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| | BROWN PALMS, YELLOW BALMS
Reinventing Caregivers of Color
USAAF 2025 Kick-Off Event & Opening Reception: Thu, April 24, 6–9 pm
Closing Reception: Sun, May 25, 1-3 pm
Exhibition Run: April 24–May 25, 2025
at SOMArts Gallery, 934 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 (map)
Co-presented by AAWAA
"Can brown palms and yellow balms cure the planet’s deepest wounds? The caregiver— she who opens a newborn's eyes and closes the eyes of the dying—remains overwhelmingly female and disproportionately a person of color. Fate casts Asian and Asian American women into a culture of service, entrapping them as designated doulas, named nannies, and overburdened overseas workers—sacrificial figures dissolving self for the sake of family. The gender bias is familiar; the lopsided burden these women are expected to bear not examined enough.
The Brown Palms, Yellow Balms: Reinventing Caregivers of Color exhibition unfolds in ever-expanding circles of caregiving, mirroring the Buddhist Metta practice—beginning with the body as the most intimate site of care and spiraling outward to embrace family, community, collective archetypes, deities, and the environment.
Immerse yourself in depictions of nurturing, nursing, birthing, mothering, mending, comforting, restoring, resuscitating, protecting, soothing, cheering, reclaiming, and empowering—not just the Self, but Society and the Cosmos—all viewed through the lens of AAPI cultural heritage, history, and socio-political landscapes.
Celebrate with us the ancestral wisdom and cultural practices, poultices and potions, talismans and taboos, superstitions and spiritual practices, deities and demons that keep our spirits fierce, shape our bonds, and keep both humanity and the planet afloat."
- O.M. France Viana, Lead Artist & Curator
Artwork credit: Self Portrait with Jasmines, Sweetpeas and Woman and Child by Fatima Ronquillo | Buy Tickets | |
| | JINSHAN: Seams of Gold
Date & Time TBA
Venue TBA
JINSHAN: Seams of Gold is an outdoor vertical dance duet performance and community gathering by Megan Lowe and Rose Huey exploring how we create spaces for refuge, healing, and connection for ourselves and our communities in the natural world. Using rock climbing gear, we’ll transform a rock wall into a performance site, creating awe inspiring dances that incorporate ideas of homeland/home, uncertainty, and the power of human connection. This vertical dance performance will evoke hope and wonder, expanding viewers imagination to what is possible when we come together.
The performance gathering will serve as a communal refuge—a place for human connection, story sharing, and reflection. Audiences will be invited to journey outdoors to witness this show. Guests are encouraged to bring their own picnic or select a ticket that includes dim sum and tea, and are welcomed to engage in meaningful conversations with each other before and after the show.
About the Artists:
With an affinity for dynamic places and partners, Megan Lowe Dances (MLD) creates multidisciplinary dance productions in the San Francisco Bay Area, situated on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land. Directed by a choreographer of Chinese and Irish descent, MLD explores complex identities and experiences by tackling unusual physical situations and inventing compelling solutions, opening up the imagination to what is possible.
Rose Huey (they/she) is a third generation Chinese-American artist born and raised on occupied Lisjan Ohlone land (Oakland). Rose believes in artists as agents of social change and learns from the wild beauty of nature. They are a dancer, teacher, and former Education Director with the vertical dance company BANDALOOP.
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| | RUMAH
Sun, May 25, 5-8 pm
at Azalina's, 499 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (map)
Join us for a culinary storytelling experience at Azalina’s! We will be hosting a three-course tasting menu pop-up, to shine a light on AAPI refugee stories, food, and culture.
About the Artist:
Azalina's is a Mamak Malaysian restaurant in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. We are a women- and family-run business. We have been in the restaurant industry for 14 years. | Buy Tickets | |
| | LOW & SLOW MOVEMENT
Date & Time TBA
at Venue TBA
Join us for an immersive celebration of "Low and Slow Movement" a project by visual storyteller, filmmaker and photographer, Harvey Magsaysay Lozada. The film highlights the crucial role of lowriding in shaping THE CITY’S cultural tapestry and highlights the ongoing impact of this art form on issues of identity, community, and social change.
This special gathering will feature an artist talk, photo exhibition, zine release, and film trailer premiere, offering a comprehensive look at the rich history and enduring legacy of San Francisco lowriding. Be among the first to experience the trailer release of "Low & Slow," a short film documentary that will debut in September 2025. This exclusive preview offers a glimpse into the compelling stories and themes explored in the documentary.
About the Artist:
A fourth-generation FRISCOPINO, Harvey Magsaysay Lozada is an educator, social worker, healer, art curator, and visual storyteller. He is the son of Filipino immigrants from the island regions of Luzon and Mindanao– tracing his familial roots in Ramaytush Ohlone Territory (San Francisco) as far back as the 1920s.
Harvey’s work is deeply rooted in community storytelling and social activism. Through photography, video, and curated art shows, he explores themes of cultural identity, social justice, and mutual aid. His projects, such as "It Takes the Hood to Save the Hood," document the resilience and collective efforts of marginalized communities, particularly in San Francisco's SOMA district. Harvey’s art has been featured in prominent venues, including Mission Cultural Center, Accion Latina, San Francisco Public Library, CAAM Fest, and KQED. He aspires to share OUR truths for generations to come. | | Sold out |
| | HOME IS NOW(HERE): Vietnam War x 50 Years x III
Sat, June 7, 3-5 pm
at Tenderloin Recreation Center, 570 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94109 (map)
HOME IS NOW(HERE): Vietnam War x 50 Years x III is a collaborative multidisciplinary performance showcase meditating on relationships to identity, family, and home in the wake of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. It will feature new works by three contemporary Vietnamese American artists, accompanied by a zine release from REALSOUL:
» Boat People, Chapter III" by Trúc Nguyễn – an audio-visual performance using radio techniques, interview tapes, original music and narration telling the true at times extraordinary and other times heartbreaking, stories of their father and mother's individual escapes from Vietnam.
» Dear Plant Mother / Thưa Rau Má by Trinh Lê – a serial poem and epistolary recounting of dreams in which the poet encounters ancestors and former teachers after consuming Vietnamese pennywort (rau má). Using a slide projector, Trinh will simultaneously live-print a visual poem on projector transparencies as they read.
» BURN by Johnny Huy Nguyễn - an experimental dance theater solo that reckons with legacies of war, forced displacement, and family violence in the body; setting them ablaze to light pathways to healing and forge old wounds into ash for new growth.
About the Artist:
REALSOUL fosters cross-cultural solidarity and ignites action through accessible arts curriculum and programming that honors community histories, builds civic engagement, and empowers participants as changemakers. JHN//hands&feet produces programs across dance, music, poetry, film, and performance art that activate collective dialogue, action, and healing. | Buy Tickets | |
| | Arriving in Rejuvenation
Sun, June 8, 2-6 pm
at Eastside Arts Alliance, 2277 International Blvd., Oakland, CA 94606 (map)
Presented by Versoul
an inspiring afternoon of storytelling, creativity, and holistic healing
Arriving in Rejuvenation is an empowering community gathering that celebrates the resilience, creativity, and spirit of Asian American and Pacific Islander individuals. This event invites guests to experience rejuvenation through storytelling, connection, and holistic practices, all in the heart of Oakland's vibrant AAPI community.
Attendees will be inspired by a powerful lineup of speakers who are artists, business owners, and entrepreneurs. These dynamic individuals will share their journeys, challenges, and triumphs, offering unique perspectives on how they have cultivated success and balance in their lives. Their stories are a testament to the strength, innovation, and beauty within the AAPI community.
Additionally there will be a holistic healing workshop designed to promote rejuvenation on a personal and collective level to engage the audience in mindfulness exercises, breathwork, and other healing practices that encourage inner peace, balance, and renewal.
In addition to the speakers and workshop, the event will feature a curated selection of vendors showcasing their unique products, services, and artwork.
About the Artist:
Versoul is a multifaceted artist and community leader, excelling as a music artist, MC, audio engineer, film and media director, event organizer, and activist. Rooted in cultural storytelling, Versoul’s work amplifies marginalized voices, blending artistry with social impact. Their dynamic contributions shape spaces for empowerment, representation, and transformative creative expression. | Buy Tickets | |
| | feed that which dreams us, seed that which frees us
Sat, June 14, 12-7 pm
at The Collapsible Institute; exact location provided upon RSVP
a sliding-scale community clinic for QT2SBIPOC/PGM
feed that which dreams us, seed that which frees us is a personal and collective prayer. A living altar, ritual performance installation, and mobile healing sanctuary weaving our spiritual solidarities as Queer & Trans API & QT2SBIPOC/PGM (People of the Global Majority) reclaiming our ancestral practices to show up in solidarity and kinship with one another here in Ohlone territory. Centering artists born & raised in the Bay directly impacted by colonization, housing displacement & gentrification, we ask: what are we creating & building in the midst of systemic collapse that will sustain us beyond it? What is returning?
About the Artist:
seh-reum tom (they/them, we/us) is a nonbinary, genderfluid, multidisciplinary practitioner of healing, performance, aquatic, visual, martial and ritual arts whose lineages are from Jeju Island and Southern Coastal China (Pearl River Delta) and has Japanese and Mongolian ancestors through complex histories of colonization, occupation and imperialism. | Buy Tickets | |
| | Work in Progress: A Mongolian Immigrant Story
Date & Time TBA
Venue TBA
Work In Progress is a semi-autobiographical theater performance blending storytelling, stand-up comedy, and dance, exploring the experience of being and growing up as a Mongolian immigrant in the Bay Area. My intention is to showcase the different mediums of performance art that have brought me healing, community, and an outlet to cope with and express myself as a pansexual and neurodivergent Mongolian immigrant.
About the Artist:
Zolboo Namkhaidorj is a pansexual Mongolian American actor, writer, teaching artist and creative based in San Francisco. She is passionate about social justice, instilling confidence and self-esteem in young people through drama, and building more connected communities through play and storytelling. She looks forward to creating more moments of joy through creative self-expression and the downfall of imperialism. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring all that the Bay Area has to offer, dancing, and trying new things. Future productions include Gumiho by Nina Ki at Theatre Rhinoceros. | | Sold out |
| | APICC x Sunday Streets Outdoor Showcase
The USAAF 2025 Performing Arts Stage at Sunday Streets Tenderloin
Sun, June 15, 12-4 pm
at Golden Gate Avenue cross Jones and Hyde Streets, San Francisco, CA 94102 (map)
The Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC) is once again partnering with Sunday Streets and Livable City to host the APICC x Sunday Streets Outdoor Showcase at Sunday Streets Tenderloin. Join us for an afternoon of performances and activations along two car-free city blocks for the whole community to enjoy! | Buy Tickets | |
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Welcome to the 28th United States of Asian America Festival!
The Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center is excited to present a range of exhibitions, screenings, readings, and performances that showcase the artistry and vision of San Francisco's Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. This is a partial listing of events. For the full calendar, please visit the APICC website.
We Keep Us Safe!
To protect our immunocompromised community members, please stay home if you are feeling unwell.
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