Residents who headed down to the Healdsburg Plaza on Sunday evening looking for Art After Dark, usually a diverse collection of visual and performance artists showing their skills, were surprised to find something quite different: an hours-long multicultural celebration of music and dance called “Pachanga & Art…After Dark!”
The slight name change and emphasis on the Mexican music pachanga—a Latin American rhythm and dance, and TexMex slang for a lively party—pushed the other artists to the edges of the park. Music and dance were front and center on Sunday night, with revelers in masks, costumes and regional dress showing their heritage.
The event was a very visual way to recognize the recipients of Corazon’s Diversity in Arts Grant to “promote equitable funding in the arts by providing financial support to artists who have historically been underserved or excluded by other funding mechanisms,” according to the grant’s application. And diversity was indeed the hallmark of the evening.
Among the performers were Guelaguetza dancers from Oaxaca; ranchera and other regional musical styles from Mexican bands such as Efecto Diferente and Maxima Frecuencia; Ballet Folklorico dancers in colorful attire; hip-hop dancers from Top Cheer Elite, and many others.
Grants were awarded to more than Mexican recipients—members of the Redwood Empire Chinese Association presented their new dragon, wending its way through the crowded plaza to gapes and wonder from the many youngsters among the 2,000-plus who attended.
Art Along on the Edges
The arts were represented as well, from a series of paintings showcasing the struggles of undocumented immigrants and people of color by Daniela Orosco, and photographic portraits of Latinos and their professions by Austin Aviles, and traditional weaving with live demonstrations from Yolanda Ramirez of Cooperativa Mujeres Triqui.
Though Dia De Muertos remains Corazón Healdsburg’s primary cultural celebration (to be held this year on Oct. 27), the pachanga was a bold statement of Latin American heritage in Healdsburg and northern Sonoma County. It also marked Latin American Heritage Month, recognized elsewhere in the region by several Mexican Independence Day events on or around Sept. 16.
Art After Dark was created by the Healdsburg Center for the Arts (HCA) and traditionally sponsored by the City of Healdsburg, said Matt Milde, the city’s recreation supervisor. “When we learned that HCA wouldn’t be hosting it this year to focus on the upcoming Healdsburg Arts Festival, Community Services offered to continue it in 2024,” he said.
“Around the same time,” he added, “we found out that Corazon was planning an event to celebrate their grant recipients, and it made sense to combine efforts into a single event: ‘Pachanga and Art…After Dark.’”
Cristal López Pardo, family resource manager at Corazón Healdsburg and the event’s primary organizer, was quick to remind attendees, and readers, that the Diversity in the Arts grants are again open for submissions. “It was an incredible event that highlighted the diverse artistic contributions from our community,” she said of the pachanga.
“We have launched the application for the grant once again, and folks may apply directly from our webpage or pick up an application at our office,” López Pardo said, giving the direct link to www.corazonhealdsburg.org/diversity-in-the-arts.
Meanwhile the Healdsburg Center for the Arts is focusing on its own event this month, the 2024 Healdsburg Arts Festival, to be held in the Plaza on Sept. 28.
