A recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation through the Community Impact Fund is giving Culturas Music & Arts an opportunity to expand in remarkable ways.
The community-focused nonprofit located in Coachella has a vision that, in part, will create jobs and other opportunities via arts and media designed for local youth and residents.
But it’s IECF’s grant that will fuel bigger efforts to enhance a dedicated center located Vine Street and Second Street. Culturas CEO and Founder Oralia Ortiz explains how the city of Coachella allocated an old corporate yard to the nonprofit at a nominal rate. As noble as that was, Ortiz and her team realized that the facility needed much cleaning and enhancements, including powering up again with electricity.
“We’ve been cleaning it up for years, so these recent funds have helped a lot with that,” she said. “We want to continue opening this space up to families, different types of art, and teaching the kids to run a business by opening up a café/kitchen.”
The city also allocated funds for architects for enhancements.
“We do have a new design and it’s millions of dollars, but we don’t have that funding yet,” Ortiz added. “In the meanwhile, the grant will help us power up the facility with electricity, a security system, and proper ADA-compliant ramps, restrooms, and signage.
“But we’re not waiting for all those millions of dollars to come in,” she stressed. “We want to make sure that we’re using a facility, even if it’s to rent out for pop-up arts and things like that.”
Overall, Culturas Music & Arts is striving to thwart the stigma of the region by providing unique art and music venues, filling them with artists, musicians, and local organizations.
“In the beginning for us, there was no art or murals or art programming in the area,” Ortiz said. “We were sitting around with some friends in 2008 and talking about how they had built this brand new wall in a community park that’s right in the middle of the barrio. And that’s where it started. All the artists that contributed to that mural were young graffiti artists or taggers, and many of them never painted a mural before. Most of them didn’t know their own history.”
The colorful mural depicts Chicano-Mexican history from the pre-Columbia era, all the way to the future. Each panel is 50-feet long and six feet high.
“Many of the artists involved had to do their research on the particular timeline they chose in the mural,” Ortiz said. “It was a learning experience.”
The mural was completed in 2012, topped off with a celebration and unveiling dubbed “The Synergy Music and Art Festival.”
“It really was community-based and grassroots,” Ortiz said.
Several other endeavors stand out at the nonprofit.
One of them is Arte Del Barrio, which launched in the early days of the pandemic. Ortiz noted how COVID affected many small businesses and entrepreneurs who relied on extra income.
“We had a call for artists and crafters to come out and join us,” she said, noting how the nonprofit set up at United Farmworkers headquarters, spiking attendance, creating solidarity.
In March 2025, the nonprofit generated positive attention with Women Rising Presents Festival de Rebozo. The event became a celebration of “the powerful feminine,” and the women who lead communities, organize causes, and raise children who will shape the future.
Looking ahead, Ortiz is optimistic.
“We want others to know that this center can help people,” she said. “Imagine a second-grade class in elementary school—kids everywhere. But as soon as you sat them down, and we’re cutting paper or gluing or coloring, things shift.
“And that’s what art does,” she added. “I believe this center is important. It will feature music, dance, visual arts, digital design, and traditional crafts, but it will also bring the community together. It will showcase festivals, events, and educate people on their own history.
“This community is mostly Latino,” she went on. “We want to educate on that culture and showcase traditional arts. We want people to feel proud of where they came from. It’s a healing. It’s wellness. It’s action. It’s pride.”
This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, January, 2026.
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