“Cultural Kultivators:” a Visionary New Podcast That Explores the Beauty and Complexity of the Filipino American Experience
Team Behind Popular Filipino Creative Market UNDISCOVERED SF launches podcast honoring Filipino movers, shakers, and culture-bearers
Nicole Salaver, Balay Kreative Program Manager and Cultural Kultivators Host
“I do want my students to learn specific things about our history, past, and legacies, but I want them to learn that because I want them to be able to see how they can shape themselves” - Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales (photo credit: Adrienne Orilla)
San Francisco, CA - May 31, 2023 - The San Francisco Bay Area is the second most populous region for Filipinos in the United States, with Filipinos making up to 4.6% of San Francisco’s population. Filipinos are not only an integral part of San Francisco history, but an active part of the city’s identity today. “Cultural Kultivators,” a new podcast by Kutivate Labs and hosted by Nicole Salaver, honors the diversity and richness of the Filipino American experience while inspiring listeners to explore and celebrate their own cultural heritage. Salaver, the Program Manager at Filipino-American arts accelerator Balay Kreative, interviews Filipino American thought leaders, entrepreneurs, activists and artists who are making a positive impact in their respective fields. “Cultural Kultivators” launches on May 31st with Asian American studies scholar Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales as its first interviewee, followed by rapper Ruby Ibarra for its second episode, street artist Allison Hueman for its third episode, and artist Nikbo for its fourth episode.
"Our goal is to not only showcase the richness and diversity of our culture but also to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the ways in which these Filipino kultivators shape our world. We hope to explore the beauty and complexity of the FilAm experience,” says Nicole Salaver, Balay Kreative Program Manager and Cultural Kultivators host.
“For us to be able to, not only tell our story, but do it in a way where we’re utilizing our own language in an uncompromising way, for me is kind of taking ownership and taking control of our own narrative by choosing to do so” - Ruby Ibarra (photo credit: Donna Ibarra)
Cultivating Critical Dialogue
Nicole Salaver is a San Francisco native and established “cultural kultivator” in her own right who believes that elevating the culture and helping heal generational trauma through art is part of her legacy.
Salaver has a long family heritage of activism and community work in the Filipino American arts and culture scene. Her grandfather, Canuto Salaver, was a Manong of the International Hotel in the 1940's. He was also an original co-founder of the famed Bataan Restaurant and Pool Parlor in SF's Manilatown. Her grandmother, Estrella Salaver, also led the San Francisco-based Philippine American Cultural Foundation whose specific purpose was to promote social and cultural awareness in the community and produce programs and performances in the 1960's.
Salaver's own work spans over twenty years in the events, creative and theater realms from solo performance, new media production, and filmmaking to screenplay writing and event production. Her extensive production and events background include an experiential pop up exhibit for Ariana Grande’s Sweetener Album in NYC and the Kapwa Cares comedy/musical event in SF with FilAm legends Rex Navarrete and AJ Rafael.
From the Makers of Popular Creative Market UNDISCOVERED SF
“Cultural Kultivators” is Kultivate Labs’ latest project. Kultivate Labs, a non-profit economic development and arts organizations, revives cultural districts, preserves heritage, and creates thriving commercial corridors for historically overlooked communities. Kultivate Labs currently supports the revitalization of SOMA Pilipinas and Japantown — reconnecting their communities with culture and community, preserving their histories, and revitalizing their economies so that they can live with dignity and self-determination.
Since 2016, they have led the economic development of SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Heritage District. Kultivate Labs’ multi-prong strategy includes incubating innovative retail concepts, award-winning restaurants, and neighborhood-serving businesses that are culturally relevant, financially resilient, and adaptable to the needs of the Filipino community.
All episodes will stream on Apple, Spotify & BalayKreative.com. For more information, please visit https://balaykreative.com/culturalkultivators
Artist Allison Hueman (left, photo from hueman.art) and artist Nikbo (right, photo credit: Mogli)
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About Balay Kreative
Balay Kreative is a Filipino-American arts hub and accelerator in SOMA Pilipinas.
About Kultivate Labs
Kultivate Labs is a Non-profit Economic Development and Arts Organization. Kultivate Labs creates thriving commercial ecosystems by accelerating businesses that preserve culture and community. The organization provides space and opportunities for the arts to flourish so that commercial activities are activated and reflect the community at large.
About Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales
Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales is an associate professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University's College of Ethnic Studies. She is also the founding director of Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP), an educational pipeline focused on providing ethnic studies to schools throughout San Francisco. She is a founding director of the Institute of Sustainable Economic, Educational, and Environmental Design (ISEEED) where she is the co-lead on the Teaching Excellence Network (TEN). She has published several books and a wide array of articles that focus on the development of ethnic studies curriculum and community responsive pedagogy. She has received several university and community awards for her work with youth and service learning, including the 2006 Distinguished Young Alumnus Award from UCLA and the 2008 Faculty Award for Community Service Learning and recently received the 2010 Distinguished Faculty Award, one of the highest awards given to faculty for her service. She was recently received the Community Advocate Award from the Critical Educators for Social Justice SIG of the American Educational Research Association. She was also recently named one of the 100 most influential Filipina women in the world by Filipina Women’s Network.
About Ruby Ibarra
Ruby Ibarra is a rapper, spoken word artist, and director from the Bay Area, CA who released her debut album, CIRCA91, at the end of 2017 and has since toured across the United States and the Philippines, including universities, empowerment conferences, music venues, and spaces such as - the National Mall in DC, the Getty Center, and the De Young Museum. She is also the co-founder of the Pinays Rising Scholarship program. Ruby has been featured on notable publications such as NPR, Huffington Post, Paper Mag, Buzzfeed, Vogue Philippines, CNN Philippines, Rappler, XXL Magazine, NY Times, LA Times, SF Chronicle, and in a Grammys/MasterCard TV commercial and billboard campaign with R&B singer SZA. In 2022 and 2023, Ruby was featured in additional billboard campaigns by Amazon Music and Spotify, and was a songwriter for Season 1 and 2 of the FOX Network’s hit TV show, The Cleaning Lady. Ruby’s song, “Us,” is currently featured in the widely popular video game, NBA2K23, and her music is available on all digital platforms and can be heard in several museum exhibits, films, and television features.
About Allison Hueman
Allison Hueman is a multidisciplinary artist based in Oakland, CA. Her distinctly gauzy art style is what she likes to call “etherealism,” a blend of ethereal realism. Whether she is creating delicate visions on canvas, augmenting reality through tech, or crushing massive walls with a spray can, she often draws on the human condition to create colorful mash-ups of abstract and representation. Her pieces evoke a modern mythology, exploring themes of time, memory, and healing, and her layered works can be seen on streets and in galleries worldwide. She balances her time between exhibitions and creating public works while also collaborating with some of the world's top brands that include the Golden State Warriors, Adobe, Nike, Google, L’Oreal, Sony Music, and many more. Her work has found homes in the collections of Ava Duvernay, Usher, P!nk, and Swizz Beats.
About Nikbo
As an artist Nikbo can be hard to pin down by genre — which often happens to kids who grow up in between worlds. Nikbo, whose real name is Nicole Marietta Francisco Bonsol, is a Filipinx Third Culture Kid who was raised in Morocco, Canada, Malawi, and Kazakhstan before moving to the Bay at 16. She grew up playing piano, listening to Mariah and Alanis, and singing freedom songs, folk music, and spirituals in her college choir. She blends emotive melodies with electronic production and influences from her global childhood, and calls it “Third Culture Pop”. Regardless of what category you try to put her in, at the root Nikbo’s music is about healing. From her creative process to performance, she’s aiming for her own wholeness AND collective liberation.