Cynthia Tom

With over 35 years of experience as a visual artist, Cynthia has established herself as a prominent figure in the artistic and wellness communities. For more than 17 years, she has attracted audiences with her insightful presentations and workshops, leveraging her expertise as an art based healing workshop facilitator for over  15 years. Cynthia's work is deeply rooted in her spiritual belief in art as a vehicle for healing and transformation, coupled with a profound understanding of the enduring effects of unaddressed trauma within individuals, families, and communities.

Drawing from her own experiences, Cynthia uses art creation to confront the legacy of human trafficking in her Chinese American family history and reflects on her journey as a survivor of domestic violence. Through the process of unraveling familial patterns and confronting her "Hungry Ghosts," Cynthia has found solace and empowerment in the creative techniques offered by PLACE, a platform she continues to evolve.

Raised in San Francisco amidst a multicultural milieu, Cynthia attributes her artistic social awareness to influential mentors like African American artist JoeSam and Puerto Rican artist Cris Matos. Her feminist artistry finds inspiration in the works of Remedios Varo and Leonor Fini. Cynthia's exploration of her Asian and feminist identity was honed during her tenure as Board President, Curator, and Director of the Asian American Women Artists Association.

Cynthia's impact extends beyond the confines of galleries and workshops. Her works have been recognized and archived in esteemed collections such as the Smithsonian's Permanent Archive project, "What is Feminist Art?" She further serves as a Pattern Breakthrough Coach with Creative Energy Options under Sylvia Lafair PhD, and holds certification as a SoulCollage® Facilitator. Cynthia's accolades include being named the 2023-24 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts/California Arts Council Award-winning artist and the 2023-24 California Arts Council with Youth Speaks: California Legacy Artist Award Recipient. Through her art and advocacy, Cynthia continues to inspire and empower individuals to work with through their trauma, embrace their identity, and catalyze personal and societal transformation.

Founding Director, Artist, Curator, Workshop Leader

PLACE Alumni Engagement Circle

  • Patricia (PAZ) Zamora

    Patricia Ann Zamora (PAZ) is the Founding Elder of 7GENerations (7GEN) Coming home, which is located on her family's ancestral land of 7 generations. She directed the award-winning Citywide Creative Arts at Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco for nine years. She and the YBCA staff co-curated the Identity and Pride Youth Exhibition with SF Pride. Her creative mantra is HEAL-THY: ONE WOMEN AT A TIME.

  • Jillie Andersen

    Founder, ChatterBox Arts International & the Annual San Francisco Altered Barbie Exhibition, and Inherent Health and Body Consulting, Julie is an independent curator and creative who has produced cross-cultural experiences and interactive exhibitions throughout San Francisco and China in tech and installation art shows.

  • Katie Quan

    Born and raised on Ramaytush Ohlone land (now known as San Francisco), Katie Quan (she/her) is a third generation Chinese American. She is an artist, community advocate, curator, storyteller, and educator. Katie is the creator of REALSOUL, a curriculum-based arts organization that focuses on making Asian American stories intersectional, interdisciplinary, and accessible to learners of all ages.

PLACE Alumni Advisory Circle

  • Ahran Lee

  • Emiy Yamauchi

  • Reyna Daudian

  • Nora Taranowski

  • Tomo Hirai

  • Norma Carrera

  • Laura Padila Tom

  • Manon Wada

Budget Consultants

Irene Wibawa

Shari Arai DeBoer

Photographers & Videographers

Fiscal Sponsors

Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA)

  • Director - Diana Li

Ancestral Advisors

They continue to guide our way.

  • Janet King

  • Sue Tom

  • Diana Lew

  • Rene Yanez

Community Advisory Board

  • Deborah Santana

    CEO Temple Tree, LLc, Artist and Advocate, Business Operations, Alignment and Empowerment, Navigating Colonization, Well-being, and Spirituality.

  • Renee Baldocchi

    CEO Baldocchi Projects, Artist, Organizational Networking, SF Arts Advocate, Founder of de Young Artists in Residency, Friday Nights, Arts Education-Residencies-Events

  • Amy Grace Lam, Ph.D

    Community Mental Health, Consultant, a poet-playwright-musician, mother, community advocate, and vibrational energy healer. Her life’s work is dedicated to personal and collective healing. Amy’s art creates healing experiences where people experience a bridge between their physical and spiritual realities. It is this magical conversation where Amy believes the power of art can help us ‘dream the world we want to see into being.’

  • Ravi Chandra, MD.

    Advisor Ravi Chandra, M.D. is a psychiatrist and writer in San Francisco and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Facebuddha: Transcendence in the Age of Social Networks is his full-length nonfiction debut, and is the winner of the 2017 Nautilus Silver Book Award for Religion/Spirituality of Eastern Thought.

    He teaches Mindful Self-Compassion and Compassion Cultivation Training Workshops and blogs regularly for Psychology Today since 2011 and for the Center for Asian American Media since 2005 (Memoirs of a Superfan).

  • Susan Almazol

    Oakland-based artist and Silicon Valley-centered businesswoman. Her work is influenced by the cultures she was born into (Philippines), where she began school (Japan), and where she grew up (North America). She creates sculpture, writes creative non-fiction pieces, and dances from her reflections as a child of war, an immigrant outsider, lover of textiles, and celebrant of movement. Her sculpture graces the cover of the art and literary anthology, Cheers to Muses.

  • Katherine Poss J.D.

    Attorney and Art Advocate, Board Member of Cultural Odyssey Expertise in trademark portfolio development and protection, including corporate rebranding, on-line and print copyright protection. Dedicated to community service, she is a board member of La Raza Centro Legal-8 years, nonprofit providing legal services to monolingual Spanish speaking San Franciscans and of Cultural Odyssey, an internationally renowned performance nonprofit working with women in jails and prisons in the US and South Africa to tell their stories.

  • Antonio Salazar Hobson J.D.

    Attorney and Art Advocate, Legal, Philanthropist.

    A 30 year art collector of original Mexican paintings, as well as American art by artists of color.

    Specializes in representing unions, tribes and cultural workers of international importance and with established legacies in their respective field / Served as the Controller of the California Democratic Party (“CDP”), and dedicates fundraising skills to non profits.

    Law degrees from UC Santa Cruz, Stanford and UC Davis and published law review articles on the protection of cultural property under the UNESCO Convention.

  • Cris Matos

    (Art Construction, Installation Consultant, Translation) Art Instructor, Installation Lead, Documentation, visual artist for 45 years, a carpenter, photographer, painter, singer/songwriter/sonero for 50+years, bilingual in Spanish

  • Avotcja

    Social Justice, Literary consultant, KPOO/KPFA DJ, Band member of Mudipie, Poet, Social Justice Queen

San Francisco Arts Commission for their visionary support of PLACE.

Funded in part by

  • San Francisco Arts Commission's ACIP Grants

  • California Arts Council

  • Zellerbach Family Foundation

  • ​Do A Little Foundation

  • WomenArts Harmony Project funded generously by Nathan Cummings Foundation

  • Pacific Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition PAAWBAC

  • The Koehn Family Foundation

  • Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center

  • City of Emeryville

Acknowledgments

  • 7GEN

  • J-Sei Center of Emeryville

  • Manilatown Heritage Center

  • Asian Women's Shelter

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of SF

  • Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC)

  • WomenArts.org – Harmony Project

  • De Young Museum’s Public Programs – Artists in Residence

  • SOMArts Cultural Center

  • API Legal Outreach

  • Bhutanese/Nepali Women’s Refugee Collective

  • Avotcja at KPOO and KPFA

Funders

Community Partners

  • SOMArts Cultural Center and staff

  • de Young Museum’s Renee Baldocci

  • J-SEI, Emeryville

  • Thoreau Center for Sustainability’s Bruce DeMartini

  • Driftwood Gallery – Camille and Anthony

  • APICC, Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center’s Vinay Patel

  • Manilatown’s Caroline Cabading and Carlos Zialcita

  • AAWAA and 1890 Bryant Studios

  • Marin Museum of Contemporary Art

Venues

Personal Notes of Gratitude

Deep Bows to Asian American Women Artists Association, our fiscal sponsor.

Everyone has worn so many hats it's impossible to list the generous contributions of talent. We are here because of them. It takes a village. 

Thank you for the countless hours of administration, photography, PR, coordination, installation, editing, fundraising, and moral support:

Cynthia Tom, Patricia Zamora, Julie Andersen, Shari Arai DeBoer, Irene Wibawa, Avotcja, Diana Li, Cris Matos, Norma Carrera,  Susan Almazol, Maggie Yee, Manon Wada,  Ed Fung, Diana Lew, Brian Garvey, Kira Ballota of Cantadora Wine, Nora Taranowski, Reiko Fujii, Ravi Chandra MD,Amy G. Lam PhD, Christina Yu LSW, Deborah Santana, Renee Baldocchi, Antonio Salazaar-Hobson and Katherine Poss Salazaar, Ahran Lee, Jill Shiraki, Nina Moore, Karen Larson, Natalie Sacramento, Martha Richards, KelseyElizabeth Myers, Trinity Ordona,  Lenore Chinn,Laura Wong, Thomas Schumake, Mido Lee andLaura Paule,JW Diehl, Teresa Jade LeYung, Hediana Utarti, Tomo Hirai, Jonathan Farrell, Sylvia Lafair, Manicato.