Supporting New Work by Bay Area Artists

A program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
and The James Irvine Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
October 17, 2011

Creative Work Fund Awards $661,000
to Northern California Artists

18 Exceptional Projects Awarded Grants for Literary and Traditional Arts

The Creative Work Fund (CWF) is pleased to announce that it is awarding 18 grants totalling $661,000 to Northern California artists for the creation of new works in the fields of literary and traditional arts. Each artist has collaborated with a local nonprofit community organization on dynamic and creative projects that will create books, multimedia pieces, exhibitions, podcasts, Pomo regalia, silkscreen prints, and performances of spoken word, dance, and choral and instrumental music.

“An exciting dimension of this year’s grant awards is the wide variety of organizations that have recognized how working closely with artists will advance their goals,” said CWF director Frances Phillips, who has been heading the fund since its establishment in 1994. “It’s common for cultural and educational organizations to understand this; but this year we’ve also seen nonprofits working in the areas of AIDS awareness, legal rights, refugee resettlement, and community development recognizing how artists and art making can help strengthen vulnerable communities.”

For the 2011 grant cycle, CWF reviewed projects in the literary and traditional arts, with successful applicants working in highly diverse media. The selected literary artists will be creating work for online and theatrical presentation, as books, exhibits, and performances.  The selected traditional artists represent traditions from Cambodia, Ghana, Iran, Mexico, and the Philippines—as well as regional traditions of Native Californians and Asian Americans.

Since 1994, CWF has contributed $8.6 million to advance art-making by Northern California artists in a variety of disciplines. Awards range from $10,000 to $40,000. Grants are highly competitive and recommended to CWF by a committee of accomplished panelists.

The 2011 CWF grant recipients come from the Bay Area’s urban centers, extending out to Modesto and Salinas. Recipient artists are renowned in their disciplines, and have undergone a rigorous and intensely competitive review process.

2011 Literary Arts Awardees and Collaborators:

Leticia Hernández (San Francisco) and WritersCorps/San Francisco Arts Commission (San Francisco); Francisco Jiménez (Santa Clara) and National Steinbeck Center (Salinas); Cherylene Lee (San Francisco) and Center for Asian American Media (San Francisco); Beth Lisick (Berkeley) and Creativity Explored (San Francisco);  Kristin Palm (Oakland) and East Bay Asian Local Development (Oakland); Kirk Read (San Francisco) and Magnet of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (San Francisco); Kevin Simmonds (San Francisco) and Theatre of Yugen (San Francisco); Gary Soto (Berkeley) and The Marsh…a breeding ground for new performance (San Francisco)

2011 Traditional Arts Awardees and Collaborators:

Charya Burt (Windsor) and World Arts West (San Francisco); Chhip Chhoun (Modesto) and The Bridge (Modesto); Jay Loyola (San Francisco) and KulArts (San Francisco); Ernesto Hernandez Olmos (Oakland) and Youth in Arts (San Rafael); Bongo Sidibe (San Francisco) and African Advocacy Network (San Francisco);  Kathleen Smith (Walnut Creek) and Heyday (Berkeley); Rudi C. Soriano (San Francisco) and Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (San Francisco); Edward Willie (San Anselmo) and Museum of the American Indian (Novato); Leland Wong (San Francisco) and Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (San Francisco); Omid Zoufonoun (Oakland) and Pacific Mozart Ensemble (Alameda)

 

About the Creative Work Fund

The Creative Work Fund was initiated in 1994 by four Bay Area foundations that wanted to contribute to the creation of new art works and support local artists. It is now a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund that is supported by generous grants from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and The James Irvine Foundation. For the 2010-2011 grant cycle, the Fund invited literary and traditional artists and nonprofit organizations from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and Stanislaus counties to apply.

Grants are recommended to the fund by prestigious committees of panelists. 

The 2011 literary arts review panelists were: Naomi Ayala, poet, educator and community activist (Washington, D.C.); Jane Friedman, University of Cincinnati Professor of Electronic Media, writer, and former publisher (Cincinnati); Diem Jones, multi-disciplinary producer, program designer, poet and musician (Mountain View); Jeffrey Lependorf, composer and Executive Director of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses and Small Press Distribution, (New York City); and Lynne Withey, historian, author and former University of California Press Executive Director (San Francisco). Also advising the Fund were writer Haleh Hatami of Oakland and poet Michael Medrano of Fresno City College, Fresno.

The 2011 traditional arts grant review panelists were: Lily Kharrazi, Program Manager for the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (San Francisco); Sojin Kim, curator and special assistant to the director, Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (Washington, D.C.); Debora Kodish, founder and director, Philadelphia Folklore Project (Philadelphia); Libby Maynard, co-founder and executive director, The Ink People Center for the Arts (Eureka); and Hiromi Lorraine Sakata, Professor Emerita, University of California, Los Angeles’s Center for India and South Asia (Seattle). Also advising the Fund were Deborah Clearwaters of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Ysamur Flores-Peña of Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles; and Miriam Phillips of the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.

For more information, please call (415) 402-2793
or visit www.creativeworkfund.org.

One Lombard Street, Suite 305, San Francisco, CA  94111 (415) 402-2793, Fax (415) 986-4779    www.creativeworkfund.org

2011 Literary Arts Grants

Leticia Hernández (San Francisco) collaborating with WritersCorps/San Francisco Arts Commission (San Francisco)
Writer Leticia Hernández will collaborate with WritersCorps, a program of the San Francisco Arts Commission, and 5-10 young women of color attending Hilltop School to create Dar a Luz—poetry for performance that addresses pregnancy and motherhood, based on themes agreed upon by the young women and lead artist. Born to Salvadoran immigrant parents, Leticia Hernández grew up hearing two very different messages about pregnancy and motherhood—that becoming a mother was expected and revered and that the worst thing she could do for her future was to get pregnant before obtaining an education. Through the project, Hernández will explore her own “late” entry into motherhood in her 30s and the early initiation experienced by the teenage mothers at Hilltop School. The project will culminate with two evenings of poetry performance, a photography exhibition, and online publication.  Leticia Hernández has lived and worked as an artist in the Mission Community for over 15 years and has been performing her poetry throughout the country since 1998. WritersCorps is a nationally recognized and award-winning program that improves the literacy and writing skills of educationally and economically disadvantaged youth through long-term intensive creative writing workshops with professional writers.

Francisco Jiménez (Santa Clara) collaborating with the National Steinbeck Center (Salinas)
The National Steinbeck Center is collaborating with lead writer Francisco Jiménez, along with Jaime Cortez, and Wellington Lee—connecting them with one another and the Salinas community to create new works related to personal and family histories. Each writer’s story is relevant to the Salinas community. Francisco Jiménez’s books tell stories of the migratory work trail and of his own pursuit of higher education. Writer and visual artist Jaime Cortez, who grew up in Watsonville, is creating a graphic novel telling the story of his father’s long and varied working life in Mexico and the United States. He will lead an intergenerational graphic novel workshop, inviting Salinas residents to document their families’ working histories. Wellington Lee’s family has lived in Salinas since 1908, where his grandfather was the unofficial mayor of Chinatown during the Tong Wars of the 1930s. Lee recently returned to Salinas to write the stories of its Chinatown. The Center will provide the writers with research assistance, and connect them to communities of common experience through workshops, small-group discussions, and storytelling. The mission of the National Steinbeck Center is to build community and celebrate creativity, inspired by the words of Salinas’ native son, Nobel Laureate John Steinbeck. It presents year-round literary and artistic programming.

Cherylene Lee (San Francisco) collaborating with Center for Asian American Media (San Francisco)
Writer Cherylene Lee will collaborate with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) to create a multimedia work based on excerpts from Lee’s memoir, “Just Like Really.” The manuscript uncovers an unusual view of the emotional trials and triumphs of growing up Asian American in Hollywood, where Cherylene Lee was one of the first Asian American professional childhood film and television stars; she also appeared in Flower Drum Song and Donovan’s Reef—all at a time when authentic and diverse representations of Asian Americans in media were virtually nonexistent. CAAM and Lee will curate and recreate six or more chapters of her manuscript into three-minute multimedia videos and podcasts for online streaming and distribution. The story, narrated by Lee, will incorporate archival materials from her personal collection. CAAM will feature a live, multimedia reading  of “Just Like Really” at the 30th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival in March 2012. CAAM was founded in 1980 to counter the scarcity of images of Asians and Asian Americans in film and television, correct often distorted portrayals of them in mainstream media, and create opportunities for the full participation of Asian American producers in public media. Today, it is the leading Asian American media arts organization in the United States.

Beth Lisick (Berkeley) collaborating with Creativity Explored (San Francisco)
Writer Beth Lisick will collaborate with Creativity Explored to write a creative nonfiction book imparting advice given by Creativity Explored’s artists. Creativity Explored annually serves over 130 studio artists with developmental disabilities, many of whom are eager to share their personal experiences and advice. For six months, Lisick will spend time observing and conversing with these artists in the Creativity Explored studios and on community outings, where she will collect their advice and anecdotes on wide-ranging topics. Funding from the Creative Work Fund will result in an estimated 200-page manuscript written by Lisick, with advice and images (paintings and photographs) from approximately 30 Creativity Explored artists. Creativity Explored will publish a 36-page version to be sold via its gallery and website, and Lisick will work with her agent to have the full book published for broader distribution. Beth Lisick is a writer, poet, performance artist, and author of four books. Her spoken word performances have been featured at Lollapoalooza and South by Southwest Music Festival. She co-founded the Porchlight Storytelling Series of spoken word performances in 2002 and still co-organizes the show. She’s also toured widely with the all-girl spoken word ensemble Sister Spit.

Kristin Palm (Oakland) collaborating with East Bay Asian Local Development (Oakland)
Collaborating with East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC), poet Kristin Palm and visual/conceptual artist Hiroko Kikuchi will create Interstices: Oakland, using an alternative mapping process to explore key Oakland sites where EBALDC is a partner in community development projects. Palm and Kikuchi will involve residents of EBALDC developments in conversations about community members’ unique interests, experiences, concerns, and desires. From these exchanges and from community mapping workshops with adults and youth, the artists hope to uncover overlooked, but essential, characteristics of Oakland locales. Workshop participants will create individualized and collaborative maps illustrating their interests. The project will culminate in a multi-media book of maps, notes, and ephemera created by the artists and community members, and an exhibition of selected works from the book. Lead writer Kristin Palm is an Oakland resident, poet, journalist, and youth arts educator whose work focuses on community, memory, and environments. She holds advanced degrees in both creative writing and urban planning. Hiroko Kikuchi combines conceptual and performance methodologies in her Fluxus-inspired instruction work and performance art, and her solo performances have been presented internationally. EBALDC is a nationally recognized and innovative community developer that promotes long-term and sustainable community well-being in neighborhoods of Oakland and the East Bay.

Kirk Read (San Francisco) collaborating with Magnet of San Francisco AIDS Foundation (San Francisco)
Writer Kirk Read will collaborate with Magnet and seven intergenerational LGBT writers to produce “The Biggest Quake,” a 90-minute literary performance examining the personal and cultural impact of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco—focusing on the years between 1981 and 1990. The project will culminate with three performances at the Metropolitan Community Church in San Francisco during the 2012 National Queer Arts Festival. Writers collaborating with Kirk Read will be Pat Califia, Justin Chin, Michael Nava, Brontez Purnell, Carol Queen, Julia Serano, and Ed Wolf. Over group meals, through research at the GLBT History Museum, and in workshops, they will develop the drafts of their respective works. These will be presented in work-in-progress readings and discussions at Magnet Health Clinic. Lead writer Kirk Read has been an active participant in San Francisco’s LGBT community since the late 1990s. He has worked as a counselor at the Saint James Infirmary, published the award-winning novel How I Learned to Snap, and curated more than 200 literary readings. Magnet, a program of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, operates a free health clinic at 18th and Castro Streets and—in the last eight years—has staged visual and literary arts programs as a strategy to introduce gay men to its health services.

Kevin Simmonds (San Francisco) collaborating with Theatre of Yugen (San Francisco)
Kevin Simmonds will collaborate with Theatre of Yugen to create The Noh Oratorio of Emmett Till, combining African American and Japanese artistic expression in a cross-genre poetic work. The collaborators note that Noh is a particularly appropriate creative tradition to address Emmett Till’s vicious 1954 murder: A central theme in Noh—owing to its Buddhist lineage—is a lingering attachment between the dead and the living. The author of three books, Kevin Simmonds is a poet and composer whose works have been performed throughout the United States, and in Japan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the Caribbean, and elsewhere. Simmonds and collaborating poet-translator-scholar Judy Halebsky have lived and worked in Japan for nearly 10 years and share extensive knowledge of Japanese history, poetry, and translation. Theatre of Yugen, creates stylized adaptations of Western classics and new works that combine the traditional Japanese forms of Kyogen (satiric comedy) and Noh (lyric drama) with other performing traditions, while additionally maintaining a repertoire of Kyogen comedies performed in English. The theater’s Jubileth Moore will work closely with Simmonds and Halebsky in developing the oratorio, with the three of them working in tandem with the cast and musicians.

Gary Soto (Berkeley) collaborating with The Marsh…a breeding ground for new performance (San Francisco)
Writer Gary Soto will collaborate with Marsh Youth Theater to create In and Out of Shadows, a new play about United States teenagers with undocumented immigration status. Dramatic material for the project will be collected by Marsh Youth Theater teens trained in oral history methods by stage director Cliff Mayotte. Subjects for these oral histories will come from the teens’ personal circles and through referrals from San Francisco Immigrant Legal and Education Network. Lead writer Gary Soto is the author of more than 40 books of poetry and fiction—including young adult fiction based on his experiences growing up in the San Joaquin Valley as the son of farmworkers. He will develop the plot and characters for In and Out of Shadows from an amalgam of the stories collected by the youth and shape the piece for young performers with Marsh Youth Theater director Emily Klion, and dramaturge David Ford. In and Out of Shadows will be performed by the Marsh Youth Theater teen troupe for three weeks in 2013. Founded in 1989, the Marsh has received local, national, and international critical acclaim. Annually it presents nearly 600 performances on its four stages in San Francisco and Berkeley.

2011 Traditional Arts Grants

Charya Burt (Windsor) collaborating with World Arts West (San Francisco)
Cambodian dancer Charya Burt is collaborating with World Arts West to create a new work exploring the 1906 encounter between Auguste Rodin and the Royal Cambodian Ballet. Burt will respond to the more than 150 drawings and sketches made by the French artist, when he followed the company’s tour across France. The traditions Rodin depicted are the same ones that Charya Burt currently sustains. Burt’s choreography will be set to original music by composer Alexis Alrich and performed by cellist Ruth Lane and a Pin Peat orchestra from Cambodia. The performance will be presented against a backdrop onto which a visual artist will paint in Rodin’s style on large canvases during the performance. Charya Burt is a graduate and former dance faculty member of the Royal University of Fine Arts, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She began her training in 1982 under the direction of the foremost dance masters of Cambodia. She moved to the United States in 1993, where she has taught and performed widely. World Arts West, producer of the annual San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, has recently re-designed its presenting model. Among other new initiatives, it will work with artists to create and present longer format works: Charya Burt’s Blossoming Antiquities will be among the first of these productions.

Chhip Chhoun (Modesto) collaborating with The Bridge (Modesto) and with Fiscal Sponsor Sierra Vista Child & Family Services
Chhip Chhoun and other Khmer musicians will collaborate with The Bridge to present biweekly, free performances at The Bridge Community Center. Instruments used will include the khhem (resembling a zither); the skor (drum); the takei (a large, long, stringed instrument); and the tror (Cambodian violin). Seating immediately around the musicians will be reserved for youth who are interested in learning to play the traditional music and songs. This approach mimics the traditional method of transmission in which musicians play and those who hope to learn watch, listen, and eventually play along. Original pieces developed will be performed at the annual Bridge Cultural Fair and other celebrations. Chhip Chhoun has been playing traditional Khmer instruments, melodies, and music for 46 years—having learned as a young man in Cambodia. He also knows how to craft instruments. A team from the Bridge Youth Council will film the performances and instrument-making for a documentary series to be shown on the Cambodian TV channel and archived at The Bridge and at the California State University, Stanislaus Institute for Cultural Resources. The Bridge Community Center was formed in 1989 by faculty and students from California State University, Stanislaus, Modesto Junior College, and community volunteers to help meet the needs of Southeast Asian refugees relocating to the Central Valley.

Jay Loyola (San Francisco) collaborating with Kularts, Inc. (San Francisco)
Filipino folklorico choreographer Jay Loyola, collaborating with Parangal Dance Company and KulArts, Inc., will develop Ibon Ng Adama (The Adama Bird), based on an epic Filipino tale that highlights indigenous healing traditions. Featuring traditional Pilipino dance methods and mythology, the piece will be performed by Parangal Dance Company and Kawayan Folk Arts in October 2012. Born and raised in the Philippines, adopted son of the Tagbanua tribe in Napsan, Palawan, and a resident of San Francisco since 2006, Loyola has extensively researched and documented the rituals and dances of the tribal people of Palawan and the Philippines. The project goal is to create a theatrical presentation adapting Tagbanua rituals and dances for the stage, so that audiences experience the original dances, and understand the story and the context in which they traditionally took place. Loyola also will lead an eight-week advanced workshop in the cultural dances of the Tagbanua people. Collaborating organization, Kularts, works to expand understanding of American Pilipino culture through performances that address contemporary issues in the community, to preserve the spirit and integrity of ancient Pilipino art forms, and to nurture the artistic development of Pilipino artists. Since its inception, it has presented more than 2,000 Pilipino artists.

Ernesto Hernandez Olmos (Alameda) collaborating with Youth in Arts (Marin)
Musician Ernesto Hernandez Olmos, along with Mayra Hernandez Martinez and Miguel Martinez, will collaborate with Youth in Arts to create and present a new performance for children and families that presents traditional indigenous Meso-American music and dance practices of Mexico, with a focus on the ancient Mayan calendar or Cholqij.  Featured artists represent Mayan, Aztec, and Zapotec traditions. Youth in Arts’ performing artists Nydia Gonzalez and Miko Lee will work with them to create a Spanish-English bilingual narrative structure framing their traditional practices. Cholqij will premiere in fall 2012. Lead artist Ernesto Hernandez Olmos is of Mayan ancestry, born in Oaxaca. The traditions he uses in his work were passed to him by his mother, his family, and community elders. He studied music, dance, visual art, and sculpture in Mexico, continuing this study with elders in the Southwest United States and Mexico after moving to the Bay Area in 1997. He is working closely with Mayra Hernandez Martinez, an Aztec dancer and practitioner of natural medicine, and Miguel Martinez, co-founder of the indigenous music ensemble Balamcoatl. Youth in Arts has provided arts programs for youth for 40 years. In addition to an extensive school residency program in visual and performing arts, its Youth in Arts Presents programming reaches thousands of Bay Area students.

Bongo Sidibe (San Francisco) collaborating with African Advocacy Network (San Francisco) and fiscal sponsor Dolores Community Services
Bongo Sidibe—a traditional drummer from Guinea, West Africa—and African Advocacy Network seek to bring together a diverse population of Africans living in the Bay Area through a project culminating in two weekends of performances. The first weekend will present highly regarded local traditional artists from African countries, including Senegal, Mali, Congo, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia. The focus of the Creative Work Fund project, to be presented over the second weekend, is creation of a full-length Guinean ballet directed by Bongo Sidibe, and involving other Guinean artists. Clients of the African Advocacy Network will contribute skills in graphic design, costuming, and helping to script the piece. The collaborators seek to foster greater unity within the African diaspora and encourage these diverse populations to work together to improve their economic and social standing in the United States. Lead artist Bongo Sidibe studied drumming from a very young age with Mamady Keita, a world-renowned West African drummer. Until moving to the United States, Sidibe was Keita’s assistant at his school in Conakry. The African Advocacy Network provides African and Afro-Caribbean immigrants and refugees of the Bay Area with tools they need to lead independent, productive, and dignified lives. It processes legal cases ranging from naturalization and work authorization to family unification.

Kathleen Smith (Walnut Creek) collaborating with Heyday (Berkeley)
Native California artist Kathleen Smith is collaborating with Heyday to explore, document, and celebrate aspects of traditional California Indian food gathering and preparation. Inaugurating the position of artist-in-residence at Heyday, Smith will create traditional cooking instruments and demonstrate native food preparation for audiences. The project will culminate in an illustrated 48-page book. Kathleen Smith is Bodega Miwok and Pomo and a member of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. She learned the arts of food gathering and preparation from her mother and grandmother. She also is a painter and traditional craftsperson. Among the foods she is likely to gather and prepare will be acorns, seaweed, berries, salmon, and shellfish. The project will capture the technological and artistic aspects of her activities and their social and spiritual dimensions, including songs that are sung, prayers that are spoken, gendered divisions of labor, and deep cultural knowledge and practice that give meaning to daily life. Heyday is a nonprofit publisher and cultural institution whose mission is to deepen people’s understanding of California culture, history, arts, and nature. In addition to its role in publishing many books about California Indian culture, for 25 years it has published the journal News from Native California.

Rudi C. Soriano (San Francisco) collaborating with Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (San Francisco), and with fiscal sponsor LIKHA Pilipino Folk Ensemble
Choreographer Rudi C. Soriano will collaborate with Gay Asian Pacific Alliance to create “Pilgrim,” a dance theater work influenced by Filipino ethnic dance traditions that explores Asian American history in a manner that reflects and resonates with the experiences of contemporary gay Asians. The piece will incorporate the history of Filipino immigrants in early 20th century California as well as commentary from current community members, who will be invited to tell their stories, offer advice, share their coping strategies, and convey the message that lives can improve. Dancer, choreographer, teacher, and researcher, Rudi Soriano has performed and toured with Bayanihan, the Philippine national dance company. He founded LIKHA Pilipino Folk Ensemble in 1992 and serves as its artistic director. Soriano conducts annual field research in the Philippines to further LIKHA’s mission. Gay Asian Pacific Alliance was established in 1988 as a community-based, all-volunteer membership organization whose goals are to create awareness, develop a positive collective identity, and create a supportive community for queer Asian and Pacific Islander men. It will work with Soriano to ensure that a broad range of voices is represented in “Pilgrim.”

Edward Willie (San Anselmo) collaborating with Museum of the American Indian (Novato)
Native California artist Edward Willie is collaborating with the Museum of the American Indian to create two sets of men’s regalia—distinct, meticulously crafted, nature-based adornments for traditional dancers. Willie, who is of Pomo, Walaiki, and Wintu descent, specializes in the regalia of the Pomo tribes—the original inhabitants of Sonoma County. Willie has learned the finer points of regalia making from expert California makers and uses traditional materials and methods. While creating the pieces, he will present hands-on workshops for dancers who want to learn the traditional techniques. His process also will be documented for museum archives and exhibitions. Once the regalia are made, the museum will both allow traditional dancers to check them out for use in gatherings and ceremonies and, when the pieces are not in use, will exhibit them. Dominican University of California also will exhibit the regalia and present lectures by Mr. Willie for its students and the larger community. The Museum of the American Indian has been located on a Coast Miwok village site in Novato, California for 45 years. It seeks to provide the people of Northern California with programs and exhibits that deepen understanding and appreciation of Native American cultures.

Leland Wong (San Francisco) collaborating with Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (San Francisco)
Lead artist Leland Wong will collaborate with Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach’s Youth Council to create a series of screen prints that explore the impact of violence on the Asian American community. A life-long San Franciscan, Leland Wong’s work, examining Asian American culture and politics, has been exhibited nationally and is held in numerous museum collections. His iconic posters have contributed to the Asian American movement since the 1970s. Screen printing, was first developed in China between 200 and 1000 AD. It produces strong colors and is a relatively flexible and low-cost medium. For these reasons, it was embraced by the Civil Rights movement and used for many posters. For this campaign, Wong and the Youth Council will share their opinions and insights about violence in the Asian American community, deciding together on images to be used. Through two cycles of workshops, the artist and youth will produce prints to be exhibited in community venues. The collaborating organization, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach, founded in 1975 as Nihonmachi Legal Outreach, provides culturally and linguistically appropriate legal representation and advice; legal training and technical support; and community education and outreach in such areas as immigration, human trafficking, domestic violence/family law, and elder abuse.

Omid Zoufonoun (Oakland) collaborating with Pacific Mozart Ensemble (Alameda)
Composer Omid Zoufonoun and Pacific Mozart Ensemble are creating a traditional Persian composition that explores a dialogue with a contemporary Western chorus. The finished piece will be performed by the Ensemble and members of the Persian Shams Ensemble in spring 2012. The work will use Persian music’s unique and intricate melodic and rhythmic idioms expressed through the kamanche (spike fiddle); santur (hammer dulcimer); and tonbak/daf (goblet and frame drums). It will draw lyrics from poetry by the 12th century mystic Rumi, sung in the original Farsi. One of four sons trained under their father and renowned master Persian musician Ostad Mahmoud Zoufonoun, lead artist Omid Zoufonoun has been immersed in traditional Persian music since birth. From 2003-09 he was cellist and musical arranger for the Zoufonoun Ensemble; he also has notated and edited the complete violin and vocal works of Ostad Zoufonoun for publication. Founded in 1980 by Richard Grant, the Pacific Mozart Ensemble delivers passionate, expert and engaging choral performances of music of all genres: It is particularly well-known for its collaborations with contemporary composers and artists. Current music director, Dr. Lynne Morrow, has continued to build its reputation for versatility and open-mindedness in presenting distinctive and often-demanding vocal repertoire.

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