EXHIBITIOn THEME
What is power? Who wields it? How can it be owned, contested, and exercised? For Asian women whose embodiment of power has culturally been limited to either Dragon Lady, Lotus Blossom or Tiger Mom, these questions are ever more prevalent. The true definition of power remains elusive and open to inquiry.
Kicking off AAWAA’s 35th anniversary, Jade Wave Rising: Portraits of Power celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander woman agency and resilience in a multitude of manifestations. Jade is a rare mineral imbued with different metaphysical and cultural meanings, used since prehistoric times to adorn objects associated with power such as ceremonial daggers, jewelry, and crowns. Using jade as an allusion to more diverse definitions of power, the exhibition pays homage to overlooked figures in our history and establishes new legacies of leadership for a more equitable future for AAPI women everywhere.
We invite artistic individuals, collectives, and organizations to submit works that explore, extricate, subvert, and define power in the context of AAPI cultural heritage, history, and socio-political landscape. Join us in a rising wave of communal and creative unity.
Questions? Send an email to exhibitions@aawaa.net.
ELIGIBILITY
AAWAA will be accepting proposals for artwork from artists who identify as Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and/or Asian American women, trans women, and non-binary folks and whose work responds to the exhibition’s themes and in celebration of AAPI women artists in the Bay Area and beyond. Individuals must be at least 18 years old to apply.
COMMUNITY ALTAR PROJECT
In addition to the call for art, AAWAA invites artists and organizations to submit a proposal to build an altar installation that honors AAPI women who have passed, including:
Those who left behind legacies of social justice, solidarity and/or cultural impact among our communities. (e.g. Bernice Bing, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Grace Lee Boggs, Yuri Kochiyama)
Those whose lives were stolen due to unjust violence (e.g. the numerous lives lost as a result of recent waves of anti-Asian hate and oppression such as white supremacy, racism, community violence, misogyny and sexism, etc.)
The altar will be featured in Jade Wave Rising with the purpose of remembering the powerful legacies and impact of AAPI women so their lives and stories will not be erased or forgotten.
EXHIBITION INFO
Curator
Yeu Q Nguyen
Exhibition Coordinator
Cat Lauigan
Venue
SOMArts Cultural Center - Main Gallery
934 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 & Online
Dates
Install: April 14-19
Opening Reception: April 27
Exhibition: April 28 - May 21
Deinstall: May 22-23
SUBMISSION INFO
We welcome:
Interdisciplinary Artworks (all visual, installation, literary, performance, film, music or sound art genres will be considered)
Collaborative Works
Works in Progress with Proposals (submitted in the artist statement, please provide estimated dimensions)
If you call it art, so do we!
The submission deadline is Saturday, November 5, 2022 @ 11:59PM PST. Please reach out to us at exhibitions@aawaa.net if an extension would be helpful.
Application WorkshopS
October 5, 2022 @ 1:30-2:00PM PST | Recording Available
November 2, 2022 @ 5:30-6:00PM PST | Recording Available
Still have questions about the application or prospectus? Join the exhibition curator and AAWAA staff for an online Q&A.
ENTRY FEE
After submitting your application, please be sure to pay the sliding scale entry fee. Your $25-35 entry fee will go toward processing your application and the curator to review.
Membership discounts
All current AAWAA members receive $10 OFF on the sliding scale entry fee using the promo code sent through the membership newsletter. If you are a member and did not receive the newsletter with the promo code, please email membership@aawaa.net.
Submissions are FREE for new members who sign up now through November 5.
SUPPORT AN ARTIST
Subsidize an application fee for an artist by contributing at the button below (or pay for an additional entry fee if you are applying):
If you are an artist experiencing any form of economic hardship, please feel free to contact us at exhibitions@aawaa.net for a partial or full fee waiver.
Artist Fees
All selected artists/groups will be provided with a $200 exhibition stipend.
Artists and/or organizations whose proposal is chosen for the Community Altar Project will be offered $500 in fees.
PRESENTATION PARTNERS
FUNDED IN PART BY
