Asian American Arts Centre facts for kids
The Asian American Arts Centre (AAAC) is a non-profit organization in Chinatown, New York City. It started in 1974, making it one of the first Asian American community groups in the United States. The Arts Centre shows how modern Asian and Asian American art connects with Western art. They do this through performances, art shows, and teaching programs. AAAC has a large collection of contemporary Asian American artworks and traditional art pieces. They also have an Artists Archive. This archive keeps records of Asian American visual art in the U.S. since 1945. It includes artists from the East Coast, especially New York, the West Coast, and some artists in Canada, Hawaii, and other countries. The Arts Centre includes art from many Asian cultures, from Afghanistan to Hawaii.
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What AAAC Does
The Asian American Arts Centre wants to celebrate and keep Asian American culture alive through art. They also want to show how this art connects with other communities. AAAC does this by using art, performances, new media, and public education. They aim to bring different communities together through creative events. The Arts Centre believes art connects to the history and spirit of different neighborhoods.
AAAC's Story
The Asian American Arts Centre began 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's one of the older arts groups in Chinatown, Manhattan. It grew out of the Asian American movement and other cultural groups in New York.
In 1974, the group offered dance classes and shows at the New York Public Library. In 1976, they got their first space at 26 Bowery Street. They started a Saturday Community School there. This school taught dance and later art classes for 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 nine-month Artists-in-Residence program each year. Their first art show, Eye to Eye, happened in 1982. This show was important because it brought together Asian American visual artists from the East Coast for the first time.
Art Shows and Performances at Bowery (1983–2010)
Early Years (1983–1993)
The Eye to Eye show led to many more art exhibitions. These shows were part of a new program called the Asian Arts Institute. This program had 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 organization changed its name to the Asian American Arts Centre (AAAC). This new name included both the dance company (AADT) and the visual arts program.
AAAC held many programs at other places, not just their Bowery location. In 1989, the Arts Centre put on a very big show called CHINA: June 4, 1989. This show was a response to the student protests in China. Over 300 artists contributed to it. The show was displayed in New York in 1990. It then traveled to Texas, Ohio, and Michigan. Along with the art show, the dance company performed a show in 1990. It was called A Memorial Performance of Music, Poetry and Dance.
The Asian American Dance Theatre kept performing in New York and around the U.S. until 1992. They had four main programs: their yearly New York Dance Season, touring shows, Arts-in-Education programs, and the Community School. AADT had its own New York Season of modern dance every year from 1976 to 1990. The dance company performed both modern dance and traditional Asian folk and classical dances. These included dances from China, Japan, Korea, India, and other places. For their touring shows, AADT usually performed traditional dances. They also organized special programs like the D'Asia Vu Performance Series.
AADT performed at many places in New York, including Riverside Dance Festival and Pace University. For their touring shows, AADT performed in Texas, Ohio, New Mexico, and many other states. AADT worked with famous choreographers and invited guest artists. Many of the dance company's performances are saved on video at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
AAAC has created catalogs, videos, and sound recordings. These document visual arts, stories, music, and performances. ARTSPIRAL, a magazine about Asian American culture, was printed yearly from 1988 to 1993. It became an online blog in 2008. The Artists-in-Residence program ended in 1993. It supported 19 young artists, including Zhang Hongtu and Byron Kim.
Later Years (1993–2010)
After 1993, AAAC's programs focused on four areas: (1) modern Asian American art shows, (2) folk art shows and research, (3) public education, and (4) building a permanent collection. These programs aimed to keep Asian cultural traditions alive. They also helped new Asian and Asian American art forms grow.
AAAC's main yearly show featured young Asian American artists. They also had solo shows for artists who were further along in their careers. Many famous artists have shown their work at AAAC. These include Ai Weiwei, Mel Chin, Nam June Paik, and Martin Wong. Fred Wilson was a guest curator for a show called Aurora in 1990. In 1994, AAAC worked with Teachers College at Columbia University. They held a conference and a show together.
The Folk Art program included performances, talks, and shows. It featured traditional artists during the Lunar New Year every year. AAAC created videos and recordings about Ng Sheung Chi, also known as Uncle Ng. Ng was a singer and composer of muk'yu, a type of folk song. He became well known in New York's Chinatown. Uncle Ng received a national award in 1992 because of the Arts Centre's work. The Folk Art program also showed traditions like seal carving, shadow puppets, and Chinese calligraphy. AAAC has helped many artists, dancers, and students learn about their community's heritage.
The Public Education program started with figure drawing classes. It grew to offer gallery talks, performances, tai chi workshops, and the Saturday Community Art School for children. Off-site education programs took place in schools and other community places in New York. "Stories of Chinatown" was a program that brought older people and young people together. They made ceramic art showing the seniors' lives.
AAAC often received money from government grants. However, in the mid-1990s, the Arts Centre faced a challenge. Government funding for arts was reduced. This meant AAAC had less money for its programs. They had to make their programs smaller from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s.
Norfolk Street Location (2010–Present)
In 2010, AAAC moved from 26 Bowery to 111 Norfolk Street. They no longer have a gallery space. But the Arts Centre is still active in Lower Manhattan. They organize art shows and talks in other locations. They also continue public arts education through their blog and social media. AAAC now focuses a lot on keeping historical records and organizing its large permanent collection.
The Arts Centre has worked with the New Museum's Ideas City Festival. In 2013, they held a discussion there about Space Time: Presence. In 2018, AAAC worked with Think!Chinatown. They made a video introduction to fifty artists in their archive. This was part of their Art Across Archives program.
AAAC also supports the People's Cultural Plan (PCP). This plan started in 2017. It aims to give more government money and support to artists, art workers, and community art groups in New York City. The PCP wants fair housing, land, and labor policies. It also wants fair public funding for the arts.
Selected Art Shows and Performances
Selected Art Shows
- 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 Archive
The Arts Centre has both a digital and a physical archive. The archive keeps records of Asian American art from the last 60 years. It also shows the connection between artists and AAAC. The physical archive is at 111 Norfolk Street. It has about 1700 entries of artists' materials. These include life stories, publications, statements, and pictures of their work. The digital archive is called artasiamerica. It has over 170 entries and can be seen online.
See also
- Asian American Dance Theatre
- List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City
- Asian Americans in arts and entertainment
