San José, CA

An arts organization teams up with a small, local business to create a central gathering place and cultural center within a struggling neighborhood.

One of the most diverse cities in the nation, San Jose is without a majority population group.  It is predicted that most urban areas in the US will follow suit by the year 2050.  In a city as large as San Jose, residents often times do not know one another.  Thus, Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA) has made it their mission to communicate and reach out to the neighborhoods of San Jose to enable diverse constituents of the city to come together.  One of their initiatives is to work with small businesses, such as Singh's Laundromat, located nearby MACLA. The Laundromat was in poor shape; litter, drug dealers, prostitutes, and similar personas were often found loitering outside, creating an unsafe and uncomfortable environment for those seeking to use the neighborhood's facilities.  MACLA worked with the laundromat's owner to improve his small business and turn it into a community gathering place by hosting a film screening in the Laundromat during daytime hours.

Nuts and Bolts:

• MACLA established a relationship with small business owners, gaining mutual trust.
• Staff worked with a Las Familias, a woman’s organization, to clean up the Laundromat, paint a mural design inside, and also design and install a vinyl lettering sign.
• Staff asked residents what movie they’d like to see to reserve the proper video.
• Fliers for the movie day were handed out and posted around the neighborhood.  Local residents were invited to wash their clothes, eat popcorn, and watch a movie in the middle of the day.

Successes:

• Enables interaction between local residents; approximately 15 residents showed up, and several requested MACLA to continue screening films weekly.
• Increased use of the public space.  As the Laundromat was cleaned and painted there has been an increase in business.
• Enables an institution to serve as a connector between different neighborhoods and public spaces.

How you can do this:

• Partner with an arts organization or another nearby neighborhood group to clean and restore the area.
• Post notice of the event around the neighborhood; pass out flyers to local institutions.
• Find a public place in your community open to all residents.  Hold a meeting with the neighborhood residents and business owners to determine how such spaces can be revitalized and used by all peoples.