AAWAA Events
DALIT DREAMLANDS: TOWARDS AN ANTI-CASTE FUTURE EXHIBITION OPENING & ZINDAGI DANCE PARTY
Exhibition Opening Receptions: Saturday, April 6
Venue: Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Oakland @ 5:30-6:30PM
Venue: ARTogether, Oakland @ 6-8PM
Who: Free & Open to the Public (with RSVP)
Exhibition Dates: April 6 - June 10
Dance Party: Saturday April 6
Venue: 7th West, Oakland @ 8PM-1AM
Tickets: $10-20 (Sliding Scale), Ages 21+
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
AAWAA, ARTogether, Discostan, and Oakland Asian Cultural Center co-presents Dalit Dreamlands: Towards an Anti-Caste Future - a landmark multimedia Dalit art exhibition and dance party that will bring together over 30 multiply marginalized artists from Dalit*, Adivasi*, Bahujan*, Afro-Indian, Indo-Caribbean, and Muslim communities to showcase the depths of creativity and community. Dalit Dreamlands, curated by Manu Kaur (they/them) and supported through AAWAA’s Emerging Curator’s Program, will center queer and trans caste abolitionist futurisms through art across various mediums, including fashion design, music, performances, films, paintings and visuals.
*Dalit is a caste marker for caste-oppressed communities formerly known as Untouchables, Adivasi refers to tribes who are indigenous to South Asia, and Bahujan is an umbrella term that includes all caste-oppressed communities.
ABOUT THE DANCE PARTY
After the art opening receptions, we invite you to join us for a special Zindagi Dance Party to celebrate more Dalit artists. Featuring DJ sets by DJ Anjali, DJ Arshia, DJ Mya Mehmi, DJ Seema Hari, performances, flash tattoo, mehndi, art, 360 camera portraits, and more! Food and drink available for purchase by 7th West. Proceeds will benefit Dalit Dreamlands artists.
SUSAN LIEU’S THE MANICURIST’S DAUGHTER
SAN FRANCISCO BOOK LAUNCH
Event Date: Thursday, March 28 @ 7:30-9:00PM
Venue: Great Star Theater, San Francisco
Tickets: $5-$350 (Sliding Scale)
Join Vietnamese-American multihyphenate storyteller Susan Lieu for her electric nationwide book launch of The Manicurist's Daughter. Delving into themes of grief, identity, and intergenerational trauma, this gripping memoir explores the crumbling of the American Dream after her mother's tragic death during plastic surgery. Moderated conversation, community Q&A, and book signing to follow event.
Co-presented by Center for Asian American Media. In partnership with ARTogether, Asian American Women Artists Association, City Attorney David Chiu, Coro, Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network, Great Star Theater, HOME MADE @ ARTogether, Kearny Street Workshop, and Litquake. Books will also be available for purchase on-site with Eastwind Books.
SLIDE SLAM
Event Date: Saturday, March 23, 2023 @ 3-5PM
Who: FREE and open to the public
Venue: The Ruby, San Francisco
(Exact address will be shared once attendees complete registration. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required to attend this event.)
Featured AAWAA Members: Terry Acebo-Davis, Qinqin Liu, Midori, Kathy Fujii-Oka, Ngân Vũ, Sandra Yagi, Fumiyo Yoshikawa
Featured Ruby Members: Aya Brackett, Angela Chu, Jane Kang, Bianca Levan, Christine Mi
Featured Guests:
Lilith Benjamin, Collections Manager at the National Japanese American Historical Society
Zeien Cheung, Co-Founder of Asians Are Strong
An annual event in celebration of Women’s History Month where AAWAA Artist Members and invited AAPI women and nonbinary artists from The Ruby present their work in a rapid-fire format of 4 slides in 4 minutes. Artist presenters show their work and give updates on their current art endeavors. Co-presented by AAWAA and The Ruby, this program creates networking opportunities between our artist community and special guests who include prominent educators, curators, gallerists, researchers, collectors and other art professionals.
FEBRUARY STUDIO HOURS - GALLERY TOUR OF IN THE PRESENCE OF: COLLECTIVE HISTORIES OF AAWAA EXHIBITION
Event Date: February 24 @ 1-3PM
Where: Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA
Who: Open to all current AAWAA Members only +1 Guest
Join us for a tour with curator Christina Hiromi Hobbs (she/her) of the current exhibition at Berkeley Art Center, In the Presence of: Collective Histories of the Asian American Women Artists Association, in celebration of AAWAA’s 35th anniversary. Open to current AAWAA Members +1 guest. Please note: masks are highly encouraged when visiting the gallery space.
About Monthly Member Studio Hours
As artists and community members, it’s important that we continue connecting with each other regularly. Join us once a month for our Monthly Member Studio Hours! Get a chance to network, have relevant discussions, and share projects with fellow AAWAA community members. Open to all current AAWAA Members and each may bring 1 guest.
Not yet a member? View our membership types and benefits.
IN THE PRESENCE OF: COLLECTIVE HISTORIES OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN ARTISTS ASSOCIATION - OPENING RECEPTION
Opening Reception: January 27 @ 4-6PM
Venue: Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA
In the Presence of will be the first historical survey exhibition about AAWAA and its Artists Members curated by Christina Hiromi Hobbs (she/they).
In the Presence Of takes its title from the feeling expressed by members at the early AAWAA meetings that the purpose of the organization at its founding was simply to be together. The exhibition foregrounds the relationships between artists involved in AAWAA as well as forms of remembrance that offered space for healing, reflection, and historicization on the artist’s terms. Through the practices of tributes, gift-giving, and coalition-building, the exhibition seeks to highlight the collective practices between artists that the association has cultivated in order to present an archive that is at once celebratory, messy, caring, disjointed, and most of all, in process, as the association continues to the present day. Featuring the work of 17 of AAWAA’s legacy artists.
ARTIST CALL FOR DALIT-ADIVASI-BAHUJAN ECP ART EXHIBITION
SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED: December 29 @ 11:59PM PST
EXHIBITION DATE: April 2024 (exact dates TBD)
EXHIBITION VENUE: Multiple Venues, Oakland, CA
Manu Kaur (they/them) is AAWAA’s current Emerging Curators Program Fellow and is curating an art exhibition that will be on display in April 2024 in Oakland, California. This is an Artists Call to showcase the vast talents and cultures of caste-oppressed artists around the world.
Manu envisions this exhibition to embody their version of Begumpura, the "land without sorrow", a utopian casteless society introduced by Dalit guru, Guru Ravidas. Manu's Begumpura is Queer and Trans and Anti-Caste and pro-Black. Artists are encouraged to incorporate their bio and/or chosen family and ancestors within their art as well. The main outcome of this project is to create a safe space for caste-oppressed community members to freely express themselves and reclaim their culture and identity through art and healing. Dalit and Adivasi artists will be prioritized, but artists from all caste-oppressed backgrounds are encouraged to apply. All and any mediums of art are welcome. Compensation will be provided to artists who are selected for this exhibition.
If you have any questions or would like any support in completing this form, please email Manu at manu@aawaa.net. JAI BHIM!
MODEL CALL FOR DALIT, ADIVASI, BAHUJAN, INDO-CARIBBEAN & OTHER ETHNIC MINORITIES OF SOUTH ASIAN DESCENT FOR ECP PHOTO PROJECT
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: December 8 @ 11:59PM PST
PHOTO SHOOT DATE: December 17
TIME & LOCATION: TBD (SF Bay Area)
This model call is for community members who hold Dalit, Adivasi, Bahujan identities, including folks from the Indo-Caribbean diaspora and other ethnic minorities of South Asian ancestry. You do not need to be a model or have any modeling experience to be a part of this project! This call is for a photo project envisioned by Manu Kaur, AAWAA’s current Emerging Curators Program Fellow, who is a Dalit community organizer.
This photo project & audio storytelling will display the narratives of what a Chamari, and more broadly what a caste-oppressed person, "looks like" and what it means to hold this lived identity with pride. The photos from this shoot will be displayed at AAWAA's ECP art exhibition in April 2024 and may also be used for marketing and portfolio purposes. Slots may be limited. Check out the form below to read more about the project.
Please email Manu at manu@aawaa.net for any questions, comments, concerns.
FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS, AND RESIDENCES APPLICATION DISCUSSION
Event Date: November 16 @ 6PM
Where: The Ruby, San Francisco
Who: Open to all current AAWAA Artist Members & Ruby Members
Are you an artist or writer trying to navigate the world of fellowships, grants, and residencies? Join us for a candid conversation with fellow Ruby members Shruti Swamy, Christie George, and AAWAA Programs & Communications Manager Melanie Elvena about the art of applying. From identifying the right opportunities to crafting compelling proposals, we'll share our experiences with each other in a casual conversation. No question is too big or too small. There is so much collective wisdom in our community, we're hoping to bring together beginners who are just starting to identify opportunities as well as those who have attended several residencies. We'll also have the opportunity to help refine and populate some crowdsourced resources.
SEPTEMBER MEMBER STUDIO HOURS - GROOVES & WAVES
Event Date: September 23 @ 3-5PM
Where: Cone Shape Top
5200 Adeline Street, Oakland, CA 94608
Who: Open to all current AAWAA Members +1 Guest
Join us for our September Member Studio Hours event - Grooves & Waves. Unwind for an afternoon at Cone Shape Top: Center 4 Arts & Music, featuring music by DJ Microtone (as heard on KALX 90.7FM Berkeley), visual art by AAWAA Member Paulina Hoong, and a live community painting activity. Get a chance to meet your fellow Artist Members in-person and take the opportunity to mix, mingle, network, and make art together. Bring a snack, beverage or dish to share!
About Monthly Member Studio Hours
Join us one Saturday a month for our Monthly Member Studio Hours, an opportunity for us to hold each other up in our creative practices! Connect, share art, get feedback and dialogue with fellow AAWAA artists and community members. Open to all current AAWAA Members + they may bring 1 guest.
Not yet a member? View our membership types and benefits.
EMERGING CURATORS PROGRAM RECEPTION
Event Date: August 26 @ 2-3PM PDT
Where: Oakland Asian Cultural Center
388 9th Street, Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607
Who: FREE & Open to the Public with RSVP
Join us on August 26 at Oakland Asian Cultural Center in the afternoon for a reception welcoming our next Emerging Curators Program (ECP) Fellow, Manu Kaur. Meet some of the past ECP graduates too. Refreshments will be provided.
EMERGING CURATORS PROGRAM WORKSHOPS
Event Dates: August 26-27
Where: Oakland Asian Cultural Center
388 9th Street, Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607
& Online via Zoom
Who: FREE for AAWAA Members, $20 per Workshop for Non-Members
Join us for an entire weekend of Emerging Curators Program (ECP) workshops! attend professional development workshops on August 26 (in-person and online) and August 27 (online only) geared towards curators and artists in the following areas:
August 26 @ 3-4PM PDT: Anti-Caste Framework Workshop - In-person and online. Learn about the Caste System and how to curate your next program within an Anti-Caste framework. Facilitated by Manu Kaur.
August 26 @ 4-5PM PDT: Curatorial & Exhibition Design Workshop - In-person and online. Learn the ins and outs of the Curatorial Process for conceptualizing arts exhibitions, then dive into the world of Exhibition Design and the logistics of displaying and hanging artwork. Facilitated by Cat Lauigan and Michelle A. Lee.
August 27 @ 11AM-12PM PDT: Identity Visioning & Fundraising Workshop - Online only. Tap into how to Identity Vision as a curator or artist and use Fundraising to increase resources for your next project. Facilitated by Melanie Elvena.
August 27 @ 1-2PM PDT: Marketing & PR Workshop - Online only. Get a crash course on Marketing & PR and pick up some tips and tricks for promoting your next arts event or project. Facilitated by Diana Li.
JULY MEMBER STUDIO HOURS - KEEPING IN TOUCH ON DISCORD + ART SHARING
Event Date: July 15 @ 3-5PM PDT
Where: Online via Discord
Who: Open to all current AAWAA Members +1 Guest
This July, AAWAA will be hosting a virtual workshop on and about Discord coupled with an artist showcase! For the first half, we'll be diving into the world of Discord. Discover how to navigate the exciting features of Discord, the popular online community platform, and leverage its potential for networking. We will guide you through the process, offering tips and tricks to enhance your Discord experience. Additionally, get ready to showcase your own art in a dedicated channel, allowing fellow artists and attendees to admire and engage with your creations. We are accepting sign-ups for 3-4 artists. Don't miss this opportunity to share your work and connect with a vibrant community of like-minded individuals!
About Monthly Member Studio Hours
As artists and community members, it’s important that we continue creating new ways to connect to each other, even if only virtually. Join us on the last weekend of the month for our Monthly Member Studio Hours! Get a chance to connect, have relevant discussions, and share projects virtually with fellow AAWAA community members. Open to all current AAWAA Members + they may bring 1 guest.
Not yet a member? View our membership types and benefits.
JADE WAVE RISING CLOSING RECEPTION - POETRY READINGS & FILM SCREENING OF MANILATOWN MANANG
Event Date: Sunday, May 21 @ 2-5PM
Venue: SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco
Who: FREE & Open to the Public
Join us for literary readings by Jade Wave Rising: Portraits of Power artists Shizue Seigel and Rebecca Nie followed by a special screening of Manilatown Manang in partnership with Manilatown Heritage Foundation, a documentary about the life and times of Jeanette Gandiongo Lazam, an original Tenant Defender of the International Hotel during the 1970s and the last evicted tenant to step out of the hotel on August 4, 1977. The screening will end in an audience Q&A with some of the film’s producers and participants.
This will be the last day to view the exhibition in the gallery. Light refreshments will be provided.
Community Art-Making Workshop with Artist/Curator Yeu Q Nguyen
Event Date: Sunday, May 12 @ 12PM
Venue: SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco
Who: FREE with Registration
Join curator and artist, Yeu Q Nguyen, for a final community art-making and empowerment workshop in honor of the Jade Wave Rising: Portraits of Power exhibition. Inspired by the Chinese lucky bracelet, participants will learn how to make square-knot adjustable bracelets personalized with their own words of power using jade stone beads and red cord.
After each workshop, participants are invited to join Q in a walk-through of the exhibition and activate her site-specific wave installation in the main gallery.
Spots are limited! Registration is required for this event.
JADE WAVE RISING EXHIBITION
Exhibition Dates: April 28 - May 21
Gallery Hours: Thursdays @ 3-7:30PM, Fridays @ 12-7:30PM, Saturdays-Sundays @ 12-5PM
Venue: Main Gallery - SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco & Online
Jade Wave Rising: Portraits of Power celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander woman agency and resilience in a multitude of manifestations. Jade is a rare mineral imbued with different metaphysical and cultural meanings, used since prehistoric times to adorn objects associated with power such as ceremonial daggers, jewelry, and crowns. Using jade as an allusion to more diverse definitions of power, the exhibition pays homage to overlooked AAPI historical figures and establishes new legacies of leadership for a more equitable future for women everywhere.
Co-Presented by the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center as part of the 26th annual United States of Asian America Festival: REIMAGINING HORIZONS.
COMMUNITY ART-MAKING WORKSHOPS WITH ARTIST & CURATOR YEU Q NGUYEN
Event Date: Sunday, April 30 @ 1PM & 3PM
Venue: SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco
Who: FREE & Open to the Public with Registration
Co-presented by AAWAA and The Ruby, join curator and artist, Yeu Q Nguyen, for two (2) community art-making and empowerment workshops to celebrate the opening of Jade Wave Rising: Portraits of Power. Inspired by the Chinese lucky bracelet, participants will learn how to make square-knot adjustable bracelets personalized with their own words of power using jade stone beads and red cord.
After each workshop, participants are invited to join Q in a private walk-through of the exhibition and activate her site-specific wave installation in the main gallery.
Spots are limited! Registration is required for this event.
JADE WAVE RISING OPENING RECEPTION & UNITED STATES OF ASIAN AMERICA FESTIVAL: REIMAGINING HORIZONS KICK-OFF
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 27 @ 6-9PM PDT
Venue: Main Gallery - SOMArts Cultural Center & Online via AAWAA’s YouTube Channel
Who: FREE & Open to the Public
Meet all the artists involved in the Jade Wave Rising: Portraits of Power exhibition and Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center’s 26th annual United States of Asian America Festival! Plus, interact with featured community installations by curator and artist, Yeu Q Nguyen, and artist duo, Twin Walls Mural Company. Then witness a special performance by IS/LAND Performance Collaborative.
Food and drinks will be available for purchase.
SLIDE SLAM 2023
Event Date: Saturday, March 25, 2023 @ 3-5PM PDT
Who: FREE and open to the public
Venue: The Ruby, San Francisco & Online
An annual event in celebration of Women’s History Month where AAWAA Artist Members and invited AAPI women artists from The Ruby and Bay Area Asian Deaf Association present their work in a rapid-fire format of 4 slides in 4 minutes. Artist presenters show their work and give updates on their current art endeavors. Co-presented by AAWAA and The Ruby, this program creates networking opportunities between our artist community and special guests who include prominent educators, curators, gallerists, researchers, collectors and other art professionals.
SIGN-UP TO PRESENT AT SLIDE SLAM 2023
Deadline: March 4 @ 11:59PM PST
Who: Open to current AAWAA Members
Event Date: Saturday, March 25, 2023 @ 3-5PM
Venue: The Ruby, San Francisco & Online
Join us for our annual Slide Slam where AAWAA Artist Members and AAPI women artists nominated by The Ruby will present their work in a rapid-fire format of 4 slides in 4 minutes! See what these artists are working on and get a chance to network with special guests from the community during Women’s History Month. Sign-up to present by March 4!
FEBRUARY MEMBER STUDIO HOURS - GETTING YOUR WORK PUBLISHED WITH WRITER BONNIE WAI-LEE KWONG
Event Date: February 26 @ 10:30AM-12:30PM PST
Where: Online via Zoom
Who: Open to all current AAWAA Members +1 Guest
Calling all AAWAA writers! Join us for a workshop about the ins and outs of the publishing process from fellow Artist Member, writer, poet, and multidisciplinary artist, Bonnie Wai-Lee Kwong. During this workshop learn about the process of compiling a manuscript, sending writing samples and excerpts, and what it's like to work with a publishing press. She's had two books of her poetry published, ravel (2015) and The Quenching (2022). We hope attendees will also leave the workshop feeling inspired as Bonnie shares her personal experiences as an Asian American woman writer and how she's expanded her writing beyond the genre into other mediums like performance and theater.
THE ART OF RESILIENCE - TANFORAN EXHIBIT TOURS, PANEL DISCUSSION & MEMORIAL WALKTHROUGH
Event Date: February 25 @ 1-4PM PST
Where: San Bruno BART Station, AZ Gallery at The Shops at Tanforan & Online
Who: FREE and open to the public with registration
Join AAWAA for an afternoon of arts activities following the Day of Remembrance and honoring the local history of Tanforan and beyond:
-1PM & 3:30PM: Tours of the San Bruno BART station’s Tanforan 1942 Incarceration: Resilience Behind Barbed Wire exhibition with artist and curator Na Omi Shintani.
-2PM: A panel discussion highlighting collective efforts to honor and memorialize the histories, figures, and narratives of communities of color and the role art plays featuring artists Carlos Kookie Gonzalez, Paul Kitagaki Jr, Diana Li, and Patricia A. Montgomery.
-3:30PM: A walkthrough of the Tanforan Memorial just outside the station commissioned by the Tanforan Assembly Center Memorial Committee with Steve Okamoto.
CLOSING RECEPTION & PERFORMANCES FOR “ANGELA HAN: WEST OF PARADISE”
Event Date: February 19 @ 2-3:30PM PST
Where: I-Hotel Manilatown Center, 868 Kearny Street, San Francisco
Who: FREE and open to the public with registration
Come celebrate the culmination of this exquisite exhibit by joining us for a Closing Reception & Performances! Experience the artwork inspired by paradise for one last time, and enjoy a series of special performances celebrating Asian / Asian-American heritage presented by artist, Angela Han, and composers from the Realms of Courage project, Theresa Calpotura and Julie Zhu.
Light refreshments will be provided.
EMERGING CURATORS PROGRAM ACCEPTING CURATORIAL PROPOSALS FOR 2023-2024
Submission Deadline: February 11 @ 11:59PM PST
AAWAA is currently accepting curatorial proposals from women-identified, trans, and nonbinary emerging curators of color for its Emerging Curators Program (ECP) which will culminate in one (1) public multidisciplinary art exhibits at community spaces in the SF Bay Area in Spring 2024. Through a series of guided workshops, consistent check-ins, and hands-on assistance, AAWAA provides mentorship and support for exhibition production from start to finish.
JANUARY STUDIO HOURS - TANFORAN INCARCERATION 1942: RESILIENCE BEHIND BARBED WIRE EXHIBITION TOUR WITH ARTIST & CURATOR NA OMI SHINTANI
Event Date: January 28 @ 3-5PM PST
Where: San Bruno BART Station + Online via Zoom
Who: Open to all current AAWAA Members +1 Guest
Join AAWAA Members for a special curator and artist led tour of the Tanforan BART Station’s exhibition, Tanforan Incarceration 1942: Resilience Behind Barbed Wire, unfolding the lesser known history of the site for its role as a racetrack turned detention center for the incarceration of Bay Area Japanese Americans during World War II and the broader impacts of Executive Order 9066. The exhibition was curated by AAWAA Artist Member Na Omi Judy Shintani and features the artwork of AAWAA Artist Members Ellen Bepp, Shari Arai DeBoer, Lucien Kubo, and Kay Sekimachi. BART Art Program Manager, Jennifer Easton, will also be present to speak more about the program and upcoming projects.
Following the tour, attendees will have the opportunity to visit the Tanforan Memorial with Doug Yamamoto (Tanforan Assembly Center Memorial Committee) just outside the station featuring a sculpture based on a photo of the Mochida sisters taken by photographer Dorothea Lange along with the 8,000+ names of those who were sent to long-term concentration camps through the site. The afternoon will conclude with networking and happy hour at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery in the Shops at Tanforan mall.
WOMEN’S WORKSHOP: CREATE YOUR OWN PARADISE WITH ARTIST ANGELA HAN
Event Date: January 15 @ 2:00-4:30PM
Where: I-Hotel Manilatown Center, 868 Kearny Street, San Francisco
Who: Open to women-indentified individuals
Imagine a space where you are safe, respected, and celebrated. How are your needs being met? In what ways are your hopes being fulfilled? Bring to life this “paradise” that treasures every part of who you are through art & storytelling with artist Angela Han. During this workshop, participants will reflect on a series of thought-provoking questions, engage in a hands-on world-building activity, and story-tell their final creations if they so choose. All materials will be provided. Just bring yourself!
“Women’s Workshop: Create Your Own Paradise” is open to people who identify as women. The workshop is limited to 15 participants, so RSVP today!
This workshop is presented by Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC) and Angela Han Art LLC in conjunction with the exhibition, Angela Han: West of Paradise currently on view
past events
