After decades of underground organizing for cultural expression and political agency, establishment funding is flooding the neighborhood. But with millions tied to the city’s borough-based jails plan, is the bankroll worth the price?
In 1990, Godzilla: Asian American Art Network formed to stimulate visibility and critical discourse for Asian American artists, curators, and writers who were negotiating a historically exclusionary art world and society. Founded by Ken Chu, Bing Lee, and Margo Machida, Godzilla produced exhibitions, publications, and community collaborations that sought social change through art and advocacy. Expanding into a nationwide network, the group confronted institutional racism, Western imperialism, anti-Asian violence, the AIDS crisis, and Asian sexuality and gender representation, among other issues.
‘Yellow Pearl: Celebrating the Birth of the Asian American Movement’
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On Wednesday, April 7, at 11:30 a.m. PST, watch the #HERITAGEiRL livestream as artists-activists Nobuko Miyamoto, Elizabeth (Liz) Young, and Arlan Huang, reminisce about the Basement Workshop, Asian Women United, the Yellow Pearl Project, and the people and groups that made it happen.
This program will be facilitated by Phil Tajitsu Nash from the University of Maryland. Click here to watch.
In 1972, the collective known as Basement Workshop in Chinatown, NYC published the art book “Yellow Pearl.” It was originally a project meant to illustrate the music of Chris Iijima, Nobuko Miyamoto, and Charlie Chin, but grew into a 57-page compilation of writing, art, and music by over 30 Asian American artists. The introduction of the collection reads: