Asian Arts Initiative

Save the Date and Register for Saturday July 11th, 10AM-6PM!Join representatives from Chinatowns in New York, Boston, DC, and Philly, to check in on the organizing progress and challenges of our cities. Visitors will be invited to presentations, workshops, tours, and art builds, as we close out the exhibition "No Arena: Making a Movement" in style.Final schedule will be posted closer to the day of the event.

Youth were a powerful force behind the No Arena movement. For many young people, it was the first organizing campaign that they were part of. This workshop will be a reflection space to process the challenges they overcame and the power behind youth organizing. Youth participants will learn how to create a zine and have their work be part of a published No Arena archiving zine. This workshop is ideal for high school/early college youth, but we welcome younger students and accompanying parents and caregivers.The workshop is led by Peri Law, an artist, a community organizer, and the Youth Programs

Crossing Streets and Sharing Stories: Black-Asian Solidarity in PhillyIn collaboration with Writers Room, join us for a storytelling workshop grounded in the shared histories of struggles and resilience in Chinatown and West Philadelphia. This event is part of Crossing Streets, a constellation of arts events celebrating culture and uniting people—and purpose—in two deeply rooted Philadelphia neighborhoods.

Conversation with author Sarah Aziza and book launch for "The Hollow Half." The evening will open with 2 poetry acts.La La Lil Jidar presents a community celebration of Sarah Aziza's debut memoir The Hollow Half (Catapult Books) followed by a post-reading conversation moderated by Camonghne Felix. Joining Aziza will be special guest readers Candice Iloh and Angbeen Saleem. Hosted by: Denice Frohman and Jess X. Snow. Books will be for sale and all proceeds will be donated to support Sarah Aziza’s family in Gaza.Fundraising for Sarah Aziza's family in Gaza: Our goal is to raise $5,000 to support Sarah's family

This special all day symposium coincides with the exhibition Crescendo: How Art Makes Movements (1981-1999), and will feature a diverse array of programming, such as artist presentations, panel discussions, performances, and community-driven projects that highlight the shared experiences and struggles of Black and Asian communities. Asian Arts Initiative was founded in the wake of the LA Uprisings to address afro-asian solidarity. The Crescendo Symposium will explore the evolution of Afro-Asian solidarity from historical movements like the Black Panther Party to contemporary grassroots efforts. Artists and activists will reflect on how solidarity has been built through the arts, and how these communities continue

OHYUNG, an alter ego and solo project of composer/ musician/artist Lia Ouyang Rusli, will present a performance featuring their new album You Are Always On My Mind. As a conversation between her trans self and her former self, the unstructured performance pushes boundaries, turning AAI's theater into a spectacle of excessive emotion that drives audiences to derangement. The performance's intense self-focus with full dopamine release offers transformative relaxation. The performance opens with two acts, Anne Ishii x Clint Takeda and Asphalt Savannahs. You are on your feet all throughout the night. You Are Always On My Mind came out March 28th co-released by Brooklyn’s NNA Tapes and the UK’s Phantom Limb.

Join us for a conversation between two bestselling authors Lisa Ko and Emma Eisenberg on Ko's recently published Memory Piece, a visionary novel of friendship, art, and ambition that asks: What is the value of a meaningful life? Lisa Ko is the author of the nationally bestselling novel The Leavers, which was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction and the PEN/Hemingway Award, and winner of the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. Ko’s short fiction has appeared in The Best American Short Stories and her essays and nonfiction have been published in The New York Times and The Believer. Emma Copley Eisenberg is the author of the

de>crescendo: Trusting Our Dynamic Selves Through Change is a trauma-informed workshop exploring music and embodied sound as tools for resourcing ourselves through change, facilitated by Mel Hsu, in partnership with Bartol Foundation. Vocal, percussive and movement exercises will be offered, but no musical experience is required. Bodies of all abilities are encouraged to register. Content most appropriate for ages 18+. Organizers will send out a “Know Before You Go Guide” one week before the workshop. A therapist from our community partner, Mango Tree Counseling, will be available on site as a resource during the workshop. *Registration is free with limited to

Accompanying Uses of the Ironic, the first solo exhibition of Rashid Zakat, will be a performance based off of the artist's popular Revival!, an audio-visual and now performance meditation celebrating the visual and sonic culture of shared Black spiritual experience Following the performance will be a conversation with curators Joyce Chung (Asian Arts Initiative) and Maori Karmael Holmes (Blackstar Projects). @AsianArtsPhilly @rashidzakat

Asian Arts Initiative's Artist Town Hall invites artists to come together to share their latest projects, make a pitch, and exchange resources. This iteration of the Town Hall invites BIPOC, Palestinian, and SWANA artists whose practice or current projects engage restorative justice and anti-oppression efforts. Artists that join the Town Hall will share their work alongside two invited presenters, including the Memory Workers’ Guild (MWG) and theater director Zaina Yasmin Dana. We hope to spark conversation and collaboration of artists and culture workers across anti-apartheid, abolition, and restorative justice movements. Tafari Diop (@tafaridiop) of Memory Workers’ Guild is a decentralized