An unassuming church sits on the quiet side of West Newton Street in Boston’s South End. Behind the twin red doors is Villa Victoria Center for the Arts – the only multi-disciplinary Latino arts complex in New England. Adding to the contradiction, this Latino-based organization will be hosting events for both Black History Month and the Chinese New Year in February.

“The population of the community has changed greatly,” says Javier Torres, Director of the non-profit. “It’s our responsibility to be responsive to the change in demographics without forgetting our Puerto Rican heritage.”

Villa Victoria Center for the Arts was opened in 1986 as part of a community movement that began in the 60s. Local Puerto Rican leaders, looking to renew and strengthen their Latino neighborhoods, raised funding to rebuild affordable housing units. After realizing that housing alone was not enough to benefit residents, they formed Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion or Puerto Rican Tenants in Action – a non-profit based on the belief that educational programming and support can increase the social and economic earning power of its citizens. Villa Victoria became their arts forum – preserving, promoting, and celebrating Latino arts on multiple levels.

Today, this converted church hosts programs that reach an audience of almost 20,000 annually. It’s equipped with an art gallery, visual arts studio, dance studio, and a 1,700-square-foot main hall that serves as a theater, concert venue, and rental space for intimate events. Beyond performances and exhibits, Villa Victoria offers classes and workshops to the public as well as to the community’s at-risk youth. 

“All of our programs are significant because they are unique to this region,” says Torres. “No one else is bringing in a world-class reggeaton artist like Voltio and asking him to conduct lyric workshops with the youth and participate in an academic symposium.”

Keeping in line with their dynamic perspective - Villa Victoria is choosing to expand multi-culturally as well. On February 5th they will be honoring Black History Month with a day filled with Gospel and R&B music, dance, and Soul food. On February 12th, Chinese New Year will be celebrated through colorful performances by the Chinese Folk Art Workshop – a local organization dedicated to promoting interaction with Chinese culture within the community. It’s another step in the right direction towards Villa Victoria’s ultimate goal – ensuring that people from all backgrounds reap the benefits of a renewed community through the power of the arts.

“The South End is so much larger than just Tremont Street or SoWa,” says Torres. “It has a beautiful diversity of people that come together to make this neighborhood great.”