“More often than not, women cast aside the belief that they matter, that their opinion counts, or that they deserve to experience delight regularly, in aid of avoiding conflict or assuaging self- imposed guilt.  As we gain more experience with this project and dialog consistently with our artists and patrons, we are learning how to support each other and more importantly, we are discovering what it is like to be supported by other women.”
 
–Curator: Cynthia Tom, AAWAA


Founded in 1989, AAWAA’s mission is to be a catalyst of change and empowerment for Asian American women artists in the visual, literary and media arts by offering thought-provoking projects and programs that challenge, inspire and document their work, www.aawaa.net. A PLACE OF HER OWN is a long term, multi-disciplinary project of AAWAA, Asian American Women Artists Association. For three years, artists have been creating works for exhibition in answer to the question, "If you had a place of her own, what would it be?"



In 2011, the San Francisco Arts Commission awarded the Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) an Arts and Communities Innovative Partnerships (ACIP) Exploratory Grant, commissioning us to to research and cultivate potential partnerships between AAWAA and San Francisco non-arts organizations serving Asian American women.



AAWAA has seen the creative process behind A PLACE change the lives of participating artists. We plan to take our creative thought process and insightful journey for growth and healing beyond arts exhibitions into the social service field.

 The A PLACE Social Service Initiative Exploratory Phase will initiate the development of curricula, creative tools, both literary and visual art, simple workshops and workbooks in partnership with social service providers who bring experience, expertise and potential working relationships to the development of this vision.


By encouraging women to reflect on their identities and to express them artistically, A PLACE offers a creative process for empowerment. Participants will learn to cultivate their intuition and confidence, enhancing their ability to relate to the world on their own terms. 




 
The A PLACE OF HER OWN Social Serivce Initiative

"If you had a place of your own, what would it be?"

A PLACE OF HER OWN
A PLACE OF HER OWN's starting point is the premise that in order for a woman to thrive, she must identify what is most important to her alone. Since 2009, forty-three women artists have had to grapple with the question, “If you had a place of your own, what would it be?” resulting in intensely personal and important exhibitions at the de Young Museum, Driftwood Gallery and SOMArts.

Nancy Hom, a San Francisco artist and activist says:

“Finding ‘a place of your own’ demands much self-reflection. It’s not just a matter of asking what you want, but rather letting go of external influences and discovering what remains. It could prove to be a very spiritual process."

For this Exploratory Grant, AAWAA is commissioned to turn our creative thought process into a set of tools for women's well-being.  We plan to partner with individuals working in non-arts related nonprofit organizations that serve Asian American women in San Francisco. By encouraging women to reflect on their own identity and to express it artistically, A PLACE offers a creative process for empowerment. They will learn to hear their intuition and define a strong point of confidence, enhancing their ability to relate to the world on their own terms.
The A PLACE Social Service Initiative is innovative both for AAWAA and for our partners. AAWAA has been steadily evolving as an organization that promotes Asian American women artists through art exhibitions to include directly addresses issues that affect all women. In recent years, AAWAA has expanded to offer provocative exhibitions and publications, panel discussions, lectures and readings demonstrating how Asian American women in the arts impact in the world. Our exploration into the social service area is a natural extension of A PLACE OF HER OWN and furthers our goal of reaching beyond presenting Asian American women’s art to using art to benefit all women.

Given the exploratory nature of the ACIP grant, our intent is to investigate the feasibility of expanding AAWAA’s influence beyond the needs of the Asian American women arts community. Our ultimate goal is to offer a new system of resources as tools to contribute to the building of strong, self-aware women and leaders within their communities. We hope to show that the arts, social justice awareness and cross-agency partnerships can create a successful, interactive model for healing and developing self-esteem through quality artistic experiences.