Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education

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Founded in 1934, Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education was the first charitable organization created to serve New York City's Hispanic population. For the better part of its existence, Casita Maria has been a fixture in the South Bronx, a neighborhood once a synonym for urban blight but has always had a vibrant creative community. As the occupant of a state of the art, 90,000 sq. ft. facility, which it shares with the Bronx Studio School for Artists and Writers, Casita Maria sees its building as a potential gateway to cultural experiences and educational opportunities too often relegated to trips to Manhattan. Through the Space for Change program, the organization will receive $50,000 over two years to commission a comprehensive study of its 400-seat performing arts space. Though it is already flexible and serving many functions, modifications to the building's auditorium-by-night/gymnasium-by-day space will allow Casita Maria to adapt the hall into a well-equipped performance venue and rehearsal space that can support a larger roster of public performances across a broader range of artistic genre—from multimedia to modern dance.