a broad range of art forms. This diversity can be found in its performing arts, such as theater, puppetry, music, and contemporary dance; visual arts, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and photography; as well as media and literary arts, such as radio broadcasting and creative writing. Instructors balance the arts curriculum with lessons on the environment and science.

The Children’s Cultural Center places a premium on creative self expression. Facilitated workshops provide youth ages 3–14 with abundant opportunities to experiment in a variety of media. In the process, students explore multiple forms of expression and discover innovative ways to create art.

La Vecindad began as an agency of the Cultural Institute of Morelos in 1996. The Children’s Cultural Center now engages a regional audience through a vast array of annual exhibitions, performances, fairs and festivals, radio programs, school visits, summer programs, and workshops. La Vecindad also encompasses underserved populations, designing activities especially for children with disabilities and young people from indigenous communities.

Because of these outreach efforts, tens of thousands of adults and youth in Morelos are developing an enhanced appreciation for art; a renewed pride in their local culture and languages; and an increased interest in reading, science, and the environment.