No Asian American Art Space in SF? We Have an Answer.

“AAWAA artists and community members will envision, craft, and paint a mural befitting of our organization’s legacy with hopes to inspire many generations of artists to come.”

by: Melanie Rose

San Francisco has long been the epicenter of Asian American life and culture. The oldest running Asian American arts nonprofit was founded here, we have the nation’s largest yearly Asian film festival , we are the birthplace of Asian American studies, and Asians make up about one third of the city’s population. And yet, there’s no Asian American public art space in San Francisco. Yes, you read that right. In addition, the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center functions as a virtual center that programs arts events at various venues throughout the city.

So what gives? When Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) embarked upon celebrating its 25th anniversary, we pondered the same question. And now, we have an appropriate response…

This summer, AAWAA plans to unveil its first mural honoring Asian American women artists in San Francisco’s Richmond District. For AAWAA, it’s a way to commemorate its jubilee year, while claiming physical and visual public space. We ultimately want to raise the visibility of a community that has made so many historical contributions to this city.

We’ve teamed up with local and well-respected Asian American women muralists Cece Carpio of Trust Your Struggle and Erin Yoshi of Estria Foundation and Trust Your Struggle (who just finished curating and painting a series of murals at YBCA).

With their expertise, AAWAA artists and community members will envision, craft, and paint a mural befitting of our organization’s legacy with hopes to inspire many generations of artists to come.

AAWAA is currently raising funds for the project, and you can check out the campaign here.