Culture & Arts Enhancement People’s CORE values the importance of culture and arts in creating positive change in people’s lives and social change in the community. Our agency offers arts education in order to make cultural and arts enrichment accessible to low-income communities of color in Los Angeles. People’s CORE integrates arts education and community development, wherein we foster community appreciation for the arts and cultural heritage.

Traditional Art of Eskrima

People’s CORE promotes and preserves the traditional art of Eskrima through public performances, community presentations and workshops. The traditional art of Eskrima is an inherent part of the cultural heritage of the Philippines that dates back prior to Spanish colonization. Eskrima was practiced by animist upland tribes through rituals and as cultural lore inherently woven in dances, incantations, and stage plays among Islamized Moro people in the Southern Philippines. During Spanish colonization, the Spaniards banned the practice of Eskrima because the traditional art was perceived as a way to stir up armed rebellion. Eskrima practitioners veiled the practice and preserved the art clandestinely through cultural performances, dances, and plays. As Eskrima extended to the different regions of the archipelago, the practice further developed and ultimately became a collective traditional art form in the Philippines.

Mural Arts Project

People’s CORE provides arts education in mural making, promotes cultural understanding and enhances learning skills. Students learn the process of making murals through art workshops that discuss cultural history and social issues in the community. The workshops teach painting and enables participants to apply academic skills in reading, writing, and math to design and paint murals. This practice helps people to gain life skills and self-confidence, beautify their neighborhoods and affirm their cultural heritage.