Longest-running Peruvian center in country loses itS.F. brick and mortar space

"On Friday afternoon, a pair of volunteers were pulling down pastel portraits from the walls of the Tradición Peruana Cultural Center in the Mission District as nearly a dozen schoolchildren worked on crafts at a folding table nearby. It was a snapshot of the new reality for the country's longest-running Peruvian cultural center - they have to move out, but their work carries on."

""No matter your community, no matter your age, you can be a part of TPCC," said center director Juan De Dios Soto. He referenced neat rows of portraits hanging on the gallery wall that highlighted a diversity of people associated with the center, all posing with a cajón, the box-shaped Peruvian percussion instrument. "The cajón is the bridge," he said, "to connect with other communities.""

Volunteers removed pastel portraits while schoolchildren worked on crafts at the Tradición Peruana Cultural Center in the Mission District. The center spotlights diverse community members posing with cajóns and promotes inclusion across ages. Director Juan De Dios Soto and communications director Katie Meza are recognized for cajón mastery and community bridging. The center lost its Mission space after rent and funding shortfalls led to a landlord dispute and a court hearing the day after Christmas. Monthly rent was $5,500 and the director estimates about $8,000 in monthly operating costs, with eight staff members not receiving salaries.

Read at Mission Local