August 29, 2019 @ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Building the Building is a sampling of artwork by artists who laid the foundation for SOMArts creatively and administratively, artists whose contributions bridged multiple generations of the space, and artists who continue to work within the organization today. Amongst the artists in the exhibition are five key former administrators of SOMArts who cover almost the entirety of the four decades of SOMArts: Bernice Bing, Carlos Loarca, Betsie Miller-Kusz, Leo Valledor, and Rene Yanez. Their work and presence exemplifies the unique relationships with artists that SOMArts has cultivated over the decades.
In conjunction with the exhibition, SOMArts will be hosting a free film screening of The Worlds of Bernice Bing on Thursday, August 29, 6–9pm. Following the screening, Melanie Elvena will be moderating a panel with Cultural Center Directors Pamela Peniston from the Queer Cultural Center (QCC), Vinay Patel from the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC), and Maria Jenson of SOMArts Cultural Center. This program is in partnership with the APICC, QCC, Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP), the Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA).
PANELISTS
Maria Jenson
Creative & Executive Director
SOMArts Cultural Center
Pamela Peniston
Artistic Director
Queer Cultural Center
Vinay Patel
Executive Director
Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center
MODERATOR
Melanie Elvena
Artistic Director
Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center
Program Manager
Asian American Women Artists Association
Image credit: header photograph by Kevan Jenson, 2019. Image courtesy of the artist.
