Civil Dis(place)ment is the theme of United States of Asian America Festival 2016, presented by the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center. A variation on civil disobedience, with the city’s rapidly shifting demographics, what are the issues and narratives that speak to our diverse communities?
Civil Dis(place)ment: USAAF 2016
What with the increasing popularity of the city with outside investors and tech gurus, the once approachable SF has been hugged with high rise condos, artisan bakeries and trendy boutiques on almost every block. But one of the most unsettling change has been the rise in rent in SF, which has arisen like a sore pimple. Scarily, these rental prices have become the norm almost as much as $10 donuts, two hour long brunch waits and CrossFit, raising the question, will the famously artful and liberal city ever return to its roots?
The San Francisco Arts Commission recently published a study that alarmingly found more than 70% of surveyed artists in San Francisco have experienced displacement, with the artists’ workspace being the biggest type of displacement. And the most common reasons for artists losing their spaces: building conversion, rent increases, new owners and/or owners moving into the space.
With the rapidly declining art spaces in San Francisco, what does the future hold for our once prominent arts communities? How has art, culture, and placemaking subsisted historically and what does art, culture, and placemaking look like for our communities today? How have artists resisted the causes and consequences of displacement, and how do we ensure a future where arts and culture in San Francisco will thrive?
Currently accepting submissions, USAAF 2016 explores these very questions by presenting approximately 20 different programs reflecting the artistic accomplishments and the cultural diversity of San Francisco’s Asian and Pacific Island communities and showcasing artists representing a diverse range of ethnic and cultural groups. APICC collaborates with both emerging and well-established groups allowing these groups access to the center’s wealth of production and fundraising know-how.
Selected artists or groups will be invited participate in USAAF and will receive one of the following three levels of support *ooohhhhh...ahhhhhhh*:
Supported by APICC: Up to 10 artists or groups will be selected
● Your event will be featured in the USAAF print calendar (sent to over 7,500
people in the Bay Area) and online calendar.
● Participants in this category may present anywhere in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
Sponsored by APICC: Up to 10 artists or groups will be selected
● Your event will be featured in the USAAF print calendar (sent to over 7,500
people in the Bay Area) and online calendar.
● Receive local publicity support in the form of email marketing, press releases, event announcement posts, and social media marketing.
● The APICC website will include a special section showcasing the artist or group and their work, featuring links back to the artist or group’s website.
● APICC will provide $500 for artist fees.
● APICC will run box office for your event: online presale tickets and day of event
box office.The artist/group will receive 90% of box office income.
● Up to 4 hours of technical assistance consultation in 2 of the following areas: fundraising, fiscal sponsorship, Internet media/social networking, organizational capacity, and event production.
● Participants in this category may present anywhere in the City and County of San Francisco.
Presented by APICC: Up to 10 artists or groups will be selected
● Your event will be featured in the USAAF print calendar (sent to over 7,500
people in the Bay Area) and online calendar.
● Receive local publicity support in the form of email marketing, press releases, event announcement posts, and social media marketing.
● The APICC website will include a special section showcasing the artist or group and their work, featuring links back to the artist or group’s website.
● APICC will provide $1,000 for artist fees.
● APICC will pay for venue rental up to $650.
● APICC will pay for one technician for the show up to $150.
● APICC will run box office for your event: online presale tickets and day of event box office. The artist/group will receive 75% of box office income.
● Up to 4 hours of technical assistance consultation in 2 of the following areas: fundraising, fiscal sponsorship, Internet media/social networking, organizational capacity, and event production.
● APICC will assist participants in this category to book their event at one of San Francisco’s cultural centers (i.e., SOMArts, African American Arts and Culture Complex, Bayview Opera House, or Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts).
But what do all of these ooohhh’s and aaahhhh’s really entail? How do I even go about submitting my awesome project you may be asking yourself, and especially by the Deadline on FRIDAY, JANUARY 22 @ 11PM. You’re in luck! APICC staff will be available for any questions or concerns you may have about the festival. Run your program and/or event proposal by APICC’s staff before submitting your online application and receive any clarification needed about the festival and its application process.
Please visit our website at www.apiculturalcenter.org or email Artistic Director Melanie Elvena at [email protected]
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*We Lose Space, Installation by Megan Wilson and Gordon Winiemko, San Francisco Art Commission Grove Street Gallery (across from SF City Hall), 2000, photo by Megan Wilson.