%20(1).png)
ABOUT PROCESS ARTISTS CELEBRATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
About API Artists Futures Fund
During the height of Anti-Asian hate, the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco (CCC) advocated with the City and State to empower API voices through investment in artists. This resulted in the establishment of the API Artists Futures Fund to empower creativity and build cultural infrastructure for underserved API artists in San Francisco.
The API Artists Futures Fund is an artist-centered and accessible funding model that recognizes and supports existing cultural work and resilience in the City. Unrestricted grants and a low-barrier application process are among its unique grantmaking features to address the invisible barriers that API Artists face.
In 2022, 28 exceptional San Francisco API artists from diverse disciplines and neighborhoods were awarded the inaugural API Artists Futures Fund, hailing from neighborhoods like: Chinatown, Tenderloin, SoMA, Sunset, Excelsior, and Visitacion Valley, and more. The program underscores the importance of API artists in envisioning a future that is free of anti-Asian hate–with hope, joy, and creativity.
Join us on May 4th for the awardee celebration event!
API Artists Futures Fund Celebration
Thursday, May 4, 2023 | 5:30 PM
Mercy Housing, Malosi Community Room
290 Malosi Street, Visitacion Valley, SF
Learn More
Community-Based Process
The API Artists Futures Fund was realized in collaboration with 7 community-based organizations that informed the grant design process and acted as nominating organizations–including Kearny Street Workshop, SAMMAY Productions, Bindlestiff Studio, SALT Pacific Islander Association, Wildflowers Institute, Clarion Performing Arts Center, and Balay Kreative. Artists and culture workers: Rachel Lastimosa and Diana Li of Asian American Women Artists Association, and Hoi Leung of CCC served as panelists
“Money is a mental issue, it changes how we walk and see other people. The Futures Fund being an unrestricted grant took away what money has to look like for a lot of us [artists]...there’s a new way of thinking [about funding] that is artist-centric. You all got to the heartbeat of what this is about...Having the Futures Fund really validated me for the first time. I’ve worked as an artist for 20 years. When I got the grant I felt like I got paid for the first time. It unraveled the heart of my value. I tell myself: 'You just got paid. Just breathe.'"
Jay Malvar, API Artists Futures Fund Awardee
Community Needs Through conversations with partnering CBOs, we identified the following shared barriers that API artists in marginalized communities face:
Lack of Time — Artists have to juggle multiple jobs in order to meet basic livelihood costs in addition to supporting their art practice. Grants research and grants seeking can be taxing on time and energy on top of multiple jobs and art practice.
Lack of Unrestricted Funding — Project-based artist opportunities may not always allocate sufficient funds towards artists' compensation, leading to additional stressors as they may need to personally cover project expenses. Artists who are already financially marginalized are oftentimes excluded.
Lack of Confidence — “I’m not going to get the funding” is an echoed sentiment; emerging artists highlight the need for guidance on how to effectively communicate their artistic vision to potential funders, as well as to navigate the funding landscape in general.
Lack of Community-Minded Application Processes — Challenges with grants outreach and application processes include language and technological barriers, as well as a lack of cultural specificity and competency for immigrant and BIPOC communities.
Lack of Expanded Definitions for "Art"—The limited scope of inclusion in recognizing the breadth of cultural practices as "arts" poses a challenge for some disciplines.
“How do you continue to find good people who may continue to be missed in the margins? I feel this personally, because this was me in my twenties...I never got these opportunities. No one ever pointed me in that direction. Where can exceptions be made [when seeking artists who need the support and have not received grants before] ? So that this opportunity finds people who can have this as a stepping stone that leads to other opportunities.”
Jason Bayani, Kearny Street Workshop
Outreach Process Seeking a more equitable funding methodology, API Artists Futures Fund not only grants unrestricted support but also addresses the invisible barriers that API artists encounter when seeking resources. A notable feature of its grantmaking was a nomination process that worked in collaboration with API neighborhood-based arts and culture organizations across the City to intentionally uplift artists without previous grant support for their work.
These criteria were outlined in the nomination guide with partnering CBOs and informed through community conversations with artists and culture workers:
- Currently live in San Francisco;
- Have artistic practice in historically marginalized communities in San Francisco for at least 2 years;
- Are not currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program of any kind;
- Identify as Asian or Pacific Islander descent;
- Self-identify as not being familiar with the grants application or have been unable to receive grants before;
- Self-identify as a community-based artist;
- Self-identify with one or more of the following demographics: low-income/immigrant/LGBTQ /disabled artist
“API Artists Futures Fund was very inclusive, the most extensive outreach I’ve ever seen. The fact that we [panelists] met with artists face to face was a tremendous feat. Seeing people who work in arts [administration], artists, and their activism, ensured that all parts of the community were seen and supported. This process touched the soul in a different way.”
Diana Li, Asian American Women Artists Association
Artists Selection The API Artists Futures Fund also broke away from a written application process and developed a more accessible and empathetic application experience that deepens the understanding of adversity and challenge for San Francisco’s API artists. Once artists were nominated, they were invited to meet with panelists. The approach was that this was a conversation - where the artists speak about themselves, their art practice, and how they engage with local communities through their art. The series of artist meetings took place over a span of 3 months.
Panelists reviewed nominated artists and agreed upon the following set of rubrics to evaluate artists:
Commitment: Artist demonstrates consistency and vision in their art practice and development.
Community meaning: Artist’s work engages and/or collaborates with community members. This artist works with community members to promote a sense of agency in storytelling and belonging. The artist contributes to community well-being through their art practice and has an enduring commitment to their communit(ies).
Resiliency: This artist uses their art practice to imagine new narratives, recover old wisdom, and develop a sense of action that fosters racial, gender, or class justice.
Resourcefulness: Artists identified what resources they wish they could have to help expand their art practice and are able to articulate the kinds of support, resources, or skills they need at this stage in their career to expand their art practice.
“From start to finish, as a mid-career but somewhat invisible artist ...it felt special to have a colleague nominate me in recognition of my work… While I felt unsure if I was expressing and demonstrating my art and impact, I felt guided by the interviewers and their straightforward questions paired with enthusiastic directions for opportunities that would fit my practice. As soon as I exited the community-based Chinese Culture Center…in historic Chinatown, I felt more confident in articulating my art practice, connected to place and people, and inspired to create, innovate and build community.”
Solitaire Miguel, API Artists Futures Fund Awardee
Meet the Artists!
These artists come from a variety of backgrounds and creative fields, forming a talented and diverse group of poets, filmmakers, writers, photographers, educators, and other multidisciplinary artists. They are artists from Chinatown, Tenderloin, SoMA, Sunset, Excelsior, Visitacion Valley, Bayview Hunters Point and Richmond.
AJ Schnettler
AJ Schnettler is a nonbinary, multi-racial photographer and printmaker born and raised on the South Shore of Long Island. They decided to get a new perspective on life and education by moving to the West Coast to pursue their Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography with a minor in Printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2019. Their work is based on what one does to provide self-acceptance. They work through identity or the space surrounding them; how to feel at peace overcoming negative, social, and cultural pressure. Most recently, their work discusses mental health–emphasizing on anxiety, body dysmorphia, and social standards. Their printmaking work confronts topics of depression and anxiety. They are featured in Ikouii Creative’s second edition of their book Inside Their Studio: Deaf and Disabled Artists Reshaping the Arts and are an artist in residence at Kala Institute.
@ajschnettler
Amihan Redondiez
Amihan Redondiez is a self-taught poet, singer, rapper, musician, and producer currently in the process of creating her first album-written and produced entirely by herself. Born and raised in San Francisco and representing the Excelsior district, Amihan writes and performs music to share the histories and everyday struggles of her community both locally and back in the Philippines, while simultaneously reflecting on her own identity as a Pinay artist and community organizer. From a young age, she taught herself piano, ukulele, and guitar, while also writing her own poetry and songs. Her distinct sound—highlighting untold and undertold stories of the Filipina/x/o diaspora—is not simply an act of expression, but also of resistance.
Ava Tong
Ava Tong is the co-founder of the all-Asian, all-female & non-binary sketch comedy troupe, Granny Cart Gangstas. She has been obsessed with comedy since she was a child, with the foundation of her love for comedy being born from watching The Benny Hill Show with her late grandfather. Having this comedy troupe has allowed her to exercise her skills in writing, acting, directing, producing, and making people laugh. As a troupe, they center their stories on the marginalized perspective and find the absurdity in their modern-day experiences, current events, and adulting as Asians navigating a world that seems to love and hate diversity all at the same time. What a time to be alive! Find them brewing up trouble at Bindlestiff Studio on the corner of 6th Street & Howard.
@grannycartgangstas
Carlie Mari Algas
Carlie Mari Algas grew up in a Filam household in the San Fernando Valley. After a family tragedy upended her world, she found solace in the ritual of dressing up in a blue wig and barring her soul to strangers at open mic nights. Inspired by Coco Ono (LA-based performance artist) and Karen O (front women of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Carlie fuses music, theater, and crowd participation to create a feeling of catharsis.
Algas has been based in San Francisco since 2016. She recently acted in Bindlestiff's Stories High XXII and sound-engineered Filipino-punk Aklasan Fest at the theater. At Brava Theater, she held several roles including technical director, sound engineer, and artist. Follow her on IG @Carliemari for info on upcoming performances.
With a background in fashion design and an inclination to build Ciriaco is an artist drawing inspiration from cultural cues, minimalist ethos, and craftsmanship details as he explores art through collaborations, construction, and fabric.
@Carliemari
Ciriaco Sayoc
With a background in fashion design and an inclination to build, Ciriaco Sayoc is an artist drawing inspiration from cultural cues, minimalist ethos, and craftsmanship details as he explores art through collaborations, construction, and fabric.
https://www.ciriacosayoc.com/
ClarizeYale Revadavia
ClarizeYale is an illustrator and designer who was born, raised, and based on Ramaytush Ohlone land, San Francisco, California. She attended City College of San Francisco and has an A.S. in Interior Design and an A.A. in Arts and Humanities. With her partner, she lives blocks away from the beach and parks where she rollerskates when not creating. ClarizeYale also loves dancing, is an entertainment nerd, and enjoys eating delicious pasta and Filipino food.
In 2019, ClarizeYale was selected as one of the participating artists in the Kearny Street Workshop APAture Festival in the Book Arts Showcase. In 2020, they became a grant recipient for their Pinay Tribes work through Balay Kreative. When creating watercolor or digital illustrations and portraits, her focus is on the learnings of Indigenous Filipino cultures, flora, and fauna or is influenced by her American upbringing and love for entertainment while representing Filipina women.
@clarizeyale / @sourmouthsweetheart
David Ragaza
David Ragaza is a lighting designer and one of the technical directors at Bindlestiff Studio, a small black box theater in the heart of San Francisco's SOMA Pilipinas district. He is a teaching artist with the SF Running Crew of the Mission Academy of Performing Arts at Brava Theater and also a technical director for Live Oak Theater and TheatreFirst in Berkeley, CA. He was born In New Haven, CT., and has lived in SF since 1999. Love always to Aureen and Kidlat for their love, support, and understanding.
Dennis Tavake Pulu
Growing up as a young Pacific Islander on the island of American Samoa, Dennis Tavake Pulusaw that his people are always sought out to be athletes and or in the military. However, in his household, he was always drawn to animation shows on television. He also came to realize that his culture has its very own practice of traditional tribal arts or Tattoos. He was always eager to draw similar images. Something inside of him felt a sort of calling towards drawing, being a different artist who could merge traditional art with modern art. To this day, when he sees an interesting art piece, he is driven to create something of his own that he hopes would inspire up-and-coming artists of Pacific Island descent.
Eakapong (Tan) Sirinumas
Tan Sirinumas is a San Francisco-based artist originally from Thailand, known for his unique technique of combining modeling compound, acrylic paint, laser etching, and hand carving to create intricate, three-dimensional images of San Francisco's architectural designs and city life. Inspired by the diverse and dynamic urban environment, Sirinumas’s work captures the essence of the city and reveals its hidden beauty. His meticulous process involves applying layers of acrylic paint, which are then carved out by laser etching and hand carving, revealing different colors underneath the top layer. The resulting artwork has a smooth, marble-like texture achieved through a careful sanding process. Sirinumas’s distinctive and captivating art celebrates the rich history and cultural vibrancy of San Francisco's neighborhoods and communities.
@tansirinumasartist
Edward G Mabasa
Edward G Mabasa is a San Francisco playwright who has written over fifteen short plays dealing with the occult, noir, horror, and sci-fi genres. A student of Bindlestiff's Stories High Workshop series since 2007, he was given the chance to facilitate the workshop in 2019 with MGB (Mary Grace Burns). This led to him facilitating The Noirshop Workshop in 2020. Other writing credits include the podcast The FobCast Episode 1, the radio play Charlie Don’t Die on the Radio Basa podcast, and his short play The Old Market in the Liwanag Vol 3 anthology. He has finished his full-length play “Three Rules,” in which two lovers are invited to a speakeasy hosted by vampiric cannibals. He is Bindlestiff Studio’s House Manager and go-to Stage-Manager.
Jay Landayan Malvar
Jay Landayan Malvar is a multidisciplinary artist, debuting with his solo show "19 Ekwal$ TEN" last October 2022, during Filipino American History Month. In his own words: "I believe art has an unfolding articulation, and the expression can always feel incomplete. But if it comes from the heart, the sharing of it will never be replete. There will always be moments of pure joy, with yourself and with the community. Now the practice is to expand my work that is love-centered, and not because I just need to survive from fear. This may be the truest art form."
@palopalola / @jaylandayanmalvar
Jibril Alvarez
Jibril Alvarez is a San Francisco-born Filipino Community & Cultural Ambassador; Musician, Bandleader, Producer, and House Pianist at the INTERNATIONAL HOTEL MANILATOWN CENTER in downtown San Francisco.
Classically trained from the age of seven, Alvarez now explores all musical genres and periods, digging deep into the roots of music: from the timeless African & indigenous Filipino “Kulintang” traditions, through Gospel, Blues & Jazz, to Funk, Hip-Hop, World Music, Sound Therapy and beyond.
Alvarez’s music weaves a collage of ethnic flavors, characterized by groove-oriented rhythms, and layers of jazzy melodies & harmonies, all while completing soulful featured vocalists & instrumentalists alike.
@jibrilsfc
Judith Ferrer
Judith Ferrer (they/them) is a Tenderloin-based youth developer, theater maker, and the founding member of “Queer AF,” a QTPOC collective that creates works to celebrate the Queer experience through sketch comedy and short plays. As a Queer and disabled creative representing the Filipinx diaspora, they produce shows that bring communities together and create platforms where often marginalized individuals can share their stories with audiences. For Ferrer, the rehearsal and development process are not just for the show but for members to have a space to be in community. They are also a member of Granny Cart Gangstas, an all Asian American women sketch comedy troupe. They are a director, sometimes actor, and filmmaker, and they are currently writing their first full-length play.
Julie Munsayac
mumu (pronounced “mu-moh”, tagalog for “ghost”) summons the forgotten spirit of candlelit gravesite griots, who held storytelling ceremonies on all souls day in the philippines. all soul’s day in our history is not a day of mourning; in the homeland, it is a day to gather, remember, and celebrate.
@mumu.sf
Kate "Been Milky" Buenconsejo
Kate “Been Milky” Buenconsejo is a visual-based, multidisciplinary artist who began her artistic journey in the world of film photography. Her art now serves as a tool to mobilize and empower her community, particularly women, femmes, non- binary folks, fellow mothers, and mother- figures. Based in San Francisco, Kate's work seamlessly weaves together her experiences as a woman and mother of three, through a colorful and authentic approach with storytelling through images and words.
Her upcoming projects promise to be just as exciting and thought-provoking
as her previous work. In addition to her artistic endeavors, Kate will be
releasing merchandise, publishing books, and hosting a series of events all
centered around femininity, mothering, introspection, growth and healing.
@beenmilky
https://beenmilky.blogspot.com/
Le Feng
Le Feng is a multimedia artist motivated by curiosity. She studied Western Realism drawing for a decade from age five. When she decided to develop her own language in art, Le flung herself into various forms of traditional Asian arts training. After many years of experimenting, recurring elements such as paper folding and Chinese lacquer appeared in her work. In Addition to exploring different possibilities through art, she also had the honor of being awarded by the Chinese embassy and the Asian Pacific Island Artists Futures Fund.
@lefeng333
Leland Wong
Leland Wong is a photographer, painter, and culinary enthusiast born and raised in a curio shop on Grant Avenue in San Francisco Chinatown surrounded by objects of Asian art. He found his calling in art at 15 during a time of growing social consciousness and identity. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from San Francisco State University and has been involved with various Asian community arts organizations.
Strong lines and vivid colors define Leland's work. His distinctive satirical caricatures target humanity openly and with boldness. Much of Leland's work has to do with San Francisco Chinatown, where he grew up, went to school, and worked.
@lelandwongartphoto
Ling Sherri Lu
Ling Sherri Lu is an award-winning American painter and visual artist from New York City. She blends several traditional techniques from printmaking, water-based painting, and both Eastern and Western calligraphy foundations to create contemporary abstract paintings. Each piece created by Lu explores the subtle balance between soft and hard: A reflection of emotional intensity and complexities manifested into tangible works of art. Her work has been publicly acquired in the following cities: London; NYC; San Francisco; New York City; Houston, TX; and British Columbia, Canada.
@lingluartist
https://www.sherrilucampbell.com/
Mariel Paat
Mariel Paat is an artist and educator. She was born and raised in Visalia, CA, and is currently working in San Francisco. She received her BA in studio art and art history from SFSU.
Her paintings are explorations of her identity as a first-generation Filipino-American, and the effects of existing within the diaspora. Her portraits highlight the complexities and beauty of being a woman of color. The presence of the women in her work reflects their strength, courage, sacrifice, and above all else, love. Her work calls for a sense of belonging and understanding by sharing the relationship she has with her culture, and pieces of her memories.
@mariel.m.aarte
Marlene Yee
Born in San Francisco, raised in the Portola district, and currently residing in SOMA, Marlene Yee is a mixed-media visual artist specializing in hand-cut color paper and illustration. As an Asian American woman, she is inspired by the complex and ever-shifting nature of identity. Her work aims to celebrate the many facets of our identities and the ways in which we express ourselves. One of the themes she explores in her work is the relationship between hair and identity. She weaves different colors of hair into her pieces to represent the many different ways in which we express ourselves. By incorporating these elements into her art, she hopes to inspire others to embrace their own unique identities and celebrate the diversity that makes us all beautiful. She is committed to creating work that resonates with others and speaks to the power of art to connect us all.
Mary Claire Amable
Mary Claire Amable is a queer, first-generation, Filipinx urban planner, painter, and poet from downtown San Francisco. Her family immigrated to the States beginning with her great-grandfather in 1915 to work on the sugarcane plantations in Hawaii and ending with her mother in 1995. Her art encapsulates the stories of her ancestors that have been passed down from many generations and the stories that she is creating for herself that are greatly influenced by growing up in the Tenderloin and South of Market.
Nathan Aurellano
Nathan Aurellano is a director, writer, and producer from Pacifica, CA. His work focuses on Asian-American identity, masculinity, and young adult malaise. He is currently a Futures Fund fellow at the Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco, as well as a former fellow at Balay Kreative and the Bay Area Video Coalition. His work has also been shown at the Kearny Street Workshop.
@nathanaur
https://lavenderfilm.club/
Nicole Aquino
Nicole Aquinois an Asian Pacific Islander American artist and educational practitioner. She was born and raised in the Richmond District of San Francisco. She received her BA from Pitzer College (Education and Community Engagement) in 2021 and is currently in her second year as the Filipinx Teaching Artist Fellow at Root Division. In partnership with Galing Bata, Aquino and her students co-create projects that are culturally relevant, engaging, and draw inspiration from local artists. Her art and teaching practice are inherently intertwined; in the classroom, Aquino uses art-making as a tool to help youth make sense of the world and better understand the complex relationships between history, power, and personal/shared identity. In parallel, her own work documents her continuous exploration of ascribed/prescribed identity, (re)appropriation, perception, and belonging through various artistic mediums— such as relief printmaking, painting, and sculpture.
@bmoviebaby
https://www.nickiaquino.com/
Rea Lynn de Guzman
Rea Lynn de Guzman is an artist, curator, and educator. She works in painting, print, and sculpture. Born in Manila, Philippines, she immigrated to the United States at age 14. She received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. She has exhibited work throughout the US, and internationally in Australia, India, and the Philippines. In 2019-2023, she curated the "Wander Woman" series — featuring Bay Area-based, women of color artists with immigrant backgrounds. She has been featured in the Asian Journal Magazine, Hella Pinay, KQED Arts, and the San Francisco Chronicle, among other publications.
She is the Manager of Community Partnerships at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. She has taught art at City College of San Francisco, de Young Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Root Division, and the San Francisco Center for the Book.
@rayuh_lynn
readeguzman.com
Sekio Fuapopo
Sekio Fuapopo is an artist from Samoa, educated in San Francisco, with a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MA in painting from Sacramento State University.
He sees the art of Samoa and Oceania as a language that describes the journey of our people as they migrated across the Pacific Ocean. In his art, he trusts these symbols to guide him in his storytelling journey of color, space, spirituality, and mythology. He feels a strong and urgent responsibility to share the stories he has read and been told, stories that are integral to the manifold fabric of the many things it means to be Samoan. He feels driven to teach and share his work, to keep the language and traditions alive.
Solitaire Miguel
Solitaire Miguel (saw-lu-tair em, she/they), is an educator by day and multidisciplinary artist by night, on Ramaytush Ohlone land (San Francisco) since 2003. Named after the rare, sparkly diamond by itself, they grew up a latchkey-Neurodivergent-Genderfluid-Filipinx-Samoan-only-child on O’ahū, Hawai’i in the early ’90s. Solitaire’s place-based and trauma-informed interdisciplinary work takes an immersive, participatory, and playful tour of time, identity, isolation, community, multiplicities, and documentation of grassroots art and activism as an offering for healing of the past, present, and beyond. Her lo-fi, community-centered, and experimental Public Access TV Show, ALL IN TV, continues to air on San Francisco Ch. 29 since 2020. Their work has been shown at SOMArts Cultural Center, Bindlestiff Studio, EXIT Theater, Counterpulse Theater, Mission Dance, Stagewerx, Pianofight, CAAMFest, Queer Women of Color Film Fest, and SF Improv Fest.
@all.in.tv.sf
https://www.solitairem.com/
Tonilyn A. Sideco
Tonilyn A. Sideco (they/he) is a proud trans pilipinx booty-shaking love warrior. Born and raised in the Sunset, SF - Toni is a writer, director, actor and creative educator for both stage and film. An Emmy-nominated host and writer with PBS/ PBS Learning, Toni utilizes media and storytelling as a tool for activism and social change. They are a player and singer with Bindlestiff Studio, Broadway Barkada and Granny Cart Gangstas. Recent credits with Prospect Theater Company, 5th Avenue Theater, Joe’s Pub - NYC, Audible Theater, SAMMAY Productions, With You Theater Festival and Co-Producer and Assistant Director for Little Sky, a short film by Jess X. Snow. They work with the Center for Cultural Power and consult and create with their production company ToneOnTop Productions, focusing on the joy, talents and experiences of queer people of color through food, music, multi-media performance, short-form documentary and narrative film.
@toneontop
www.tonilynsideco.com
Wesley Wang
