‘Ernie Would Be Ecstatic’: Garcia Center Gala Marks 10 Years, Honors Dotti with Art Gallery Naming

On a rainy Nov. 14 evening, the Garcia Center for the Arts turned its auditorium into a celebration of legacy and possibility, as its 2nd annual gala marked 10 years of arts advocacy in San Bernardino and raised funds to sustain programming into 2026.

Emceed by Miriam Nieto of San Bernardino Generation Now and hosted by the center’s Executive Director Michael Segura, the 10-year celebration focused squarely on the center’s future — keeping its programs accessible, its historic building maintained and its creative spaces alive for the next generation of artists and youth.

Segura told guests that while the center has made strides, significant needs remain behind the scenes.

“We have a lot of infrastructure improvements being made and still many that need to be made,” Segura said. “We also need more staffing, it’d be great to hire more full-time staff. We are still looking for sponsorships for the gallery and sponsorships for the Mercado 536 (the entrepreneur co-op space), for the makerspace, studios, our ceramics classes, printmaking classes, and a new residency program we are launching in the new year.”

Memberships, he added, will be critical to creating a stable financial foundation that allows the center to shoulder some of those costs on its own.

“We do have our memberships program coming up too and that will help us bring in sustainable funding to keep the space operating and pay for some of the infrastructure improvements ourselves,” Segura said.

Segura said that anyone interested in filling in any of the center’s funding gaps, or interested sponsors, can DM the organization on Instagram, call (909) 888-6400, or email msegura@thegarciacenter.org.

At the gala, the emotional centerpiece of the night was Guest of Honor Dorothy “Dotti” Garcia, wife of the center’s namesake, who has helped carry forward the vision of a vibrant, community-rooted arts hub. Segura presented her with a glassblown sculpture topped with a frog — one of her favorite animals.

“You have helped ensure people’s creative spirits are not extinguished and helped ensure youth grow up continuing to be creative. Thank you Dotti, this sculpture is supposed to symbolize the fire of creativity,” Segura said as he handed her the piece.

Taking the microphone, Dotti reflected on the first time she and her husband saw the building that would eventually become the Garcia Center for the Arts.

“I remember the first time Ernie and I passed by the Garcia Center for the Arts’ building I said ‘I want to live there’ and he said, No, we are not going to live there, we have a house. And since then I became very involved in all the organizations that have used this building and added to this building. Recently, I walked through the center and this space has far surpassed the dreams that Ernie and I had for it and I am so impressed with everything that is going on here, including the programs and staff.”

She closed with a simple but powerful reflection on what the night — and the center’s growth — would have meant to her late husband. “ I just know that Ernie would be absolutely ecstatic by what has transpired here.”

That sentiment set the stage for a surprise announcement from Educator and Garcia Center Board Member Tim Garcia, Ernie and Dotti’s son. “Our art gallery here is now going to be named the Dr. Dorothy Garcia Art Gallery,” he said, as the audience roared in applause.

Only after the tributes did organizers turn back to the story of the center’s namesake, whose vision still anchors the space. The center is named after Dr. Ernie Garcia, a South Colton born Chicano activist and champion for education and the arts who retired as executive director in July 2020 and passed away in April 2023. Garcia was instrumental in pushing for Hispanic Heritage Month, securing a meeting with President Ronald Reagan’s office in the 1980s.

In July 2020, Garcia told Inland Empire Community News that creative work would remain at the core of his life. “Although I am retiring from the Garcia Center, I am not going to stop creating,” he said. While volunteering as executive director, Garcia led the renovation of the historic downtown building and implemented community programs such as music, poetry and art that continue to shape the center’s identity today.

Throughout the gala, the details underscored how deeply local artists and makers are woven into that identity. One of the most unique elements of the evening was its table centerpieces — glass blown sculptures by a local San Bernardino glassblower that guests were captivated by.

Just steps away, Mercado 536, an entrepreneur co-op space– a store filled with unique, handmade artisan goods and items, bustles with activity. The shop was booming with new and returning customers, including Inland Empire Community News co-publisher Denise Berver, who excitedly shopped in between announcements at the event.

The atmosphere stayed laid-back and welcoming despite the downpour outside. Live music by a four-piece band and a live painting by San Bernardino artist UUUPAH (Juwaun McCrary) created a calming, creative energy that wrapped around the evening’s speeches and tributes.

Notable attendees included San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, Councilmembers Fred Shorett and Theodore Sanchez, and organizations such as the Inland Empire Labor Institute, Warehouse Workers and the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice, among many others. Inland Empire Community News was a proud media sponsor of the event.

It was pouring rain, but that didn’t stop the center’s auditorium from filling up — a clear glimpse into the dedication the community has for this center, its staff and its arts programming. And as Dotti reminded the crowd, the Garcia Center’s growth has not only surpassed her and Ernie’s original dreams; it is the kind of transformation that would have left him “absolutely ecstatic” about what has transpired there.