PAST   CALENDAR ANNOUNCEMENT – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARTS CALENDAR LISTINGS

A PLACE OF HER OWN
(Art Explores the Universal Concerns of Women)
SOMArts Cultural Center
May 2011

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 2, 2011 – The Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) and API Cultural Center’s (APICC) 14th Annual United States of Asian America Festival presents A PLACE OF HER OWN, an art exhibition of works by Asian American women artists from diverse backgrounds and different generations that answers the question, “If you had a place of your own, what would it be?”A PLACE OF HER OWN will be on view May 2011, at the SOMArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan Street in San Francisco. For more information, please call 415-722-4296 or visit www.aplaceofherown.org.

The modern-day Asian American woman’s experience, viewed from an array of perspectives, is the focal point of programs held in conjunction with this exhibition. These include:
•Opening Reception     Thursday, May, 5, 2011, 6-9 pm

•Artists’ Talk         Saturday, May, 14, 2011, 2-4 pm,
                             
•Literary Reading          Thursday, May, 19, 2011, 7-9 pm

•Closing Reception        Thursday, May, 26, 2011, 6-9pm
                                                                                                                                          
Admission to the exhibition and the programs is complimentary. For more information on the concept and process of A Place of Her Own, please visit www.aplaceofherown.org.
Participating Artists
Artist's Name Medium(s)
Almazol, Susaninstallation, ceramics
Arastu, Salma  painting, metal
DeBoer, Shari Arai    print, mixed-media
Fiel, Cristal       writing
Fujii-Oka, Kathy       mixed-media, installation
Hom, Nancy                    writing, mixed-media, dance
Ichihashi-Jagerman, Amanda    mixed media, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry
Kang, Kaymixed-media, installation
Llagas, Karen   poetry, writing
Louie, Elaine     mixed media, fiber artist
Myers, Kelsay  writing
Oshiro, Choppy graphic design, fine art
Pelaud, Isabelle        video installation
Seigel, Shizue    mixed-media, photography
Sharma, Pallavi       mixed-media, installation
Shintani, Judy   mixed-media, installation
Tom, Cynthia   painting, mixed-media, installation
Travelslight, Elizabeth      new & mixed-media, sculpture
Truong, Vivian                fiber art, mixed-media
Wibawa, Irene                 mixed-media
Wong, Anna                   mixed-media
Zheng, Xiaojie  painting, installation
The exhibition is curated by APICC and AAWAA’s curatorial team, juried by Kim Anno, Chair of Painting at the California College of the Arts, and Kimi Taira, assistant at the Asian Art Museum Conservation Department. The exhibition is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, APICC and the California Arts Council.

Background
Conceived in 2007, curator Cynthia Tom has developed A PLACE OF HER OWN as a long-term project inspired by the idea of environments for women or encouraging the women to build their own. Across cultures and generations, and through necessity, parental, or cultural training—women have learned to compromise themselves. They set aside their own desires to support others; rarely do women claim a place of their own, metaphorically or physically. What happens when we expand the parameters beyond the concept of a room and discover a place in which the limitations are bound by the imagination and nothing more?

A PLACE OF HER OWN provides an exceptional glimpse into the unique and diverse experiences of the modern Asian American woman. The artwork depicts a personal, yet universal, journey to seek out and claim a metaphorical and/or physical place without external rules or expectations, acting as a vehicle for each artist to interact with their world on their own terms. These artistic responses come to fruition as art installations, written word, paintings, printmaking, and more.  Catherine Ceniza Choy, Associate Professor Ethnic Studies-U.C. Berkeley

About the Asian American Women Artists Association 
The Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) is a national non-profit arts organization dedicated to ensuring the visibility and documentation of Asian American women in the arts. Since 1989, AAWAA has been a resource for the arts and academic communities, working to further the recognition of Asian American women artists in the American Art landscape. Through exhibitions, literary readings, speakers' bureau, publications, and educational programs, AAWAA offers thought-provoking perspectives that challenge societal assumptions and promote dialogue across cultures and generations. For more information on AAWAA and its mission and programs, please visit www.aawaa.net. Contact AAWAA at 1890 Bryant Street, Suite 302, San Francisco, CA 94110, (415) 252-7996, info@aawaa.net.


General Information About the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center
The Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center’s (APICC) mission is to support and produce multi-disciplinary art reflective of the unique experiences of Asian Pacific Islanders living in the United States. Since 1998, the Center has promoted the artistic and organizational growth of the City’s Asian/Pacific arts community by organizing and presenting the annual United States of Asian America Festival. For more information on APICC and its mission and programs, please visit www.apiculturalcenter.org. Contact APICC at 934 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, (415) 829-9467, info@apiculturalcenter.org.


General Information about the Exhibition
A PLACE OF HER OWN opens May 2011 at the SOMArts Cultural Center located at 934 Brannan Street between 7th and 8th Street. SOMArts is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm, and Saturdays from 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm. SOMArts is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Admission is complimentary.
 
Curator: Cynthia Tom and Asian American Women Artists Association
Jurors: Kim Anno, Chair of Painting at the California College of the Arts, and Kimi Taira,     assistant at the Asian Art Museum Conservation Department

For more information about A Place of Her Own, AAWAA’s ongoing  project,
Contact Cynthia Tom at info@aawaa.net or  415-722-4296

Press Room

"If you had a place of your own, what would it be?"

A PLACE OF HER OWN
Currently, AAWAA is working behind the scenes with social service providers on our Social Service Intiative project. Thanks to an exploratory grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission. Arts and Innovative Partnerships, ACIP