Washington Neighborhood Center

Founded in 1952, The Washington Neighborhood Center (WNC) has provided residents of Sacramento a wide variety of programs and services for over 70 years, offering programs in arts, education, recreational activities, health and wellness, with an emphasis on the development of youth through connection to culture.

 The center has long been associated with community organizing via the Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF) and the Brown Berets of Sacramento, particularly active during the 1960's and 70's, during the Chicano, Civil Rights, and Farmworker movements. The WNC is home to the beloved Sacramento State's Barrio Arts Program which brought learning out of the university and into the community (fondly known as the Communiversidad). Aspiring teachers came out to teach art projects to the children and elders of the neighborhood, participate in Danza Azteca, and paint murals, free of charge! Barrio Art was taught by CSUS Professor Jose Montoya, and later taken over by Professor Ricardo Favela, after Montoya's retirement. 

The WNC and its programs serve as a refuge for many, making available to the community a bilingual/bicultural arts center where artists and community alike can come together, exchange ideas, provide and seek mutual support, and engage in cultural and educational programs and events. We know, through ancient practice, that culture is wellness! Our mission is to continue to offer youth centered programming through art education, STEAM programming, indigenous gardening practice, all with a grounding focus threading culture throughout.