For one week in July, the Oak Cliff Cultural Center turns into a student gallery — original sneakers, short films, and graphic design built by local teens through one of Dallas’s most inspiring homegrown programs
Here’s a feel-good one worth marking on your calendar, neighbor. This July, the Oak Cliff Cultural Center is handing the spotlight to some of Dallas’s most creative young minds. The Pasos All Stars Exhibit 2026 invites you to come see the brand-new sneakers, films, and graphic design projects that local students dreamed up and built with their own hands.
Two Sneakerheads With a Mission
The story behind this program starts with two Oak Cliff educators who never forgot what it felt like to be a kid without the right pair of shoes. Founders Jesse Acosta, a high school teacher, and Alejandra Zendejas, a math tutor, are proud, self-described sneakerheads — but their love of shoes runs deeper than style. Growing up, Jesse’s parents could only afford one pair of shoes a year, and Alejandra sometimes shared a single pair with her sister. “I saw myself in some of my students,” Jesse has said. “I remembered getting made fun of for wearing beaten up sneakers sometimes.”
As educators, the two would glance down at their students’ feet to see what everyone was rocking that day — and they noticed a painful pattern. Kids in worn-out shoes were far more likely to get teased, bullied, or left out. So when the pandemic hit in 2020 and hit many of their students’ families hard, Jesse and Alejandra turned their love of sneakers into something bigger: a way to give local kids new shoes, a little joy, and a lot of confidence. That was the start of Pasos for Oak Cliff.
From a Shoe Drive to a Movement
What began as a simple fundraiser to help 50 students blew past every expectation. Today, Pasos for Oak Cliff is a full-fledged nonprofit reaching more than 1,500 students a year, having helped over 5,100 kids with new shoes and awarded more than $60,000 in scholarships to local graduating seniors. Not bad for an idea that started by looking down at students’ sneakers.
The exhibit you’ll get to see comes out of their standout education program, the Pasos All Stars — a STEAM initiative that blends creative arts with literacy and math to give high school students college and career-readiness skills. The clever hook: the curriculum pairs sneaker design with filmmaking to keep students motivated. Jesse double-majored in film and wanted to share that passion, so students hit their academic growth goals and then use what they’ve learned to design original sneakers and direct short films. There’s even a community-minded theme baked in, with students picking a nonprofit, person, or business doing good in the neighborhood to celebrate through their work.
Why You Should Go
That’s what makes this exhibit special. You’re not just looking at school projects — you’re seeing what happens when kids who once struggled to stay engaged get handed a paintbrush, a camera, and a reason to believe in themselves. As the Dallas Foundation put it, the program blends instruction with hands-on design so students strengthen their academic foundation while having fun.
So bring the family and go cheer these young artists on. Stroll through the gallery, take in the films, admire the designs, and let it sink in that every piece on display was made by a local kid who’s going places. This is community pride at its very best — and it’s only up for one week. Don’t miss it.
If You Go
The Pasos All Stars Exhibit 2026 runs July 18–23, 2026, at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson Blvd., Dallas, TX 75208. Come view the student-made sneakers, short films, and graphic design projects from the Pasos for Oak Cliff All Stars program. For exhibit hours and more on the nonprofit behind it, visit pasosforoc.org. The event is supported by partners including H-E-B, the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, Dallas College Mountain View, the Dallas Stars Foundation, and the Jack in the Box Foundation.
