Asian Arts Initiative

Experience Asian Arts Initiative like never before at our Open House on Saturday, August 1, 12-4PM!

One of our most popular spaces, Black Box Theater, has been renovated with a brand-new tech booth and lighting system to elevate the space and accommodate diverse performances and events!

During the Open House event, the theater will be activated with FOUR different performances throughout the day:

✨Michelle Nguyen (Michelle N) will showcase a sneak peak of her interactive play set to premier later this year. In this multi-media exploration of childhood memories, the audience is invited to participate as the imaginary friends of a young girl. What starts off as ”all fun and games“ soon escalates into a series of moral dilemmas and life-changing decisions.

✨ Sangita Pawar (Sangita Pawar) presents “We Dance At Home, Alone”, an intimate imagining of the South Asian American domestic space as a place for radical de- and reconstruction of the immigrant self and how it relates to the United States as an empire.

✨ Alyse James (alyse) presents “W(hite)omen in the Afternoon”, a clown/performance art piece that asks what it takes to be a good person and a good ally in 2026. This excerpt of the show will feature a DEI consultant who the creative team have brought on to help them answer this question.

✨Crossroads Comedy (Crossroads Comedy Theater) will perform several short form games in the style of Whose Line Is It Anyway and pull from audience suggestions to drive the show. Your ideas will be used on the spot to create the funny stuff in a show made just for you!

Each of the four performances is approximately 30 minutes long and will be presented twice within its designated time window. We can’t wait for you to see all of our new spaces! This event is free and open to the public! RSVP today at the link in our bio 🔗 Asian Arts Initiative

Experience Asian Arts Initiative like never before at our Open House! Explore newly renovated and reimagined spaces through live performances, hands-on demonstrations, a pop-up exhibition, food and drinks, and a first look at the technologies, venues, and creative spaces now available for your performances, events, meetings, rehearsals, retreats, and more!

This is a free event and open to the public. Stay tuned for more details about the performances! RSVP today at the link in our bio!

Our gallery is CLOSED today (Fri, 7/3) for the observed holiday, but we are OPEN on 4th of July during our regular hours, 2–6PM!

We intended to remain open to welcome visitors to the 𝐍𝐎 𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐀 exhibition on Independence Day as the exhibition powerfully highlights how decentralized grassroots movements led by people of color serve as a model for what our democracy can look like, especially during this occasion of America’s 250th anniversary. Come experience this living history of a movement that inspired people across Philadelphia to come together for community-led futures and against the greedy billionaires!

On the FINAL day of the exhibition (7/11), we will present 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, a free, all-day conference and community gathering, to close out this exhibition in style! Join us for workshops, presentations, and conversations that feature representatives from Chinatowns across New York, Boston, D.C., and Philadelphia. Learn more and RSVP at Asian Arts Initiative link in bio! Stay tuned! Full schedule and details coming soon.

‼️Saturday, July 11, 10AM to 6PM‼️We are so excited to welcome you to 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, an all-day conference and community gathering as we close the historic 𝙉𝙤 𝘼𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙖 exhibition!

This gathering brings together representatives from Chinatowns across New York, Boston, D.C., and Philadelphia to check in on the organizing progress and challenges in our respective cities. Join us for engaging workshops, presentations, and conversations and explore how decentralized grassroots movements led by people of color serve as a model for what our democracy can be.

Save the Date and RSVP at the link in our bio 🔗 Asian Arts Initiative Stay tuned for speakers and Final program schedule!

Immerse yourself in a night of experimental sound and sonic magic this summer ✨ NOMON is an electro-percussion duo of sisters Shayna and Nava Dunkelman, united by a shared vision to expand how percussion can speak, move, and connect. They are driven by curiosity, exploring rhythm not only as sound, but as energy, gesture, and emotion. They believe percussion can embody both structure and freedom, precision and vulnerability.

The show opens with Mikel Patrick Avery, a percussionist, composer/improvisor, filmmaker, photographer, and designer of electronic instruments. His music practice and experimentation spans jazz, experimental, and electronic music. With his deep understanding of the historical and contemporary significance of various genres, he explores the uses of improvisation to navigate uncertainty, imagine alternative futures, and inspire social cohesion.

Get your tickets at the link in our bio! $15 advanced / $20 day-of-show

This concert is co-presented by OTHERLY LOVE RECORDS and Asian Arts Initiative. Support for artist and booking coordination by Yuri Seung (yuriyuriyuriiiiiii)

Join our special zine workshop next Saturday (6/27) 1–3PM! Youth were a powerful force behind the No Arena movement. For many young people, it was the first organizing campaign that they were part of. This workshop will be a reflection space to process the challenges they overcame and the power behind youth organizing. Youth participants will learn how to create a zine and have their work be part of a published No Arena archiving zine. The workshop is led by Peri Law, an artist, a community organizer, and the Youth Programs Coordinator of Asian Americans United.

This workshop is FREE and ideal for high school/early college youth, but we welcome younger students and accompanying parents and caregivers. Register at the link in our bio 🔗 Asian Arts Initiative