Community outreach: Inspiring youth with art

Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer, or Art Workshops of the New Dawn, is a community-based art center in Woodland managed by the Chicana/o Studies Program. The department has a history of scholarship and dedication in promoting community health and empowerment.

Conceived by UC Davis Professor Emeritus Malaquias Montoya, one of the most prominent living Chicano artists, TANA is a 21^st century version of community art workshops that existed in many urban settings decades ago, with a focus on empowering youth.

Through silk-screen printing and mural painting, the center cultivates the cultural and artistic life of the community, while encouraging participants to seek higher education and self-determination. To browse the work produced at TANA, visit the program’s website.

(Fourth-year student Gilda Posada from the Chicana/o Studies Program, left, helps Eva Garcia, 16, during a recent class at TANA. Photo by Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis)