CHULA VISTA EVENTS TO SHOWCASE TALENT

The Chula Vista Civic Center Library will host two free community events this weekend.

Chula Vista’s Got Talent will bring a variety of local singers, dancers and musicians, such as Dance Force, MPulse, Divisionaries, Alexi Ayer, Chloe Grace Cruz and Gwyneth Lutovksy.

The event starts at 2:30 p.m. today.

Teatro San Diego is a nonprofit that was formed during the pandemic to offer performing arts training in underserved communities. The group will present “Viva Chula Vista!,” which features multicultural performances through song and dance about life in South County. Its performance starts at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Both events, presented by Victory Arts, are made possible in part by the Create Chula Vista Arts Grants program, according to the city.

A year ago, the City Council approved the use of $400,000 from its $28.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars to launch the grant program. The city set aside $300,000 for artists and art groups and $100,000 as an incentive for small businesses to buy art from local artists for their establishments. Each awardee was able to receive up to $10,000 per project.

The program was created to support the local arts community that depended on the city’s Performing and Visual Arts Grants program, which lost funding due to the pandemic, said city Librarian

Joy Whatley.

Established in 1997, the Performing and Visual Arts Grants have served as the primary source of funding for cultural arts in Chula Vista. The program has granted more than $1 million to local artists who have created “a robust and sustainable cultural arts scene in Chula Vista,” according to the city.

Admission is free for the events, and registration is not required. Doors open at 2:20 p.m. Each show will last about 75 minutes with no intermission.

The Civic Center Library is at 365 F St.

For more information, contact Randall Blaum from Victory Arts at (619) 692-6187 or email randall@victoryarts.us.