New Year at Asian Arts Initiative

Slide show images of: 1. No Arena sign on Chinatown Street, 2. Event attendees holding bouquets of flowers and laughing, 3. Audience enjoying a live concert while artists subt.le and YATTA play a set in a dark, red-lit theater, 4. "No Arena" signs on a table, 5. Audience sitting in a dark, blue-lit room, 5. A student giving a speech in front of event attendees.

There will be no Arena in Chinatown. Ooooh, that gives me chills. Say it with me loud, THERE WILL BE NO ARENA IN CHINATOWN.

As Ellen Somekawa of FACTS pointed out at our celebration, we once defeated a baseball stadium proposal, which called for the demolition of AAI’s building so that 3rd base could be in what was (and still is) our Black Box Theater that supports so many BIPOC artists. As a community, we also defeated a prison, a casino, and now, this arena. It’s just what we do. And we learned that each time, it is our collective voice that rises up to defeat the interests of politicians and billionaires that don’t get it. Together, we have the power. The act of organizing can be messy, but our coalition built itself broadly and strategically, so that when it was time to vote, our community showed up. Thank you.

The lesson I’m taking into this next administration is that there are many ways to resist. Sometimes you get together and march through the streets. Sometimes you screen films, or record music videos, or rewrite Christmas Carols, or release anti-gentrification poetry collections. Most of the time you’re on a Zoom call, but sometimes you get to shut down City Hall. We fight back against injustice in many ways. And we need each and every one of those efforts to defeat injustice. And we ground ourselves in creativity, love, and build towards the future we want to see.

That is why we at Asian Arts Initiative are thrilled to announce that Artist/Activist will be our programmatic theme for 2025. Through our concerts, programs, and exhibitions, we will examine how these practices overlap, and revisit historic examples of how art has made movements. We also at this moment will take stock of how attitudes and strategies of the activist artist are changing today.

For over 30 years, AAI has built community through the power of art. We know that the way forward is in service of love, creativity, and standing with and for our community. We’re excited to share our upcoming events, and can’t wait to announce next month the programs of our Artist/Activist season.

Stay tuned 🧡

Dave Kyu
Interim Executive Director