An ambitious grassroots cultural center, Palenke Arts, that has been delivering arts and culture programming in Seaside for almost a decade, will finally have its own home. The new multicultural art center is expected to be 25,000 square feet on the Seaside High School campus.

“It’s a response to consistent need and a result of natural collaboration between Palenke Arts and Seaside High School,” says PK Diffenbaugh, superintendent of Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.

Under an agreement approved by the MPUSD board on April 22, the district will lease the ground to Palenke for $1 a year. It’s still unknown where exactly the facility will be built, but Diffenbaugh stated there is plenty of space on the campus.

All members of the MPUSD board commented that district students’ already greatly benefit from the organization’s activities, even if operating, until now, from just a locker room at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, in addition to a small teen center that opened in 2024 in Seaside. The board unanimously voted to approve the lease to support a project that has long been the vision of Juan Sánchez, founder and executive director of Palenke.

Naturally, this is just the beginning of the journey. Palenke Arts has secured a $1 million grant from the state for the building, and Sánchez estimates another $12 million will be needed to complete construction.

Besides Palenke’s center, MPUSD plans to build a brand-new theater. Project details will come after studies, conducted by the district, and listening sessions with the community.

Palenke offers classes in music, dance, painting and more, in addition to hosting festivals and concerts.