Last Thursday, I was asked to be part of a panel discussion on contemporary Filipino-American Art. This was v2 of last year’s panel discussion at the American Studies Conference in Los Angeles (orchestrated by Thea Q. Tagle). Above is the recorded discussion, although the subject matter is dense with several directions, I always feel privileged to have this discussion with colleagues that I admire and respect. The questions from the audience were notable and inspired several responses from the panelist (Jenifer K. Wofford, Eliza Barrios, Michael Arcega, Cece Carpio, Lordy Rodriguez). Having experienced a couple decades of this topic I often ask, “Is this discussion a discussion we tend to have in the Bay Area? Is it relevant to the Art World and/or is it relevant to my art practice” and after a few decades of my practice I can honestly say, the answer is still as nebulous as it was in the early 90’s – not because I do not have a definitive answer, but because we are always changing.

Here’s the description of the discussion:

Working Title: The State of the State: a (Second) Roundtable on Contemporary Filipino/American Art in San Francisco           

Description: Drawing its title from a painting by the late Carlos Villa, this roundtable conversation will ruminate on the aesthetics and ethics of contemporary Filipino American art in the San Francisco Bay Area. As one of the first sites of Filipino settlement in the United States—and a place where Filipinos have long fought to remain—San Francisco is an unusually fertile ground for Filipino/American artists and performers to hone and exhibit their craft. From the fight to save the International Hotel (an SRO housing elderly Filipino and Chinese men) from demolition in the 1970s, to the ongoing and interrelated crises in housing, higher education, and the loss of arts funding and institutions, Filipino American cultural workers have continued to play a central role in inciting social change in the city. The methods and forms through which they do that, however, have taken very different form from what is generally understood as the genre of “protest art.” In bringing together a small group of long-time San Francisco-based artists, critics, and curators, we will consider the state of artmaking in the city, and will discuss the new directions in Filipino American art which redefine notions of identity and community across the canvas, in the blackbox, and in the streets.

Some photos from the evening – thank you adq: