APICC is excited to kick off the 26th Annual United States of Asian America Festival with this year's visual art exhibition, Jade Wave Rising.

Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) and the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC) present the multidisciplinary art exhibition Jade Wave Rising: Portraits of Power, opening on April 27, 2023, taking place at SOMArts Cultural Center’s Main Gallery. As the AAPI community reels from the ongoing waves of hate and violence, Jade Wave Rising celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander women’s voices and pays homage to overlooked historical figures and community leaders. Inspired by the gemstone’s various metaphysical and cultural meanings in its association with power, jewelry and crowns, Jade Wave Rising establishes new legacies of leadership to imagine a more equitable future for AAPI women everywhere. The opening event will take place on Thursday, April 27 at 6pm in person and online.

The exhibition will also feature an altar by Twin Walls Mural Company that highlights significant community leaders, Grace Lee Boggs, Violeta Marasigan and Yuri Kochiyama, along with images of youth activists and six lanterns representing the victims of the 2021 Atlanta shooting. 

Join the Asian American Women Artists Association at the opening reception on Thursday, April 27 at 6pm. After the opening, attend a craft workshop by the curator that weekend. On Sunday, May 21, the exhibition also closes with a screening of “Manilatown Manang”, a documentary about the life and times of Jeanette Gandiongo Lazam, an original Tenant Defender of the International Hotel during the 1970s and the last evicted tenant to step out of the hotel on August 4, 1977. The SOMArts gallery will be open for visitors Thursday 3:00-5:00 PM, Friday 12:00-7:30 PM and Saturday/Sunday, 12:00-5:00 PM. A virtual 3D model of the exhibition will also be available online on the SOMArts website. 

EVENT DETAILS

Opening Reception/Festival Kick-off
Thursday, April 27, 6pm
SOMArts Cultural Center

This event is free and open to the public. Advance registration is requested.

Closing Reception: Poetry Readings & Film Screening of MANILATOWN MANANG
Sunday, May 21, 2pm
SOMArts Cultural Center

This event is free and open to the public. Advance registration is requested.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

AJ Schnettler, Ahn Lee, Twin Walls Mural Company (Elaine Chu and Marina Perez-Wong), Marisa Goudie, Rebecca Nie, Nibha Akireddy, Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, Midori, She Who Has No Masters, Paulina Hoong, Choppy Oshiro, Mariel Paat, Pallavi Sharma, Sansei Granddaughters' Journey Collective, IS/LAND Performance Collaborative, Kayla Noriko Tange, Ina Kaur, Julie Lee, Shizue Seigel, Joanna L. Kao, and Yeu Q Nguyen

ABOUT THE CURATOR

Yeu "Q" Nguyen is best known for her vibrant, interactive installations and intricately crafted objects rich in cultural symbolism and social empathy. Her expansive repertoire of works have appeared at notable venues such as the Autry's SouthWest Museum, the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, the Geffen Playhouse, and the Armory Center for the Arts. Born in Saigon and immigrated to the US as a teenager, her writing and art was also featured on the cover of the Inlandia Institute’s 2020 literary anthology titled “A Short Guide To Finding Your First Home In The US.” Q has received multiple regional cultural grant awards for her art project Weaving Hope, an interactive art installation and cultural program that travels to different cities in LA County, including South Gate city, in its mission to gather over one thousand personal definitions of hope and uplift local creative scenes. Outside her studio hours, Q enjoys nature walks, cute cat videos, DIY home projects, and discovering Los Angeles’s best happy hours.

Volunteer

Volunteer to help install the show April 14-21! Sign up to volunteer.