How We’re Creating Community Spaces at the Long Center
As we near the end of 2024, we’re more than a little impressed by how much this nonprofit has achieved this year! It’s our mission to build community through creative expression, and that means forging a space where creativity not only matters, but forging community spaces in which it can flourish. This year, we’ve given over $526,000 in rental subsidies to organizations of every discipline to get closer to exactly that.
This work is never done, but in this Mid-Week Intermission we want to shine a light on some folks who were able to call the Long Center home this year because of this mission.
EXPLORE OUR IMPACT
See more of what we’ve been able to do at the Long Center in our 2024 Wrap Up Report. Thanks for all of your support!
HELP US DO MORE
We couldn’t do any of this without you — you’re an important part of our mission! Every gift to the Long Center this season will help us do even more together in 2025. Donate today and let’s make some magic happen.
What do we mean when we say “community spaces?”
The Long Center had a history of being a community space before the Long Center was even the Long Center! The old Palmer Municipal Auditorium (95% of which was used to build the LC) was a magnet for high school graduations, local showcases, and other old-Austin staple events (even Elvis 👀). Every time we welcome a local organization to come join us for a Drop-In or present their first showcase in Dell Hall, we like to think that we’re continuing that Austin-centric tradition over 60 years later.
But it’s one thing to say we want Rollins Studio Theatre, Dell Hall, the H-E-B Terrace, and our 3D-printed pavilion to be community spaces, and another thing entirely to make that reality.
Getting access to workable space through rental subsidies is only the beginning. It’s the production support — help with sound mixing here, a seamless lobby experience there — and the local expertise that comes with it that really make the difference. You probably didn’t know we did all this, so we checked in with a couple of organizations to see how their experience of being and performing at the LC has impacted their work this year.
TRANSFORMATIVE YOUTH JUSTICE
This is a diversion program led by County Court at Law #6 to provide holistic community-centered support to system-impacted youth and emerging adults. Programming is held in the community instead of the courtroom to help eliminate systemic barriers to community support and assistance. At the end of this year, TYJ will have held 11 monthly sessions at the LC.
“We are deeply honored to partner with the Long Center to bring monthly programming for the Transformative Youth Justice program… Through this partnership, we’ve provided a safe and trauma-informed space to our program participants that allows them to experience and explore the beauty of the Long Center while being connected to support services.
With the help of the Long Center, we’ve launched this innovative concept of diversion work that has helped us bring together the community to decrease recidivism and address root issues for system-impacted youth.”
Judge Hernández
BALLET FOLKLÓRICO DE AUSTIN
Founded in 2014 by Edgar Yepez, this dance group involves youth and adults from the community, focused on being a prime example of Mexican culture in Austin. They’ve performed at the LC several times in the last two years, including at our first-ever Community Day in 2023.
“Performing at the Long Center has helped elevate our group and brought us closer to the community. Through performances in Dell Hall and Rollins Studio Theatre, we have been given a platform to share our rich and beautiful culture with all of Austin and the greater Central Texas region.
Our partnership with the Long Center allows us to promote the artistic traditions of Oaxaca and Mexico and showcase the talented local perfomers in the area.”
Edgar Yepez
More from the community
Explore stories & interviews from other organizations that have been able to access space because of our rental subsidy program below, or discover a new organization you might have missed at the Long Center this year:
- Health Alliance for Austin Musicians
- Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC)
- Mariachi Rock Revolution
- Roy Lozano’s Ballet Folklórico de Texas, pictured at the top of this blog performing at our 2nd Annual Community Day (photo by Brynn Osborn)
Help us make more community space
So next time you’re looking at our calendar, dig a little deeper to see what other local organizations might be presenting at the LC for the first time. See what they’re up to, give them a follow, and check out their work.
This is what we mean when we say “let’s fuel community through creativity,” which involves you, too! When you support the Long Center with a donation this season, you’re supporting the Soul of Austin and everything that makes that soul special. That means in 2025 we’ll be able to provide even more subsidies, open our doors to many more groups, and keep working towards true community spaces.
