Balay Kreative Offers Studios and Other Vital Support to Filipinx Artists Amidst the Pandemic
Filipino-American Arts Hub Creatively Adapts to Meet the Needs of Bay Area Artists
San Francisco, CA - January 27th, 2021 - Balay Kreative (‘Creative Home’) — a pop-up Filipino-American arts hub and cultural center led by Kultivate Labs — will open a pop-up workspace and studio to support artist grantees in Republika SF, a future artisan marketplace in SOMA Pilipinas. While Republika awaits funding approval from the City, Balay Kreative will utilize the space as a temporary activation for at least 1 year. When Republika is finally built, it will host a Balay Kreative Art Gallery in 2022. This endeavor is one of many ways Balay Kreative, whose overall vision is focused on “the potential of the arts as an economic engine for SOMA Pilipinas,” has supported artists since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020.
While COVID-19 has delayed Kultivate Lab’s ultimate goal of building an approximately 8,000 square-foot space with a visual arts gallery, a multi-purpose event space, food court and artist’s space by 2025, the pandemic challenged the organization to fulfill their mission to support local artists, with economic sustainability as a foundation.
“As our society starts to recover from the devastating mental and economic effects of COVID-19, arts and culture will draw people back into the city. Our arts community will be a beacon welcoming the public back to SOMA Pilipinas,” said Desi Danganan, Executive Director of Kultivate Labs. “Republika will be formatted as a pop-up artists workshop giving Filipinx creatives a place to produce new work that will attract audiences across the region to visit SOMA Pilipinas.”
OVER $50K GRANTED TO ARTISTS IN FUNDS
Balay Kreative granted $50,000 to over 20 Bay Area based artists during the pandemic. Grantees come from a range of disciplines, such as dance, film, DJing, puppetry, and more. These grants support artists as they carve out a larger platform to share their culture and voice.
Balay Kreative grantees tackle culturally and socially relevant issues and history. Erina Alejo’s “A Hxstory of Renting,” for example, examines the impact of a culture of gentrification and displacement, and the resilience of the Yelamu in San Francisco. Balay Kreative also supported public art projects, such as SOMCAN and Mel Vera Cruz’s “We Live Here”. Vera Cruz aims to empower the Filipino-American community through education in the history of San Francisco’s SOMA Pilipinas.
Many local grantees partnered with Balay Kreative to launch their latest projects, tackling critical topics to the Filipinx American community including mental health, sustainability, and identity. These projects — including Bayani Art’s children’s books “Lapu Lapu” and “Gabriela Silang”, Bettina Francisco’s Soul Fed Zine, Kim Requesto’s “Unedited Film” photo book, and Dr. Jeannie Celestial’s community wellness workshop series, Celestial Journeys — all quickly sold out.
“Being a Balay Kreative Grantee hits home.” says interdisciplinary artist SAMMAY, “The responsibility I felt in carrying out Hinga amidst a global pandemic was rooted in my responsibility to SOMA Pilipinas and the greater Bay Area Pilipinx community that has raised me into my adulthood, witnessed me in my (r)evolution, and continues to elevate my spirit in all that I am meant to re-become as an artist, healer, and cultural worker. It truly takes a village and Balay Kreative is a beautiful example of how we might lift up artists in the darkest of times.”
WORKSHOP SERIES: KREATIVE GROWTH MASTERCLASS
In commitment to the growth and sustainability of the Filipinx artist community in the Bay Area, Balay Kreative launched a workshop series to educate their artist cohort on finance fundamentals, grant writing, marketing, and leadership. To ensure accessibility, the workshop series was offered at a scholarship and sliding-scale rate.
BALAY KREATIVE WON OVER $70K IN GRANTS ACROSS 6 DIFFERENT FUNDERS
Through the support of six foundations and government agencies, the cultural center won over $70,000. These grants ultimately have helped Balay Kreative to partner with local arts organizations, such as Kearny Street Workshop and Bindlestiff Studio, on different virtual events.
FUTURE FORWARD: UPCOMING PROJECTS
Kapwa Gardens Mural Residency
Balay Kreative will launch a Mural Residency at Kapwa Gardens, a new wellness community space in SOMA Pilipinas. Art installations will run for three months and each artist will receive:
1. $1500 towards completing two murals, with up to $500 in material expenses
2. Six months of studio space at the Balay Kreative Artist Pop-Up Studios at Republika SF
Applications are due on February 12, 2021. To apply, please visit balaykreative.com/publicart
Kapwa in Excelsior
Artists have an opportunity to display their work through window panels of an open storefront in Excelsior. This program, sponsored by Make it Mariko events, is seeking art that can bring energy and life to a busy corridor, reflect on the Filipino community experience in Excelsior and/or their love for the Filipino community.
The artist stipend of $1200 is inclusive of materials and artist fee. Applications are due on February 12, 2021. To apply, please visit balaykreative.com/publicart
Balay Kreative Streaming Hub
A multi-media studio for DJ’s and Chef’s to hold online streams around cooking and music. The streaming hub will be designed to support the growing trend of DJ’s hosting music events on Twitch and Food Entrepreneurs growing their audiences with live online cooking workshops and demos. The first series of cooking demos will feature the chefs of #FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines showcasing healthy Filipino cooking techniques starting in March.
To learn more about Balay Kreative, artist grantees or to get involved, visit https://balaykreative.com/. For more information on upcoming public art opportunities, please visit: https://balaykreative.com/publicart
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About Kultivate Labs:
Kultivate Labs is a Non-profit Economic Development and Arts Organization. We create thriving commercial ecosystems by accelerating businesses that preserve culture and community. We provide space and opportunities for the arts to flourish so that commercial activities are activated and reflect the community at large.
About Balay Kreative:
Balay Kreative is a future Filipino-American arts hub in SOMA Pilipinas. With the overwhelming success of the UNDISCOVERED SF Night Markets, Kultivate Labs won a large grant by the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development in May 2019 to develop a new Filipino American Cultural Center — Balay Kreative (Creative Home) — in the Filipino cultural district, SOMA Pilipinas. This initial grant kicks off a multi-year process to build a ~8,000 sq ft space with a visual arts gallery, a multi-purpose event space, a food court complete with a chef’s table and bar, along with space for artists workshops.