Palenke Arts
Martin Luther King School of the Arts, 1713 Broadway Ave, Seaside, CA 93955
About
Palenke Arts offers classes and activities in beginning orchestra, beginning band, choral singing, Latin jazz, hip hop dance, visual arts, AfroCaribbean drumming, West African drumming, piano, guitar, violin, clarinet, trumpet, cinematic arts, audio production, danza Mexika, Latin dance, and a bilingual chorus. The program also offers Middle School and High School Latin Jazz combos and a book club in Spanish for adults.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Price: Palenke Arts provides free and low cost arts-based classes and events, and over the past 8 years has offered low and no-cost weekly classes.
Palenke Arts is a multicultural arts organization whose mission is to educate, inspire and transform the community of Seaside through the arts. Professional teachers and volunteers are recruited and trained to teach classes, and the organization is led by Executive Director Juan L. Sánchez. Founded in 2015, Palenke Arts obtained fiscal sponsorship under the Action Council of Monterey County in February 2016, started offering classes and events at its first site in October 2016, filed articles of incorporation, adopted bylaws, and elected a founding Board of Directors on December 24, 2018, filed for 501c3 tax exempt status on July 15, 2019, and opened the Palenke Arts Teen Center and Administrative Offices in June 2024.
Palenke Arts has established partnerships with over 20 nonprofits, institutions, and businesses, including MPUSD, UCSC, The Epicenter, Arts Council of Monterey County, City of Seaside, CSUMB, Monterey Jazz Festival, CPY, Sustainable Seaside, Village Project, Building Health Communities, and Seaside Rising. It has organized and participated in events such as the annual Palenke Arts Festival, Moonflower Festival, Family Arts Workshops, Art Against Bullying, and Día de los Muertos celebrations, and has presented youth ensembles for over 5000 audience members yearly at its two centers and at venues including the World Theater, Colton Hall's Memorial Day concerts with the Monterey County Pops, the Golden State Theater, and the City of Seaside’s Winterland and Earth Day celebrations. The organization holds monthly community events and performances, including a World music series featuring performers from Morocco, Veracruz, Oaxaca (Mexico), Japan, Perú, Senegal, Brazil, Mali, Cameroon, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Spain and the United States, and has presented eight editions of the free Palenke Arts Festival at Laguna Grande Park in Seaside with professional and touring bands, student ensembles, family art activities, and local nonprofits assisted by dozens of volunteers.
In 2019, Palenke Arts received the Nonprofit of Year in Arts and Culture award from the Nonprofit Alliance of Monterey County, and in 2022 Executive Director Juan L. Sánchez received the Champion of the Arts Award from the Arts Council of Monterey County. One parent described Palenke Arts as “community” that brings people and the arts together, and another described it as “family, culture, teachings, and trust” and “a comfortable space for everyone.”
Last updated March 14, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Price: Palenke Arts provides free and low cost arts-based classes and events, and over the past 8 years has offered low and no-cost weekly classes.
Palenke Arts is a multicultural arts organization whose mission is to educate, inspire and transform the community of Seaside through the arts. Professional teachers and volunteers are recruited and trained to teach classes, and the organization is led by Executive Director Juan L. Sánchez. Founded in 2015, Palenke Arts obtained fiscal sponsorship under the Action Council of Monterey County in February 2016, started offering classes and events at its first site in October 2016, filed articles of incorporation, adopted bylaws, and elected a founding Board of Directors on December 24, 2018, filed for 501c3 tax exempt status on July 15, 2019, and opened the Palenke Arts Teen Center and Administrative Offices in June 2024.
Palenke Arts has established partnerships with over 20 nonprofits, institutions, and businesses, including MPUSD, UCSC, The Epicenter, Arts Council of Monterey County, City of Seaside, CSUMB, Monterey Jazz Festival, CPY, Sustainable Seaside, Village Project, Building Health Communities, and Seaside Rising. It has organized and participated in events such as the annual Palenke Arts Festival, Moonflower Festival, Family Arts Workshops, Art Against Bullying, and Día de los Muertos celebrations, and has presented youth ensembles for over 5000 audience members yearly at its two centers and at venues including the World Theater, Colton Hall's Memorial Day concerts with the Monterey County Pops, the Golden State Theater, and the City of Seaside’s Winterland and Earth Day celebrations. The organization holds monthly community events and performances, including a World music series featuring performers from Morocco, Veracruz, Oaxaca (Mexico), Japan, Perú, Senegal, Brazil, Mali, Cameroon, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Spain and the United States, and has presented eight editions of the free Palenke Arts Festival at Laguna Grande Park in Seaside with professional and touring bands, student ensembles, family art activities, and local nonprofits assisted by dozens of volunteers.
In 2019, Palenke Arts received the Nonprofit of Year in Arts and Culture award from the Nonprofit Alliance of Monterey County, and in 2022 Executive Director Juan L. Sánchez received the Champion of the Arts Award from the Arts Council of Monterey County. One parent described Palenke Arts as “community” that brings people and the arts together, and another described it as “family, culture, teachings, and trust” and “a comfortable space for everyone.”
Last updated March 14, 2026.
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