MOCHA emphasizes outreach to culturally, linguistically and economically diverse populations in communities that do not typically have wide access to the arts. MOCHA’s Library Education Arts Program through Oakland and Berkeley Public Libraries directly aligns with our mission to provide meaningful arts learning opportunities to children who are at risk academically and/or reside in communities underserved by the arts and cultural programming.
We are located on the lower level of Oakland's City Center, just steps from the 12th Street Bart Station. MOCHA is located on the right hand side of the lower level of the plaza. If you use Google Maps to find us, you will get the best directions when you enter our address:
ABOUT
In 1988, our co-founders, Jill Vialet and Mary Marx committed to bringing arts education programs to East Bay schools and communities. MOCHA’s presence is felt in disinvested communities, in public and private schools, in libraries, and at our Oakland based studios and gallery.
Using the power of art as a learning tool, MOCHA collaborates with artists, educators, parents, and students. Arts education is a vital part of young people’s social, emotional, and cultural development. Over the years, MOCHA has enhanced the lives of nearly a million children with hands-on art learning experiences through our school, community, and museum programming. We have witnessed the transformative impact of art on children’s creative thinking, cognitive development, and sense of belonging.
As a result of MOCHA’s intimate relationship with the larger East Bay community, we have seen first hand the enormous impact and psychic injury that crime has inflicted on innocent young people caught in its collateral crossfire. We recognize a new approach is necessary to deploy our art education resources for purposes of intervention and prevention. Art administered early and often is a vital ingredient required for emotional stability.
Our mission has expanded to deliver on our community’s most recent needs.
As a member, MOCHA is concerned about how rising rates of violence are affecting our children. We feel passionately that art plays a critical role in mending communities by generating opportunities to create, share, and connect in constructive ways.
