Asian American Women Artists Association

The Asian American Women Artists Association, commonly known as AAWAA, is a San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit arts organization dedicated to supporting, presenting, and documenting the work of Asian American women artists. Its activities span visual art, literature, performance, film, education, public programming, and interdisciplinary research. Rather than operating as a commercial art brand, AAWAA functions as a cultural and professional platform: it creates opportunities for artists whose work has historically been underrepresented, develops exhibitions and public events, publishes artist-centered material, and provides forums in which questions of race, gender, migration, sexuality, labor, memory, and cultural identity can be examined through art. The organization emerged in 1989 from concerns about the limited representation of Asian American women in mainstream and feminist arts spaces. Betty Kano and Flo Oy Wong were particularly influenced by their experience at the national meeting of the Women's Caucus for Art, where they perceived Asian American women to be insufficiently represented. Their work also intersected with a slide-collection project initiated by Moira Roth to document women of color artists. The first AAWAA meeting took place at Kano's home in Berkeley in March 1989, with artists including Bernice Bing among the early founders and participants. This origin gave the association a dual purpose: to build community among artists and to address structural invisibility in the historical record of American art. AAWAA's programs have included member exhibitions, lectures, artist salons, panel discussions, a Speakers Bureau, curatorial initiatives, publications, documentary film, and community-based art projects. Membership is open to artist members and affiliate members, allowing the organization to connect practitioners with scholars, writers, administrators, educators, and supporters. Through its Speakers Bureau, participating artists and cultural workers have discussed artistic process, women's issues, Asian American experiences, and the association's programs at institutions in California and elsewhere. The association's work often links artistic production to community history and social justice. Exhibitions such as underCurrents & the Quest for Space addressed stereotypes, discrimination, invisibility, and the social and physical spaces occupied by Asian America. Eating Cultures used foodways and culinary memory to explore migration, belonging, and cultural exchange. Hungry Ghosts examined unresolved individual and collective histories, while Shifting Movements honored the activism and legacy of Yuri Kochiyama through a broad, multiracial artistic program. Agrarianaa connected Asian Pacific American agricultural histories with migrant labor, environmental activism, land sovereignty, and food systems. AAWAA also develops programs intended to expand access beyond conventional gallery audiences. A Place of Her Own, created by Cynthia Tom in 2008, uses art-making and facilitated workshops to explore self-care, mental health, colonization, racism, forced migration, and gender oppression. The Emerging Curators Program applies an Asian American women-centered perspective to exhibition-making and helps address the limited exposure available to underrepresented artists. In 2015, the organization launched Mural Muses in San Francisco's Richmond District to honor women artists in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and to make their contributions visible in a public, traditionally male-dominated setting. AAWAA formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2007. Its publications and media projects have extended its influence beyond individual exhibitions, including the anthology Cheers to Muses: Contemporary Works by Asian American Women, the feminist art history collection Entering the Picture, and The Worlds of Bernice Bing, a documentary short about the Chinese American lesbian artist. The association remains an active community-based arts organization whose significance lies in advocacy, cultural preservation, artist development, and the creation of alternative institutional space for Asian American women.

The Asian American Women Artists Association was established in 1989 in the San Francisco Bay Area during a period when artists and cultural organizers were increasingly challenging the exclusion of women and people of color from American art institutions. Betty Kano and Flo Oy Wong were motivated by their attendance at a national Women's Caucus for Art meeting, where they saw Asian American women receiving limited representation. Their concerns coincided with a slide-collection initiative associated with Moira Roth that sought to document women of color artists and preserve a record of work often omitted from conventional art histories. A first organizational meeting was held at Kano's Berkeley home in March 1989. Founding participants included Kano, Wong, Roth, and Bernice Bing. From its beginning, AAWAA combined advocacy with practical cultural programming. It created a network through which Asian American women artists could meet, exhibit, speak, publish, and discuss their work. Its scope extended beyond visual art to literary and performing arts, reflecting the founders' broader interest in how identity and experience are represented across media. Lectures, salons, member exhibitions, talks, and public events became central methods for building visibility and community. The organization later developed a Speakers Bureau composed of artists, scholars, writers, and arts administrators. Speakers addressed subjects including women's issues, Asian American history and identity, artistic process, and AAWAA's own programs. This educational work allowed the association to engage universities, museums, cultural centers, and community institutions beyond its home base. AAWAA incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2007. Formal nonprofit status provided an organizational framework for sustaining exhibitions, publications, workshops, artist development, and public programs. One important initiative was A Place of Her Own, created by AAWAA director Cynthia Tom in 2008. The program uses a sequence of art-based workshops to help women reflect on personal space, self-care, family and cultural histories, racism, colonization, forced migration, and gender oppression. It culminates in a professionally curated exhibition and is open to women regardless of previous artistic experience. The association's publishing and media work broadened its historical mission. Cheers to Muses: Contemporary Works by Asian American Women, published in 2007, brought together visual art, poetry, creative writing, and nonfiction by dozens of Asian American women. Entering the Picture, published in 2012, examined feminist contributions to American art through interdisciplinary essays and firsthand accounts. In 2013, AAWAA produced The Worlds of Bernice Bing, a documentary short directed by Madeleine Lim. The film introduced wider audiences to Bing's life and work and was recognized with an audience award at the Queer Women of Color Film Festival. AAWAA's exhibition history demonstrates a sustained interest in space, memory, food, activism, and community history. underCurrents & the Quest for Space explored Asian American social, artistic, and physical spaces while confronting stereotypes and invisibility. Eating Cultures examined food and foodways as vehicles for migration stories, cultural memory, and global exchange. Hungry Ghosts used a concept found across Asian cultures and religions to consider historical wounds and unresolved collective experience. Transformation, presented during the organization's 25th anniversary period, emphasized the breadth and development of its membership. In 2015, AAWAA launched Mural Muses, a public art campaign in San Francisco's Richmond District. The collaborative mural was intended to honor Asian American and Pacific Islander women artists, increase their visibility, and respond to racial tension and vandalism. Its public setting challenged the male dominance historically associated with large-scale mural production. In 2017, AAWAA and the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center presented Shifting Movements, an exhibition inspired by the life and activism of Yuri Kochiyama. The program brought together artists from Asian American, African American, and Latin American backgrounds and incorporated oral histories, community installation, and related online material. The organization continued to connect art with land, labor, and environmental concerns through Agrarianaa: Art Inspired by APA Agricultural Roots in 2019. The multimedia exhibition considered Asian Pacific American agricultural craft and history, migrant labor, environmental activism, food sovereignty, and regenerative community systems. Alongside exhibitions, AAWAA has maintained the Emerging Curators Program, which encourages an Asian American women-centered approach to curatorial practice and helps artists who lack institutional exposure. Membership remains open to artists and affiliates, preserving the association's role as both an artist network and a public-facing cultural organization.

• 2019

  Agrarianaa presented

  [1]Asian American Women Artists Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The multimedia exhibition explored Asian Pacific American agricultural histories, migrant labor, environmental activism, and food sovereignty.

• 2017

  Shifting Movements presented

  [1]Asian American Women Artists Associationen.wikipedia.org

  AAWAA and APICC presented an exhibition inspired by activist Yuri Kochiyama as part of the United States of Asian America Festival.

• 2015

  Mural Muses launched

  [1]Asian American Women Artists Associationen.wikipedia.org

  AAWAA began a large collaborative mural project honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander women artists in San Francisco.

• 2008

  A Place of Her Own begins

  [1]Asian American Women Artists Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Cynthia Tom created an art-based workshop and exhibition program focused on women's well-being, self-defined space, and the effects of oppression and displacement.

• 2007

  Nonprofit incorporation

  [1]Asian American Women Artists Associationen.wikipedia.org

  AAWAA formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

• 1989

  Association founded in the San Francisco Bay Area

  [1]Asian American Women Artists Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Flo Oy Wong, Betty Kano, Moira Roth, Bernice Bing, and other artists established AAWAA in response to the underrepresentation of Asian American women in arts organizations and feminist art spaces.

A community-rooted arts nonprofit positioned at the intersection of Asian American cultural representation, feminist arts advocacy, artist development, public education, and social practice.

• Anthology · 2007

  Cheers to Muses: Contemporary Works by Asian American Women

  An AAWAA-published anthology from 2007 bringing together 77 works by 64 Asian American women. The contents include fine art, poetry, creative writing, and nonfiction, presenting a broad intergenerational view of artistic and literary production.

• Arts history and essays · 2012

  Entering the Picture

  A 2012 interdisciplinary collection examining feminist contributions to American art. Artists and scholars reflect on landmark events, regional collaborations, and the development of feminist artistic communities, including activity in Fresno and other locations.

• Documentary film · 2013

  The Worlds of Bernice Bing

  A documentary short produced by AAWAA about Bernice Bing, the Chinese American lesbian artist and early AAWAA figure. Directed by Madeleine Lim, the film brought Bing's life and artistic legacy to audiences through the queer women of color film circuit.

• Art-based wellness and community program · 2008

  A Place of Her Own

  A six-month workshop and exhibition program created by Cynthia Tom in 2008. Participants use multiple art forms to consider personal space, self-care, family and cultural histories, racism, colonization, forced migration, and gender oppression. The program is open to women regardless of artistic experience.

• Curatorial development

  Emerging Curators Program

  A program designed to encourage curation through an Asian American women-centered lens. It supports emerging curatorial perspectives while improving exposure for artists who are underrepresented or lack access to established arts institutions.

• Public art campaign · 2015

  Mural Muses

  A collaborative mural initiative launched in 2015 in San Francisco's Richmond District. The project recognizes women artists in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and places their contributions in a visible public environment.

• 2015Mural Muses

  San Francisco Bay Area

  AAWAA launched a collective mural project to honor Asian American and Pacific Islander women artists, increase public visibility, and respond to racial tension and vandalism.

  Outcome. The project was presented as a major public mural effort centered on Asian American artists and as a challenge to the traditionally male-dominated public mural field.

  Source

• 2015

  Expanded into large-scale public art through Mural MusesOther

  Background

  The organization sought to make Asian American and Pacific Islander women artists more visible amid racial tension, vandalism, and the historical male dominance of mural production.

  Action taken

  AAWAA initiated a collaborative mural in San Francisco's Richmond District.

  Aftermath

  The campaign extended AAWAA's representation mission from galleries and educational programs into the public urban environment.

  Source

• 2007

  Formalized nonprofit structureStrategy

  Background

  After years of arts advocacy and community programming, AAWAA established a formal 501(c)(3) structure.

  Action taken

  The association incorporated as a nonprofit organization.

  Aftermath

  The structure supported continued cultural programming, publications, artist development, and public education.

  Source

1. 1Asian American Women Artists Associationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Asian American Women Artists Association official websiteaawaa.net