Announcing: Zócalo Traditional Arts Guild
Santa Cruz House Concerts
I have some exciting news to share. You may have gotten wind of this already—we're now making it official!
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Announcing the development of a new Dance Hall / Community Center in downtown Santa Cruz:
Zócalo Arts
708 Washington St
Our mission: To provide a beautiful, affordable venue for cultural events serving and celebrating the diverse population of Santa Cruz County.
Our foremost priority will be to host social dances with live music; however, we envision many other uses for the space, including community gatherings, art exhibitions, and workshops.
Who are “we”? So far, the core team consists of:
Daniel Steinberg: dance musician, community chorus director, concert promoter, founder of Instant Harmony
Yasmina Porter: Fulbright scholar, retired professor, founder of African Roots Social Club
Mike Lewinski: carpenter, community organizer, square dance caller, fiddler
We don’t have a target opening date yet, but we’ll keep you posted. We’re incredibly excited to be creating this space for the Santa Cruz community, and can’t wait to invite you to see it and dance with us!
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Want to help?
We have a ton of work to do, and we welcome community participation. Please reach out to us at <ad...@zocalarts.org>.
- If you have time and interest, we’re looking for volunteers to fill the roles below. (In some cases, a small stipend may be available.)
- If you have a vision for bringing classes or events to the Zócalo, or want to help manage the space long-term, please get in touch.
- If you’d like to contribute in some way but don't feel you have the time or skills, we accept donations, which are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Details are at the bottom of this message.
- Caretaker: A small, one-room ADU, next-door to the Zócalo, is going to be available for rent very soon. We'd love to find someone who would like to live there, with a rent subsidy for acting as building caretaker for the Zócalo. There is a tight timeline for claiming this space: Contact <ad...@zocalarts.org> asap if you are interested in learning more about this.
- Logo/Artwork Design: We want an eye-catching logo that reflects our vision for the venue, and there will be ongoing sign and poster design.
- Website: We need a team to create and manage the zocaloarts.org website.
- Interior Design: We want to make the space beautiful and inviting, and this extends to the look and feel of the back rooms as well as the main hall.
- Mural Design & Execution: We are planning a large mural and have a few spaces for smaller ones. If you'd like to be involved in design and/or execution, let us know.
- Color and Lighting Design: We need some expert help in designing how to light the room and the stage, and in choosing colors to paint the interior & exterior.
- Painting: There will be some painting projects, large and small, starting with interior trim and paneling.
- Plumbing/Electrical/Carpentry: There is lots to do, and skilled work is expensive. We welcome all help with a variety of construction projects.
- Landscape Design & Gardening: In addition to maintaining the existing greenery, we‘d love to find someone to help revise the landscape design to make the grounds around the building beautiful and maintainable. We also welcome donations of outdoor furniture, especially benches and chairs.
- Dance Floor Installation and Maintenance: We will be installing a maple dance floor, and would like to train a crew of volunteers to do the installation, under the supervision of an experienced floor installer. This project will be a great way to contribute and learn how to assemble a hardwood floor! The floor will require ongoing cleaning and occasional refinishing, and we'd like to have a crew of people available to help maintain it.
- There are many other opportunities to help: Let us know if you'd like to hear about upcoming work days and projects.
- Checks payable to "Instant Harmony"
- PayPal: to Dire...@InstantHarmony.com or via this link
(**be sure to mark the payment to Friends & Family)
- Venmo: to @Instant-Harmony or via this link
Be sure to note your email address so we can send you a donation receipt.
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Zócalo Arts is operated by the Zócalo Traditional Arts Guild, under the auspices of Instant Harmony, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
A bit about the space: Built in 1884 and operated as a German Methodist Episcopal Church though 1925, the building then housed the Salvation Army, a dance studio in the 1980s, Santa Cruz Aikido in the 1990s (which then moved to Mission St), and the TriYoga Center for 24 years until early 2020. We purchased the property in November 2023.