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Viva Al Arte returns to Guadalupe for 20th season with free Spanish‑language concerts and school outreach
Summary
UCSB Arts & Lectures' Viva Al Arte de Santa Barbara program celebrated its 20th season and emphasized that Guadalupe remains a primary site for free Spanish-language performances, in-school workshops and community engagement; organizers requested continued access to City Hall and volunteer support.
Jenna Hamilton Roll, director of education and community engagement at UCSB Arts & Lectures, told the City Council that Viva Al Arte de Santa Barbara — a free Spanish‑language performing-arts and outreach program — marked its 20th anniversary this year and will continue presenting monthly performances and school workshops in Guadalupe.
"Viva is presented in Spanish, and it's anchored by three distinct Santa Barbara County locations with high concentrations of native Spanish speakers," Hamilton Roll said. She described Guadalupe as a long‑standing, high‑attendance site and thanked local bilingual coordinators and volunteers for sustaining the program.
Hamilton Roll outlined the program's structure: five residencies each season (September–May), roughly 60 performances and school assemblies countywide, and partnerships with bilingual community coordinators in each site. She said Viva reaches about 15,000 community members per season through concerts and educational activities and that the program provides performances and outreach at no charge.
Council members and staff thanked the program for community engagement and asked that Arts & Lectures continue to use and keep City Hall accessible as a performance site. Hamilton Roll asked the council to help distribute flyers and volunteers, and she said organizers would provide season flyers and the full lineup to city staff and the local coordinator, Chachi Ramirez.
Hamilton Roll also described arts-in-school workshops that accompany the performances, including work with local high schools, and urged continued local help with logistics such as subsidized rehearsal, staging and storage space to keep the program sustainable.
No formal council action was taken; the presentation ended with the council expressing support and staff noting they would coordinate on facility access and flyer distribution.
