On Our Radar: May 2021

May marks Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and we’re celebrating Asian-American creatives who advocate for others. This naming and recognition of Asian Americans is especially critical when we consider that forty-two percent of Americans cannot name a single well-known Asian American today. The effects of invisibility-whether in contemporary media, history text books, and entertainment, allow Asian American contributions to remain unrecognized and uncelebrated. And, at worse, it allows for dehumanization, violence, and caricature. For this month’s On Our Radar, we turn to an Asian American artist who has long amplified the voices of Asian Americans, multimedia artist Betty Yu. Betty Yu is a socially engaged multimedia artist whose  artistic practice is shaped by her direct experience as a daughter raised by Chinese garment worker immigrant parents in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. As both a practitioner and observer of social justice, her recommendations highlight Asian Americans creatively combating climate change, anti-gentrification efforts led by NYC Chinatown artists, food-focused plays highlighting Filipino identity, and community-murals-celebrating civil rights leader Yuri Kochiyama and the placekeeping visions of Chinatown elders and youth.  

Sowing Agency: Seeding the Future for Environmental Justice Virtual Gallery

Sowing Agency is an inspiring exhibition highlighting how Asian Americans are taking action on climate justice. It features artwork, films and other media made by Asian Americans amplifying their calls for increased action to challenge extractive industries, corporate greed, and colonization. Although their in-person events and show closed on May 23rd, I encourage folks to visit their virtual gallery .These works uplift global and local stories of resistance happening in Asia and around the world. As they put it, “Sowing Agency is a visual and poetic address to the grief and resiliency rooted in “seeding the future.”

The program is presented byThe Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) and Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC) at SOMArts Cultural Center  in San Francisco. It’s an inspiring gallery activating our Asian Pacific Islander communities to engage in the issues of today’s climate crisis.

Teach In: Envisioning Abolition in our Local Asian-American Communities

Chinatown Art Brigade will be hosting a teach-in and public discussion on organizing and activism for abolition in our local Asian-American communities, and strengthening Black/Asian solidarity. Specifically we will be putting forth an abolitionist framework as a way to challenge and oppose the current calls for more policing to combat Anti-Asian hate and the new jail plan in Chinatown.

For full transparency I am one of the co-organizers of this event wearing my hat as a co-founder of Chinatown Art Brigade. In the wake of the deaths of multiple Asian women massage workers in March and the increase of anti-Asian violence across the U.S, there have been national and local calls for increased policing. In NYC, the formation of the NYPD anti-Asian hate crime task force criminalizes people of color instead of addressing the root causes of white supremacy that pits us against each other.

I’m excited to be in community with other Asian Americans as we discuss what abolition could look like in our respective communities as we resist calls for more policing and challenge anti-Blackness Join us June 9th 7-9:30pm EST!

Featured speakers include CAAAV Organizing Communities, Asian American Feminist Collective, Red Canary Song, and many more. For more information email: chinatownartbrigade@gmail.com

Island Table Series: A Play Festival Presenting a Menu of Short Plays Inspired by Global Cuisine and History” presented by Atlantic Pacific Theatre

Food is such a powerful way to bring our communities together. Food allows us to celebrate our traditions, cultures, and the act of preserving one’s food traditions is in itself an act of cultural resistance. I’m excited to tune into these short plays that celebrate the intersection of global cuisines and their histories - including Filipino and Caribbean cuisines.

The event on May 25, 7-9 pm features new short plays by: Matt Barbot, Amikogaabawiikwe / Adrienne Benjamin, Marjuan Canady, Claro de los Reyes, Ankita Raturi, and Monique A. Robinson. The event is hosted by Claro de los Reyes and Rachel Castillo

This program is from the Atlantic Pacific Theatre, a theater company that creates theatre works, public history programs, and community-engaged social practice art experiences for and with communities of color. They aim to enhance empathy, awareness, and understanding around POC histories and identities in local and transnational contexts.

Two Murals to See IRL in Manhattan

While the pandemic may have kept us more indoors, murals have been blossomong on the walls and streets of New York. I highly recommend two Manhattan murals celebrating Asian-America.

First is the soon to be unveiled “In the Future, Our Asian Community is Safe.” The mural-in-progress (at Mott St. and Mosco Street in Manhattan, Chinatown) was envisioned with Chinatown elders and youth active with W.O.W. Project’s cultural placekeeping work. It will be a physical mural and incorporate Augmented Reality (AR) & have a virtual healing space.

The project is by Jess X. Snow in partnership with Wing on Wo and Smithsonian Asian Pacific Pacific American Center. It will be unveiled on June 12th on Mosco Street

My second recommendation is “From Harlem With Love: A Mural For Yuri And Malcolm.” Located on 126th St @ Old Broadway (in Harlem), this mural which was completed back in 2016 has been newly restored and repainted in time to celebrate Yuri Kochiyama and Malcolm X who share the same birthday - May 19th. The Black and Asian solidarity themes that this mural conveys feels more relevant than ever, especially at a time when our communities need to come together to dismantle white supremacy.

Archived On Our Radar Arts Events

February 2021: Presented by Samuel Coleman and Amber Barbee Pickens

• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: From the classic Revelations to Busk and accessible dance classes, this company brings incredible dance into our lives.

• Blooming in Motion: This coloring books celebrates African-American dance icons. You bring them to life with your colors and as you learn their legacies!

• Carmen Carricker: As a dance educator, Carmen’s work is rooted in African-American traditions. She’ll off kemetic yoga, swing, and afroburlesque.

October2020: Presented by Leviathan Labs Founder, Ariel Estrada

• GOVT with Model Majority!: Model Majority presents comedy in support of democracy- featuring special guest Margaret Cho!

• CAATA: Return to the Source: A virtual discussion of issues affecting Asian American theater artists across the nation, this series tackles heritage to the impacts of Covid-19.

• Colapesce: Composer and violinist Sean Devare presents a multi-genre feast based on an Itatlian myth of a half boy/half fish.

September 2020: Presented by Th!nk Chinatown Executive Director, Yin Kong

• Assembly for Chinatown: In partnership with A+A+A, Chinatown outdoor dining becomes the stuff of dreams with murals and community.-driven volunteers

• Black Gotham Experience: From Kamau Ware to more, this group disrupts colonialist lens as it presents an ever fuller representation of NYC history.

• American Struggle: Jacob Lawrence’s work, The American Struggle, creates new narratives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

May 2020: Presented by Asian American Arts Alliance Executive Director, Lisa Gold (APAHM)

• Crazy Woke Asians Comedy Festival: This 3 day comedy festival virtually presents over 90 Asian-American comedians helping us manage through these stressful times. In addition to laughter, all ticket sales support pandemic-related non-profits, including Feeding America.

• Minhwa and minhaw::: The Korean Cultural Center presents traditional Korean folk painting alongside contemporary takes from artist, Seongmin Ahn.

• Love in the Time of Corona: Parajit Desai Dance company brings us sounds from across the Asian diaspora and other genres for some shared virtual free style-dancing. Expect hip-hop, soul, house, bhangra, arabic, latin, sufi qawwali, gujarati raas, and more.

April 2020: Presented by Poet and Brooklyn Poets Founder, Jason Koo (National Poetry Month)

• Brooklyn Poets 7th Anniversary Yawp: Brooklyn Poet’s 7th anniversary celebration featured a virtual Zoom poetry workshop and open mic with special guest teacher Edward Hirsch, Poet and Guggenheim Foundation President. Hirsch led a generative workshop based on Nazim Hikmet's beloved poem "On Living.”

• Newton Literary and Lewis Latimer House: Poetry Workshop: Newton Litera:ry and the Lewis Latimer House presented a free online poetry workshop that begins with the question “What about home sneaks its way into my work, and how can I nurture and support that meaning through poetry?” .

• Tango Uncorked: With the Tango Uncorked podcast, Adam Hoopengardner provides insights into the people who drive the tango community- organizers, performers, musicians- and allows us all to learn more. We can milonga from the comforts of our homes.

February 2020: Presented by Tap Performer Brian Davis (Black History Month)

• Harlem Swing Dance Classes: Take swing dance classes in Harlem, the birthplace of swing, with Samuel Coleman! Offered every Monday at the Kennedy Center.

• Dandy Wellington's Swinging Band: A sharply dressed man leading a “kicking” jazz band, the sounds of Dandy Wellington fill Dekalb Market Hall. Enjoy the free music, while showing off your dance move or enjoying the many international food hall offerings.

• Prohibition Productions at Secret Room: Travel back in time to a world of live music, burlesque, and other cabaret style performance in this Manhattan speakeasy style restaurant.

January 2020: Presented by Creative Sanctum

• Year of the Metal Rat Celebration: Abrons Arts Center and Wing on Wo & Co., the oldest store in Chinatown, heralded the start of the “Year of the Metal Rat” with traditional and contemporary arts, including lion dance from the Wan Chi Ming Hung Gar Institute and visual arts.

• To the Moon: VR Experience: An otherworldly virtual reality experience, this art installation takes viewers to the moon, alongside shooting stars that transform into diamonds, dinosaurs, and other incredible space debris. Part of the Public’s Under the Radar Festival!

• 34th Annual Martin Luther King Tribute at BAM: Honoring the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., this annual tribute features spoken word and a visual arts gallery, Picture the Dream.

• Aki Sasamoto's Phase: Transition: Multimedia artist, Aki Sasamoto transforms the sanctuary of Saint Mark’s Church with wind and multimedia, as a reflection of the passing of time, motherhood, and transition.

December 2019: Presented by Cindy Chu, Actress, Writer, and Producer of Queens, the Series

• Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven: Playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis brings light to subjects and people whom the world tends to ignore with this play telling the tale of women in a halfway house.

• Over Step Comedy at Asian American Writer’s Workshop: An all Asian sketch comedy collective dedicated to increasing diversity and kicking ass!

• Asian Creatives Network Holiday Market: With so many grassroots communities in NYC, the Asian Creative Network is one of my favorites in getting to know the awesome, supportive Asian arts community. This holiday market featured both performers and work from artists in the network.

November 2019: Presented by Seth Harris, Oil Painter

• John Singer Sargent’s Portraits in Charcoal: Presented at the Morgan Library, John Singer Sargent presents a masterful collection of charcoal portraits.

• The Art History Babes: An engaging way to learn more about the masters and subjects of art history. You’ll feel like you’re learning over a glass of wine.

• Secret Science Club: When I’m seeking inspiration for my work, Secret Science Club presents fascinating experts on topics, ranging from space exploration or death.

October 2019: Presented by Debby Lau of Signature Theatre

• New York City Center Fall for Dance Festival: This beloved fall tradition presents a curated collection of different dances companies on one stage at the accessible prices of $15 for every seat in the house. With both international and local companies, and styles from tap, hip hop, to ballet, there’s something new to discover for everyone.

• Musical Theatre Factory’s Fall Piano Party: A free live sing along of musical theater favorites hosted by Kuhoo Verma and guest performers Troy Anthony and Kim Blanck.

• Fires in the Mirror at the Signature Theatre: A one actor show, originally written and conceived by Anna Deveare Smith, this play tells the tale of the 1991 Crown Heights race riots. With one actor playing multiple roles, from rappers to housewives, these interview-based monologues will grip you.

September 2019: Presented by Jonathan DePeri Gotham Arts Salon Director

• Balanchine’s Jewels by New York City Ballet: George Balanchine’s celebrated evening-length ballet Jewels, whose three parts feature dancers attired as emeralds, rubies, and diamonds respectively set to music by Fauré, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky. Originally inspired by the choreographer’s visit to Van Cleef & Arpels, Jewels is perhaps the first ever full-length abstract ballet,

• Choir of Trinity College: The world-renowned Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, comprising entirely students at Cambridge University, performs sacred music from across the spectrum of Christian tradition featuring works by a range of composers spanning from the Renaissance to the modern day.

• Dudok Quartet: Chamber music is an art form as elegant and aristocratic as it is intimate and approachable. As Goethe put it, string quartet repertoire in particular really is the refined and subtle art of four individuals’ conversing. It is a joy to hear the expressive vitality of this brilliant Dutch ensemble perform such wide-ranging yet intensely focused programs

August 2019: Presented by Jaime Shannon, Artistic Director of Kilowatt Dance Theater

• Battery Park Dance Festival: Amid sea and sky, dance companies from New York and around the world present on an outdoor stage for five nights with a myriad of ecletic dance styles. Creative Sanctum and friends took a trip this year to see the Tuesday, July 9th performance featuring Buglisi Dance Theater and Ashle Dawson’s Made in America.

• Charlie Park Jazz Festival: Honoring bebop legend Charlie Parker, Jaime notes this free festival in both Marcus Garvey and Tompkins Square Park has “world class musicians and the music never disappoints.”.

• Gamme by Bala Sole Dance Company: An evening of ecletic dance solos, the audience is welcomed with the opportunity to get to know each dancer through their choreography and movement in what feels like a one on one interaction with each of them.

July 2019: Presented by Creative Sanctum

• Midsummer Night Swing: Eyal Vilner Big Band: Claiming the title for 30 years, Midsummer Night Swing is NYC’s best outdoor dance party. And on July 10, 2019, the Eyal Vilner Big Band, a 16-piece, multigenerational ensemble, will present “an exciting new sound in the finest tradition of contemporary big band music” (All About Jazz).

• Shakespeare in the Park: Coriolanus: Expect some swords as Shakespeare in the Park, presents Coriolanus, for the first time since 1979. Coriolanus is the “Bard’s blistering drama about a general voted into power by a populace hungry for change, and the unraveling that follows.” Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan (Proof, Shakespeare In The Park’s Troilus and Cressida) serves as the director for this modern-day version tale of democracy and demagoguery. Running July 16-August 11

• BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Festival: Compagnie Hervé KOUBI: On July 27, the French-Algerian choreographer Hervé Koubi brings his signature work What The Day Owes To The Night to the Bandshell. With highly muscular and astonishingly physical dancers, What The Day Owes To The Night, is bristling with energy. The movements evokes Orientalist paintings and Islamic architecture as 12 French-Algerian and African dancers combine capoeira, martial arts, hip hop, and contemporary styles.