By Natalia Rodriguez
In April the Pajaro Valley Arts Board of Directors welcomed Miriam Anton as their new executive director. She possesses impressive experience in marketing and fundraising, with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in art history, and worked to improve inclusion of underrepresented communities in technology for AnitaB.org.
She has visions of outreach, development for the arts and building upon the history of Pajaro Valley at the historic Porter Building, located in Watsonville at the corner of Maple and Main Streets.
This building, erected in 1903 and designed by well-known architect William Weeks, withstood floods and even the 1989 earthquake.
Now Pajaro Valley Arts, a nonprofit founded in 1984 and currently based at 37 Sudden St. in Watsonville, expects Anton to lead the way to raise $1.3 million to transform the Porter Building into a hub for the arts.
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What are your visions for the Porter Building?
My vision includes building upon the organization’s 40-year history in Watsonville, to help deepen partnerships within the community, grow our membership base, and in the near-term to raise funds to begin renovations.
Miriam Anton
Our collective goal is to create a safe, inclusive environment to connect, create and celebrate the arts by building a central arts hub for gallery exhibits, live performances, workshops, retail space and art studios. The Porter Building will provide a larger centralized downtown location enabling us to continue to deliver high quality exhibits and culturally relevant programming at greater capacity. It will also help us better serve the community through improved access.
The renovated space will serve as a cultural tourist destination where PVA can continue to showcase the rich and vibrant arts of the region and celebrate Latinx cultures and diverse community voices. The Porter Building will provide a forum for gatherings and cultural celebrations, offering opportunities for artists to collaborate, showcase and sell their work. We will expand civic, educational and arts partnerships, impact adjacent businesses and help bring economic growth and vitality to Main Street.
When might the fundraising begin?
We have already begun raising funds for the building campaign and we are currently ramping up to our 40th anniversary this fall when our official public launch will kick off. Fundraising plans include hosting community events centered on our building campaign, and those will be announced in the coming months.
In the meantime, we welcome the public to visit the current space. PVA will continue to provide exhibits and events at both our Sudden Street & Porter Street locations until renovations are officially underway.
For more on the plans for the Porter Building and ways to contribute visit https://pvarts.org/porter-building/. Our exhibition calendar: https://pvarts.org/exhibitcalendar/
Can you talk about the Teen Artes exhibit which wraps up June 30 at the Porter Building? What are some must-sees?
PVA’s Teen Artes program is made possible through the support of the California Arts Council. It reflects our mission of bringing the community together through the arts as well as PVA’s focus on uplifting and inspiring youth, and making art more accessible.
It is designed for local high school students from low-income households to learn art skills and art careers from mentors and arts professionals within the community. The Fall/Winter program culminates in a student designed exhibition including paintings, drawings, photography, sculptures and other media created during their session, and the Spring/Summer program culminates with a student-designed and painted mural. In 2023 the summer mural was designed by the students under the direction of artist Jaime Sanchez for the outdoor wall of the Family Center at Ramsay Park. We’ll announce our location for this summer’s mural soon.
Our Teen Artes Pop-Up Exhibition is unique – students not only create the art, but they also curate the show and learn about all aspects of producing an exhibition from budgeting to fundraising and publicly presenting the art at an opening reception. Students this year sought out local teen musicians who performed at the opening. The Teen Artes Pop-Up Exhibition is on view at the Porter Building until June 30.
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As a volunteer-led organization, Pajaro Valley Arts is always seeking to expand our volunteer base! Please visit their website to learn how to get involved: www.pvarts.org.