Kearny Street Workshop
Building a Community Through Art.

By Melissa Nolledo-Christoffels for AIA, November 2005

Shadow Puppeteer and performer Janaki Ranpura at KSW's "Pirate Stories" event, May 2005. Photo by Jay Jao.

Music, literature, artistry and diversity. These are but a few things that converge, clash and stimulate at the Kearny Street Workshop (KSW) in San Francisco, California. Considered one of the oldest multidisciplinary Asian Pacific American arts organization in the United States, this non-profit organization now at their new location at 180 Capp Street, Space 180, San Francisco, CA, continues to further their goal of presenting and promoting art that empowers and enriches the Asian Pacific American community.

Kearney Street Workshop Executive Director, Ly Nguyen, joined the organization in March. She was one of the artists in APAture 2002. APAture is KSW's annual multidisciplinary arts festival which presents the work of emerging Asian Pacific artists ages 18 to 35 living in/or working in the San Francisco area. From exhibitor to KSW's Executive Director, Nguyen now manages and supervises a multitude of tasks including the finances, work staff, board development, and development. Enthuses Nguyen, "It's exciting and challenging to become a young ED of a 32 year- old organization. "

History

Back in 1972, in San Francisco's historic Chinatown, the International Hotel was about to be demolished by big, bad, developers. KSW helped organize elderly tenants at the I-Hotel who were facing evictions. They taught people to make murals and print posters to get their message out. When I-Hotel residents refused to be evicted, KSW used paint, photography and poetry to express the community's struggle. The group of KSW grassroots artists emphasized arts as an expression of political activism and community identity. And their vision and activism has persisted to this day.

"The organization has pioneered some of the most influential forms of Asian American art, including Asian American jazz, silkscreen posters, and large scale murals, as well as historical exhibitions," says Nguyen. "To date, KSW has published a dozen books of poetry and photography by new artists. It has forged strong collaborations with many art groups such as the Asian Art Museum, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Chinese Culture Center, Galeria De la Raza, and Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center. KSW is well recognized for presenting innovative work from the Asian Pacific American communities of the Bay Area."

SInvisibale Cities, May 2004 Photo by Jay Jao.

Activities and Programs

KSW delves and explores immigrant history, cultural identities, and hidden stories through literary workshops and readings; it incites, connects and collaborates with its public by mounting exhibitions through its annual APAture program; it embarks on multidisciplinary projects that use music, dance, spoken word, technology and other media to interpret themes of Asian Pacific American life.

KSW's small press shed's light on stories seldom heard. Their publications are recognized for excellence. From the KSW website, one would gleam such titles as "The Book of Perception" by poet Truong Tran and photographer Chung Hoang Chuong, who was a finalist for the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Proze; and "Heaven is Just Another Country" by Jaime Jacinto, a finalist for the Bay Area Book Reviewers Association Award.

KSW's emerging artists program KSW-Next is a training ground and network for the community's young Asian Pacific American artists. KSW-Next members curate and organize an annual festival, "APAture, A Window on the Art of Young Asian Pacific Americans," one of the nation's largest gatherings of emerging APA artists. In the wider KSW communities, our multiple generations of artists offer lively exchange, mentoring and collaboration.

Challenges

Having been around for more than a couple of decades now, KSW has its own share of challenges it has to overcome on a daily basis. KSW Executive Director Nguyen shares some thoughts on the matter: "It is challenging to maintain the history and be inclusive to the older generation while trying newer things and including the emerging artist community. The APA arts community is complex and dynamic, so KSW needs to figure out how to address the needs in our community. The forefront will always be to present APA arts but even the demographics of the community changes. We have refugees and new immigrant population that we are just beginning to tap into. However, KSW has very limited staff and budget. Arts organizations can no longer depend on public grants since our current government keeps slashing budgets for public arts. KSW is in the midst of strategizing to find ways to new money. Our goal is to expand and grow in order to address the needs in the arts community but we can only do so with constant funding."

Spoken word artist Ishle Park performs at APAture 2002. Photo by Jay Jao.

KSW's continued existence, its significance and its role in the community are always on Nguyen's mind: "KSW has pioneered many opportunities for APA artists for decades. Without KSW, many APA artists would not have their work shown to a wide audience. We also provide opportunities for individuals who simply dabble in the arts to explore and expand their creativity in our workshops. In the city of San Francisco, 1 out of 3 people are Asian but we are still underrepresented in many arenas. KSW continues to be a strong force and puts the APA community in the forefront."

As an artist who has benefited from KSW's APAture program, Nguyen finds that her position affords her an opportunity to give back to KSW and the community through her steadfast involvement and commitment to the organization. "I respect KSW in so many ways but I feel that it needs to be strengthened to endure another 30 years of changing political and economic landscape. This is my chance to use my skills in non-profit administration to help the organization grow to the next level. In addition, I am also a writer and photographer who is always inspired by the work of the other artists involved with KSW. For me as the ED, I have a job where I can mix my professional and artistic interests, which makes me fortunate."

KSW has been working out of a small, non-visible temporary office for five years. In August 2005, KSW relocated to a new location that will be shared with other APA arts groups. KSW is taking the lead in creating a collective APA art space that will house a gallery space dedicated to APA arts and a library of APA works.

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