Asian American Arts Centre facts for kids
The Asian American Arts Centre (AAAC) is a non-profit organization in New York City. It is located in the Chinatown area of Manhattan. Founded in 1974, it is one of the oldest Asian American community groups in the United States.
The Arts Centre shares how Asian and Asian American art connects with Western art. They do this through shows, art displays, and learning programs. AAAC has a large collection of art. It includes hundreds of modern Asian American artworks. It also has many traditional art pieces.
The organization also keeps an Artists Archive. This archive collects and shares information about Asian American visual art. It covers art made in the United States since 1945. This includes artists from the East Coast, especially New York. It also includes artists from the West Coast. Some artists from Canada, Hawaii, and other countries are also included. The artists are Asian Americans who make art. They are also Asian artists working in the U.S. Some other American artists who are inspired by Asia are also featured. The Arts Centre looks at art from all over Asia. This includes traditions and influences from Afghanistan to Hawaii.
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What the AAAC Does
The Asian American Arts Centre wants to protect and grow Asian American culture through art. They also show how this art connects to other communities. AAAC does this using art, performances, new media, and public education.
The Arts Centre brings cultural events and modern visual art to everyone. They want to connect with other communities and ideas in a creative way. AAAC believes art has a historical and spiritual link to different neighborhoods.
AAAC's Story
The Asian American Arts Centre started in 1974 in New York. It was first called the Asian American Dance Theatre (AADT). It was a non-profit group for community arts. It is one of the older community arts groups in Chinatown, Manhattan. It began during the Asian American movement. It grew from a group called Basement Workshop.
In 1974, the group used the New York Public Library. They offered dance classes and shows to the community. In 1976, they got their first space at 26 Bowery Street. They expanded their learning programs. They started a Saturday Community School. This school taught dance and later art to kids and adults. In 1978, they began their Arts-in-Education program. This program held workshops and talks in public schools across the city.
In 1982, the group created the Asian American Artists' Slide Archive. This was the first public archive for Asian American artists in the U.S. They also started a yearly Artists-in-Residence program. This program lasted nine months. They also held their first art show, Eye to Eye. This show brought together Asian American visual artists from the East Coast for the first time.
Art Shows and Performances (1983–2010)
Early Years (1983 – 1993)
The Eye to Eye show led to more visual art shows. This was part of a new program called the Asian Arts Institute. It held three to five modern art shows and one folk art show each year. In 1985, they started a program for traditional arts. In 1987, the group changed its name to the Asian American Arts Centre (AAAC). This new name covered both the dance company (AADT) and the visual arts programs.
AAAC held many programs at its Bowery location in Chinatown. They also held events at other places across the country. In 1989, the Arts Centre put on a big show called CHINA: June 4, 1989. This show was a response to the Tiananmen Square student protests. Over 300 artists contributed to the show. It was displayed at Blum Helman Gallery and PS1 (now MoMA PS1) in 1990. It then traveled to Texas, Ohio, and Michigan. The dance company also put on a show in 1990. It was called "A Memorial Performance of Music, Poetry and Dance."
The Asian American Dance Theatre continued to perform until 1992. They had a yearly dance season in New York. They also toured and did special performances. Their programs included modern dance and traditional Asian folk dances. These came from countries like China, Japan, Korea, and India. AADT also organized special programs like the D'Asia Vu Performance Series.
The dance company performed at many places in New York. They also toured in states like Texas, Ohio, and New Mexico. AADT worked with famous choreographers. They also invited guest artists and performers. Many of their dance performances are saved on video. You can find them at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.
AAAC has created catalogs, videos, and sound recordings. These document visual arts, stories, music, and performances. ARTSPIRAL was a magazine published by AAAC. It focused on Asian American cultural topics in New York City. It was printed from 1988 to 1993. It came back as an online blog in 2008. The Artists-in-Residence program ended in 1993. It supported 19 young artists.
Later Years (1993 – 2010)
After 1993, AAAC focused on four main areas. These were: (1) modern Asian American art shows, (2) folk art shows and research, (3) public education, and (4) building a permanent art collection. These programs helped save Asian cultural traditions. They also helped develop modern Asian and Asian American art.
AAAC's main yearly show featured young Asian American artists. It also showed artists who were greatly inspired by Asia. The Arts Centre also held yearly solo shows for artists in the middle of their careers. Many famous modern artists have shown their work at AAAC.
The Folk Art program included performances, talks, and shows. It featured traditional artists during the Lunar New Year every year. AAAC created a collection of materials about Ng Sheung Chi, also known as Uncle Ng. These included a video, audio recordings, essays, and song lyrics. Uncle Ng was a singer and composer of muk'yu. This is a type of folk song sung in the Toisanese dialect. He became well known in New York's Chinatown. He won the National Heritage Fellowship in 1992. The Folk Art program also showed traditions like seal carving and shadow puppets.
The Public Education program started with figure drawing classes. It grew to offer gallery talks, performances, and tai chi workshops. It also had the Saturday Community Art School for children. Off-site education programs took place in schools and other community places. "Stories of Chinatown" was an off-site program. It brought local seniors and young people together. They made ceramic art showing the seniors' lives.
The Arts Centre often received money from government grants. This included grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). In 1996, the NEA's budget was reduced. This also affected funding from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA). Because of this, AAAC had to reduce its programs from the mid-1990s to the late-2000s.
New Location (2010–Present)
In 2010, AAAC moved from 26 Bowery to 111 Norfolk Street. They no longer have a gallery space. However, the Arts Centre is still active in the Lower Manhattan community. They organize off-site art shows and discussions. They also continue public arts education through their blog and social media. AAAC now focuses more on keeping records and organizing its large permanent collection.
The Arts Centre has often worked with the New Museum's Ideas City Festival. In 2013, they held a discussion about Space Time: Presence. In 2018, AAAC made a video introduction to fifty artists in its archive. This was part of their Art Across Archives program.
AAAC has supported the People's Cultural Plan (PCP). This plan started in 2017. It aims to share city government funding and support more fairly. It helps artists, art workers, and community art groups. It also supports different historic neighborhoods in New York City.
Selected Exhibitions and Performances
Selected Exhibitions
- 1982: Eye to Eye
- 1987: The Mind's I: Part 1, 2, 3, 4
- 1988: Public Art in Chinatown
- 1989: CHINA: June 4, 1989
- 1992: And He Was Looking for Asia: Alternatives to the Story of Christopher Columbus Today
- 1993: Milieu: Part I, II (1996), and III (2000)
- 1995: Ancestors: A Collaborative Project with Kenkeleba House
- 1997: Three Generations: Towards an Asian American Art History
- 1999: 7lb9oz: The Reintegration of Tradition into Contemporary Art
- 2006: DETAINED
- 2006: THREE WOMEN: Art and Spiritual Practice
- 2007: Mixed Skin
- 2009: Out of the Archive: Process and Progress
Selected Performances
- 1976: ID 1, 2, 3
- 1978: Madhouse
- 1979: Passage
- 1981: Kampuchea
- 1982: Origami
- 1983: Silk Road
- 1986: Orientalism
- 1988: D'Asia Vu: Journey to the West
- 1989: D'Asia Vu: Public Site/Public Language
- 1990: D'Asia Vu: Reclining Bodies (Focus on Artists from Hong Kong)
The AAAC Archive
The Arts Centre has both a digital and a physical archive. The archive collects information about Asian American art from the last 60 years. It often shows the connection between the artist and AAAC.
The physical archive is stored at 111 Norfolk Street. It has about 1700 entries of artist materials. These include life stories, publications, statements, and reviews. It also has pictures, slides, and digital files of artworks.
The digital archive is called artasiamerica. It has over 170 entries and can be found online. It makes up about 10% of the physical archive.
See Also
- Asian American Dance Theatre
- List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City
- Asian Americans in arts and entertainment
