Just east of Downtown Los Angeles, a stylish young crowd lined up on East Olympic Boulevard in Boyle Heights on Saturday night, bathed in the pink glow of the Don Quixote banquet hall.
Inside, Anita Herrera, a Los Angeles native who now lives and works as an artist in Mexico City, had curated the event and fund-raiser, El Quince, with a collective of fellow artists. Together, they reimagined and celebrated the look and traditions of early 2000s Southern California quinceañeras, which mark a girl’s entry into adulthood at age 15.
“I wanted to push this conversation and push the boundary of this idea that a party is actually art,” Ms. Herrera said. “It is actually one of the highest forms of contemporary art.”
Tickets benefited Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND), an organization that supports local artists and their projects throughout the city and is celebrating its 15th anniversary.
Anita Herrera, a Los Angeles native who now lives and works as an artist in Mexico City. Credit…Jessica Pons for The New York Times
Quinceañeras have always taken many forms, but in recent years, some have made a turn for the extravagant. There are backyard parties, as well as big-ticket affairs in lavish halls. More recently, teenage boys have also stepped into the spotlight, hosting their own coming-of-age parties. But the heart of the quinceañera — and the feeling of belonging and of being seen and celebrated by the community — endures.