baysia: Asian American Culture Rising
New San Francisco Filipino Cultural Org ‘Balay Kreative’ Teams Up With Kearny Street Workshop For Immersive Theater, Pop up Dinner, Poetry and Art Experience
Jason Bayani, Locus of Control. Ericc Peterson Photography.
San Francisco, CA, March 2, 2020 - Sparked by solidarity struggles and changing immigration patterns, baysia uncovers the rise of Asian American culture in the Bay Area. Rare screen printed posters from Kearny Street Workshop (KSW) archives document the surge of this unique cultural phenomenon. Identity and cultural celebration is examined through theatrical performances and poetry readings. While “baysian” culinary mash-ups are explored through a Filipino lens with a series of pop-up dinners curated by newcomer arts organization, Balay (Bah-lie) Kreative. The event will take place at 814 Mission Street, from March 19 - March 28, in the SOMA Pilipinas - Filipino Cultural Heritage District.
This is the first project from new Filipino cultural organization Balay Kreative, and a first time partnership with the longest running Asian Pacific American (APA) multidisciplinary arts organization in the country, Kearny Street Workshop. Both orgs are based in SOMA Pilipinas. The pan-asian "baysia" theme harkens to KSW's broad mission to present, produce, and promote art that empowers APA’s, and includes a KSW exhibition curated by Kim Acebo Arteche, based on the Thursday Night Series (TNS) workshops of the 80s.
“We believe that showcasing the artwork that has come out of and through KSW spanning ethnicities and identities, upholds the kind of cultural landscape we want to see in San Francisco. The culture bearers that made up KSW in the 80s went on to impact local culture deeply. Today, KSW artists still impact the thriving creative economies of the city, inclusive of the flourishing food scene, visual arts cultures, literary world, the arena of theater and more, which will all be showcased during baysia. We are proud to present this program to our community and welcome the rest of the Bay to join us in celebrating the kind of Bay Area they want to live in." Shares Mihee Kim, Managing Director of Kearny Street Workshop.
The art exhibit “Thursday Night Series,” will open from March 19 - March 28. Followed by pop up dinners March 20-27, featuring Chef’s Francis Ang (Pinoy Heritage), Reina Montenegro (Nick’s on Mission), amongst several other up and coming chefs in the Filipino/Asian cuisine scene. Poet and writer Jason Bayani’s solo theater show “Locus of Control” will show on Thursday, March 26 at 6pm. The finale of baysia is a KSW presents poetry reading on March 27, featuring Asian American poets born and raised in the Bay Area, including Janice Sapigao, 2020 Poet Laureate of Santa Clara.
Art - ‘Thursday Night Series’This exhibition presents a survey of San Francisco Asian American community organizing as represented by a selection of screen printed posters from Kearny Street Workshop’s archives. These screenprints illustrate community events driven by social consciousness, employing creative strategies through printmaking techniques. From Chester Yoshida’s textural poster for “Quiet Thunder”, an original story inspired by Carlos Bulosan as directed by Norman Jayo, to famed KSW artists like Nancy Hom and Leland Wong, whose prints advertised Kearny Street Workshop’s weekly arts classes. This new exhibition harkens to community origins, knowing that learning from previous generations while adapting to new needs, incorporating new voices, and honoring the rich tapestry of our knowledge and art making capacity will all be at the root of a flourishing arts culture in San Francisco.
Poetry - KSW Presents
Featuring Asian American poets born and raised in the Bay Area, including Janice Sapigao, 2020 Poet Laureate of Santa Clara, Michelle “Mush” Lee (Youth Speaks), and others to be announced.
Ox & Tiger - Ginataang Ebi Prawns. Chili Coconut. Photo Credit: Mogli Maureal
Pop Up Dinners
Featured chef’s include Francis Ang (Pinoy Heritage), Yana Gilbuena (Salo Series), Reina Montenegro (Nick’s Kitchen), EJ Macayan (Ox & Tiger), and Rod Reyes (Barya Kitchen). Diners can expect unique baysian flavors:
Mint Condition SupperClub: Vietnamese / Filipino w/ French Techniques
Straight-up Bar & Bites: Korean influenced Filipino
Salo Series: Galleon Trade Menu served Kamayan style
Nick’s Kitchen: Vegan Filipino
Barya Kitchen + An Choi Bep: Vietnemese & Filipino Kamayan
Pinoy Heritage: Chinoy (Chinese/Filipino fusion)
Ox and Tiger: Filipino & Japanese Kamayan
“We will be doing a Kamayan style dinner of Filipino and Japanese food. Growing up we had grandparents who had gardens in the backyard and helping them harvest those throughout the years was a treat.” shares Chef EJ Macayan, Ox & Tiger. “Going fishing in the vast bodies of waters we are surrounded by is no different from the Island we are from. We take a lot of inspiration from how the dishes growing up made us feel and take what local farmers produce and introduce flavors that are new yet familiar.”
Jason Bayani, Locus of Control. Ericc Peterson Photography.
Theater - ‘Locus of Control’
Written and performed by writer Jason Bayani, directed by award-winning performing artist, Kat Evasco, the show explores the lives of Filipino immigrants in America. Taking you through Bayani’s hip-hop inspired youth, club-going college days, and turbulent adulthood. Locus of Control navigates his experience dealing with race, mental health, addiction, and his status as the first American-born child in his family. Utilizing poetry, storytelling, music, and multimedia, Bayani pieces together the different threads of his life while struggling to make sense of Walter Benjamin’s notion of redeeming the past in present time.
"For the last few years I've been thinking a lot about Pilipinx lives in America post-1965 immigration act, all of which have culminated in the creation of my second book, Locus, and my solo theater show, Locus of Control, which we're bringing to the Filipino Cultural Center as part of baysia.” shares Jason Bayani, writer and poet, Locus of Control. “The work Balay Kreative and KSW have put into this exhibition ties intimately into the work I've created in the past few years as for many of us growing up here inside of a diaspora have had to work through this process of erasure and recovery to discover our social, cultural, and political selves in America. We have so many interesting stories to tell in regards to this."
A History of APA Solidarity in San Francisco
San Francisco’s landscape changed drastically immediately following the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, the Third World Liberation Front, and the fight for the I-Hotel. These landmark movements shaped how Filipino immigrants stood for interethnic solidarity and how our communities viewed multiculturalism: pockets of communities coming together through self-determination. Balay Kreative’s collaborations are designed to contemplate these histories while also reflecting on our present, and envisioning our future. For more information visit www.balaykreative.org.
artwork designed by Andre Sibayan
Event Info
baysia: Asian American Culture Rising
*All events and exhibits will take place at 814 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA
For more info and to purchase tickets visit www.balaykreative.org
Art: Thursday Night Series
March 19 - March 28
Gallery Hours 6p-8p
Happy Hour 6-8pm with Straight Up Bar
Theater: “Locus of Control” by Jason Bayani
March 26, 7-9pm
Show tickets $15
*Pop up dinner with Pinoy Heritage (Chef Francis Ang) Dinner + Show tickets - $90
Poetry: KSW presents reading featuring Janice Sapigao and Michelle “Mush” Lee
March 27, 7-9pm
Tickets $15
*Pop up dinner with Pinoy Heritage (Chef Francis Ang) dinner + show tickets - $90
Pop up Dinner Schedule
Tickets - $75/person for all dinners
March 20 - Barya Kitchen + An Choi Bep: Vietnemese & Filipino Kamayan
March 21 - Straight-up Bar & Bites: Korean influenced Filipino
March 22 - Ox and Tiger: Filipino & Japanese Kamayan
March 23 - Mint Condition Supper Club: Vietnamese / Filipino w/ French Techniques
March 24 - Nick’s Kitchen: Vegan Filipino
March 25 - Salo Series: Galleon Trade Menu served Kamayan style
March 26 - Pinoy Heritage: Chinoy (Chinese/Filipino fusion)
March 27 - Pinoy Heritage: Chinoy (Chinese/Filipino fusion)
About Kearny Street Workshop: Founded in 1972, during the height of the Asian American cultural movement, Kearny Street Workshop (KSW) is the oldest Asian Pacific American multidisciplinary arts organization in the country.Kearny Street Workshop offers classes and workshops, salons, and student presentations, as well as professionally curated and produced exhibitions, performances, readings, and screenings. KSW makes artists out of community members and community members out of artists. For the past 45 years, KSW has nurtured the creative spirit, offered an important platform for new voices to be heard, and connected artists with community. For more info visit www.kearnystreet.org.
About Balay Kreative: A community-led vision funded by the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development for a future Filipino American Cultural Center that involves popup programming, collaboration with SOMA Pilipinas legacy arts organizations, and monetization strategies for organizational sustainability and artist equity. By 2025, Balay Kreative aims to build a center that will include an art gallery, studios, multi-use event space, and food hall. Balay Kreative hopes to wholly serve the evolving Filipino community in a way that is rooted in history, conscious of the present, and reflective of what the future can be.
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