Events



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2011 Special spaces

The Public were invited to make A Place of Their Own.
  • Community House
create a place of their own.
Basic materials, inspiration and dialogue provided,
visitors are welcome to bring
additional materials for yourself or to share.
  • Community Writers’ Desk
Tell us about a place of your own.


AAWAA Event Pop Up Store-
Open during event times. Any easy way to start your
collection of Asian American Art. Specialty art items
by the artists in the show Cheers to Muses and other
Asian American focused arts and literature books.

Khay Hembrador






















FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMedia Contact:

Larsen Associates    larsenassc@aol.com
 
A PLACE OF HER OWN
(Art Explores the Universal Concerns of Women)
SOMArts Cultural Center
May 2011

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, April 6, 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.

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

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:

•An Opening Reception     Thursday, May, 5, 2011, 6-9 pm
•4 Artists’ Talk About Their WorkSaturday, May, 14, 2011, 2-4 pm
•A Literary Reading            Thursday, May, 19, 2011, 7-9 pm
•A Closing Reception         Thursday, May, 26, 2011, 6-9pm
                                                                                                                                                         
Admission to the exhibition and the programs is free. For more information on the concept and process of A Place of Her Own, please visit www.aplaceofherown.org.

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.

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.

Come create A Place of Your own Public participation welcome: AAWAA’s Community House

   Lists of artists attached. Bios and photos are available upon request.

A PLACE OF HER OWN
Participating Artists
Artist's NameMedium(s)
Almazol, Susaninstallation, ceramics
Arastu, Salmapainting, metal
Biala, Arleneliterature
DeBoer, Shari Araiprint, mixed-media
Fiel, Cristalwriting
Fujii-Oka, Kathymixed-media, installation
Hom, Nancywriting, mixed-media, dance
Ichihashi-Jagerman, Amanda ceramics,  mixed media, sculpture, jewelry
Kang, Kaymixed-media, installation
Llagas, Karenpoetry, writing
Louie, Elainemixed media, fiber artist
Mazza, Christinadrawing, sculpture
Myers, Kelsaywriting
Oshiro, Choppygraphic design, fine art
Pelaud, Isabellephotography
Seigel, Shizuemixed-media, photography
Sharma, Pallavimixed-media, installation
Shintani, Judymixed-media, installation
Tom, Cynthiapainting, mixed-media, installation
Travelslight, Elizabethnew & mixed-media, sculpture
Truong, Vivianfiber art, mixed-media
Wibawa, Irenemixed-media
Wong, Annamixed-media
Zheng, Xiaojiepaiinting, installation


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



Past

September 2010
Driftwood Salon, San Francisco
39 Isis St.  (between 12th St & 11th St.)
San Francisco, CA 94103   
www.driftwoodsalon.com
Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 12 pm - 6 pm
Artists:  Nancy Hom, Vivian Truong, Xiaojie Zheng,
Isabelle Thuy, Pelaud, Solongo Tseekhuu, Shari Arai DeBoer,
Susan Kitazawa, Sue Tom and Irene Wibawa
Writers:  Nancy Hom, Angie Chau and Beverly Quintana

February 2009
De Young Museum, San Francisco
Artists in Residence Program
Artists: Keiko Nelson, Shari Arai Deboer, Christina Mazza, Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, Susan Almazol, Sue Tom, Anh-Hoa Thi Nguyen, Anna XL Wong,
Cynthia Tom

For more information about A Place of Her Own, AAWAA’s ongoing  project,
Contact Cynthia Tom at info@aawaa.net or 415-252-7996, 415-722-4296

Cynthia Tom, AAWAA Board President  and Judy
Nemzoff, SF Arts Commission share a
moment of enthusiasm, Reception 2011
Photo Nicole C. Roldan
Thanks to our funders

A PLACE OF HER OWN
"If you had a place of your own, what would it be?"

Work in progress- Phase IV- The Social Service Initiative

AAWAA has seen the creative process behind A PLACE change the lives of our participating
artists. We are taking this creative process and insightful journey for personal growth and
healing beyond arts exhibitions into the social service field.

In 2011, the San Francisco Arts Commission awarded the Asian American Women Artists
Association (AAWAA) an Arts and Communities Innovative Partnerships (ACIP) Exploratory
Grant, commissioning us to research and cultivate potential partnerships between AAWAA
and San Francisco non-arts organizations serving Asian American women. AAWAA is also
a proud partner in the WomenArts Harmony Project, which is generously funded by the
Nathan Cummings Foundation

Our participants come from a diverse range of community and social service work and non-profit affiliation in the Asian American Women's community. They have worked closely with AAWAA's team of teaching artists since September in our Creative Workshop Series to initiate the development of curricula, creative tools, and literary and visual art. Participants have undertaken a series of exercises and activities developed from previous A PLACE OF HER OWN exhibitions. This includes: (1) intuitively answering the question, "If you had a place of your own what would it be?" (2) imagining a creative arts project in response to that question, and (3) guided exploration to bring participants projects to life.

The Open House in November marked the conclusion of our the Exploratory Phase Workshops and allowed participants to reflect on their process and share their work with friends, family and supporters. From here, AAWAA and the participants decided to continue on with their process while inviting and mentoring  a new set of social service providers to come in. We determined the potential for developing creative therapies from the A PLACE model in a social service context. does work for creative personal transformation.


Thanks to our funders
SF Arts Commission's Arts and Communities Innovative Partnerships, ACIP

AAWAA is a proud partner in the WomenArts Harmony Project, which has been generously funded by the Nathan Cummings Foundation
Social Service Initiative,Message in a Bottle,
Linn Chiu
A PLACE Somarts 2011, Isabelle Pelaud,
guest listening to her video. photo Cris Matos