The Hispanic Cultural Arts Center “wants to do more” by offering you cultural things to do in Miami
Eriberto Jiménez is the director of the Miami Hispanic Cultural Arts Center. Located in Little Havana, the center is made up of four local organizations. They all aim to provide locals and tourists with a taste of the cultural things to do in Miami.
The first organization is the Miami Cuban Classical Ballet. This group performs four times a year. Shows are occasionally performed on the outside stage of the Hispanic Cultural Arts Center. However, most of the shows take place in theaters, such as the Dade County Auditorium.
One branch of that organization is the Miami Cuban Classical Ballet School. The school operates Monday through Friday and offers a variety of classes. Ballet classes are available for children ages three to professional level. The Miami Cuban Classical Ballet School also offers professional dance classes. They are available Monday through Friday at 10 am
The Miami International Ballet Festival It is also affiliated with the center. For 25 years, this event has occurred from mid-July to mid-August. The center brings professional dance companies from around the world to perform. The festival has been held downtown, and elsewhere in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
The fourth organization associated with the center is the Creation Arts Center. This group is in charge of any internal events.
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Located in J.W. Warner House, the center has a lot of history in its building. When he bought the center, Jiménez found two boxes of documents from the original owners. These boxes contained photographs, letters, and accounting records from the late 1800s.
Jiménez keeps these documents on display at the center, so that visitors can learn about the history. In addition, the center has open art galleries on the first floor that anyone can enter and see. Every month, they try to highlight different exhibits by different local artists. On the second floor, there is a private collection of donated artwork. These art exhibits are open to anyone who wants to see them from 10 am to 7 pm Monday through Saturday.
Beyond the constant art exhibits, the center hosts a few monthly events. The third Friday of each month is Friday of Tertulia. This now virtual event is broadcast live through the centre’s Facebook page. Facilitator Luis de la Paz invites a writer, poet, or other artist to an interview. The artist talks about his work and reads a sample of his writing. The goal is to start a conversation between local artists and the community.
The center also offers a children’s book or poetry reading program. The reading event occurs at 9 am on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Jiménez hopes to host more child-oriented events in the future. Although the center hosts many events, they always hope to have more.
“We have more ideas to start getting the community more involved and we want to do more.”
Eriberto Jimenez
To keep up to date with cultural things to do in Miami, follow Downtown on Instagram at @miamihispaniculturalartscenter. Also follow @cubanclassicalballetschool Y @cubanclassicalballetofmiami for information on ballet classes.
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