By Isaac Ceja
29 Oct 2023, 11:58 PM EDT
Earlier this month, Arturo Becerra, owner of Toledo Capital Development LLC, submitted an application to the Los Angeles City Planning Department to build a 100% affordable residential building and Museum of Chicano Art, called XOLA, in Boyle Heights .
“Building a zócalo that will celebrate and enhance the rich heritage of Chicanos and Latinos in Boyle Heights while providing access to affordable housing for those in the community who need it most is the vision of this community space,” Becerra explained.
The museum will be free to the public and will be dedicated to exhibiting Chicano art. If all goes well, it is estimated that the project will start in 2024 and end in 2026.
Becerra is originally from Boyle Heights and whenever he thinks about or plans a project, his perspective focuses on the empowerment and enrichment of the Latino community.
According to Becerra, historically, the capital model has simply consisted of extracting value through high rents for the benefit of anonymous corporations.
“What guides us is the preservation of community and the dismantling of systemic and historical racism in the way property is developed and used in communities of color,” Becerra explained.
“Our model is to ensure that capital is reinvested in the community we serve, and it is these values that drive us.”
Becerra understands that there will be many questions from the local community about the cultural arts project and he plans to answer each and every one of them.
On the XOLA museum website, the community is invited to offer their opinions and ideas for the construction of the new arts and culture venue
Sonja Díaz, a civil rights attorney and founding director of the UCLA Latino Policy Institute, says this effort is a necessary addition and will elevate the cultural fabric of a community that is quintessentially Los Angeles.
“Los Angeles is home to many impressive art institutions, but most of them are clustered in areas that are far from working-class neighborhoods of color. With Boyle Heights at its core, XOLA is of and for the community,” said Díaz.
Some of XOLA’s goals are: Serve as a community gathering space, transforming the concept of museum and traditional art, as well as partner with other arts organizations to promote Chicano art and work to dismantle racist narratives that prevent artists from Chicanos are recognized in art history and commerce.
According to Urbanize LA, this project was designed by Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao and was one of the few Executive Directive 1 (ED1) projects submitted for the Boyle Heights neighborhood.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued ED1 on December 16, 2022 to focus on quickly addressing the city’s housing crisis.
ED1 expedites the processing of shelters and 100% affordable housing projects in the city. Eligible plans receive expedited processing, authorizations and approvals through the ED1 Ministerial Approval Process.
Becerra adds that in addition to building affordable housing, he also hopes to create commercial spaces that serve the community, especially along the César Chávez corridor.
However, the goal is not to feature corporate retail stores that do not represent the values of the community.
That’s why it was important to imagine a project like XOLA to celebrate the culture of Boyle Heights and his own immigrant history, he explained.
“I wish we had something like XOLA when I was a kid. Thinking back now, I know the great impact an institution like this would have had by feeling valued,” Becerra said.
“When you grow up in a community that doesn’t have access to the arts, museums and other important cultural spaces like other parts of our city, you recognize that no one will build them for us if we don’t do it ourselves.”