'A Taste of Latin America,' CreArte Latino's Inaugural Fundraising Event, Celebrates the Food and Culture of Latin America

CreArte Latino Cultural Center presents "A Taste of Latin America," a fundraising event that celebrates the food and culture of Latin America. The evening includes a dance performance by local artists and Latin American cuisine. A Taste of Latin America is October 13, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at CreArte Latino, 8251 15th Street East, Suite I, Sarasota. Tickets are $100 per person. Event sponsors include Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Mi Lic Hispano Abogados de Accidentes, and an anonymous donor. To purchase tickets, visit www.creartelatino.org.

Food for "A Taste of Latin America" will be provided by The Colombian Point (Colombian); Huanchaco Peruvian Grill (Peruvian); La Guadalupana (Dominican Caribbean); Mirnas Cuban Cuisine (Cuban); and La Brisa Tacos y Mariscos (Mexican). Local dancers Yajahira and Sebastian Galindo will represent Jalisco, Mexico through traditional dance, song and costume.

"CreArte's mission is to be a channel for cultural exchange between Latinx/Hispanics and the community at large through the arts, education, and service," says Carol Hartz, CreArte's executive director. "Our hope is that by offering guests an authentic taste of Latin American culture, we will encourage them to explore more aspects of Latin American life. This will be a fun-and delicious-way to start the conversation!"

What's on the horizon for fledgling organization?

"CreArte has experienced tremendous growth in a few short years," says Hartz. "The Sarasota and Manatee communities have strongly supported us, confirming that our services and events are important to them. Our goal is to expand our offerings to reach more native English speakers in ways that do not require an understanding of Spanish. Dance, music, and theatrical productions in Spanish with English subtitles is one important way to make CreArte accessible to the larger community."

Hartz adds that another vital part of CreArte's strategic plan is to collaborate with other regional arts and educational organizations. "We believe in the power of community," says Hartz. "Partnering with other nonprofits strengthens our mission, gets the word out to an even broader audience, and ultimately allows for greater impact and advocacy." She says that her team is currently working on several community outreach initiatives that involve collaboration.

In the past year, CreArte's initiatives have included theater productions presented in Spanish and English; the popular online Amigos Book Club; theater workshops for children and adults; and "Conversemos en Español," an online class for English speakers.

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