Arcega, Michael Michael Arcega's primary interest lies in language, both visually and linguistically — through naming, renaming, and wordplay. The materials he uses embody their own encrypted dialect. Each element contains history, origin, and purpose that the viewer/participant can interpret through their familiarity with the material. Most of his work begins with the application of a common Pinoy technique that uses the Filipino accent as a "solvent" to deconstruct english words and phrases. The word or phrase is removed from one context and then reapplied to another context, completely changing its meaning.

Bahrs Janssen, Kirsten A practicing artist and public school art teacher, Kirsten recently received her MFA from U.C. Berkeley. She is currently residing in San Francisco.

Bali, Kavita Kavita was born in India and has grown up in the U.S. since the age of six. Each of Kavita's films seeks out a balance in understanding between her immediate environment and a desire to discover her cultural heritage through her daily eyes. Currently, Kavita is writing her first feature length screenplay, a surreal visual poem addressing cultural heritage issues, to be produced by her company, Urban Peacock, in 2002.

Bentley, Jing Miss Jing Lee Bentley is a native San Francisco social butterfly, who likes to occasionally take photos of the backs of people's heads on Muni busses. She has the patience of a saint, proved by the fact that she lives in close quarters with Mister Miyake in the Mission, where she can be found petting all the dogs hanging around Dolores Park. Jing often writes notes to herself that become little films in her head or short stories written on Post-its. She also likes very much the following, in no particular order: monsters, punk rock music, Licca dolls and M.H.Miyake.

Chan, Calvin Calvin has been working with comics over the past 10 years but hasn't considered the field as a serious option until now. The independent comic industry suddenly grabbed his attention.

Chang, Eric Eric Chang lives and works in San Francisco as a biotechnology consultant. His main interests outside of work revolved around politics, the Asian community and Asian American issues. He writes as a hobby in his spare time.

Chen, Jane Jane Chen is a Taiwanese American physical artist and singer. A graduate of Yale University and the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theater, Jane is currently creating solo and collaborative work, using theater as a tool through which people might recognize their shared experience. She has also performed at Carnegie Hall with the CityKids and on HBO in the Babysitters Club. She will be performing with Li Cheng Tsen and Janaki Ranpura

Chi, Alan Alan Chi graduated from Berkeley with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and is currently working for an aerospace avionics company. In his spare time he enjoys creating "stuff" and is looking forward to pursuing a M.S. in Product Design. Eugene Chung flunked out of Yale, but then went back long enough to get his B.A. in Philosophy. He now lives in San Jose, doing freelance graphic design gigs and producing drum 'n' bass till the wee hours of the morning. Maria Nguyen is a Bay Area make-up artist currently pursuing her degree in Communications or Mass Media.

Chow, Gerry Gerry Chow studied Studio Art and English Literarture at the University of California, Davis. He has exhibited in group exhibitions in Davis and Sacramento. He is currently employed by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Chung, Eugene Eugene Chung, a.k.a. Scat was exposed to classical training on the violin from an early age. Since then, he has moved on to producing drum'n bass and trip-hop. A recent graduate, Scat spends his time scrapping up odd graphic design jobs in the South Bay and working on tunes.

Dariotis, Wei Ming Wei Ming Dariotis is a poet and visual artist. This year she is collaborating with Neela Moorty, this year's Featured Artist in Dance. Dr. Wei Ming is Assistant Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University and a third year APAture organizer.

David, Lorelei Lorelei David is a San Francisco filmmaker and artist who works as a visual effects editor at Industrial Light and Magic in San Rafael. Her works probe identity and art in found footage and archaic technologies.

Eng, Karen Karen Eng has worked in print journalism since 1991. She has been on the staff of Shanais Drem, Ben is Dead, and PC Games. She has also contributed to Bitch, BUST, Wired, and Publisher's Weekly. PekoPeko is the first 'zine of her own. Although she is a writer and editor by profession, Karen Eng has recently taken a detour into photography to complement her writing her writing. Several of her photographs have been published accompanying her articles. She plans to continue working on photography as both a documentary and artistic medium.

Fang, Wei After a trans-pacific upbringing and a 5 yr. sojourn in Boston/Providence/New York, Wei has landed in San Francisco. She is a museum educator at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and a member of Halau Hula Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu.

G.A.P.A. Dance Company A significant cultural component of the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA), the GAPA Dance Company aims to provide a nurturing artistic environment for dancers in the community, and has won recognition since its founding (including recipient of the 1992 Cable Car Award for Outstanding Dance Group). The GAPA Dance Company was founded in 1990 and has produced two repertory programs, "Reflections" (1991), and "Body Songs" (1992). Other performances included "ExtravaGAPA" (1990), and "ExtravaGAPA2." The GAPA Dance Co. is co-gender and has appeared at numerous community events, as well as its won repertory shows. GAPA's dance repertoire features a varied number of dance styles, including hip-hop, modern, traditional ethnic, and fusion. Most recently, the Dance Company completed a stint as Artists-In-Residence at Jon Sims Center for the Arts, and helped organize "GAPAret" as part of the United States of Asian America Arts Festival and the Queer Arts Festival. The GAPA Dance Company is Michael Palad, Choreographer; Emmanuel Benisano, Mano Chui, Richard Cleofas, Dino Duazo, Lewis Fernandez, Ike Najarro, and Rico Reyes.

Gaind, Kiran Kiran Gaind is a dreamer, activist, and traveler who recently made her first pilgrimage to her ancestral home, India, to lay her Indian father's ashes to rest in the Ganges. During this journey, Kiran explored and discovered much about her own cultural, spiritual and artistic identities, which she has attempted to express and share through these images.

The Golden Plate Warriors The Golden Plate Warriors is a multicultural DJ crew based in the East Bay. The three members, Ocie (DJ M-IX, Hippo-C), Tapan Munshi (DJ Tap), and Michael Gadd (DJ Mikey bear) formed the crew in the year 2000 after they met at their common workplace, Youth Radio. The trio is well versed in the turntable techniques of mixing, scratching, beat juggling, and battling and they incorporate these skills into their routines. Ocie is a 21-year old club DJ, battle champion, and student at UCSC. He likes chicken and video games. Tapan is a 20-year old party rocker, mixtape DJ, and student at SFSU. He likes to drink horchata and say "oh boy." Mike is a 19-year old skratch animal, mixtape DJ, and student at SFSU. He likes thumbwrestling and mangos.

Guinto, Jose Born in the Philippines, Jose Guinto immigrated to the U.S. in 1976. He has a BFA in Printmaking from California College of Arts and Crafts and will soon apply for an MFA in Arts.

Gutierrez, Robert Born in Manila, Robert Gutierrez immigrated right after the Marcos Martial Law. Before Aquino. Always drew since childhood. Influenced early on by Kahlo, Ocampo, and Siquieros. Attracted to painstakingly long process of glazing oil after layer of oil technique to achieve luminous quality.

hardboiled Josh Chang is the editor of "hardboiled." U.C. Berkeley students and other outside volunteers create "hardboiled" (hb), a 'zine that covers APA issues dealing with politics, community, and culture. "hardboiled" is going into its 5th year of production.

Held, Tracy Tracy Held is a SF Bay Area native studying local environmental issues and working on very early stages of her comic arts career. She is the creator of two comics, a Chinese fantasy story called "The Knot Witch" and an environmental comic called "Leaving Prints."

Hirano, Gennifer Gennifer M. Hirano is a visual/performance artist and commercial photographer from San Francisco. Asian Princess is her art character, or just an excuse to wear 7-inch platform heels and a kimono in public.

Ignacio, Dino Dino Ignacio is a 27 year old, 3D Animation major at the Academy of Art Institute. He is also a graduate of the University of the Philippines Fine Arts College. His film, "Bert is Evil", was an award winner at the 1998 Webby Awards for the Weird category.

Impact Sounds Ernesto Banayos a.k.a. DJ Nesto and Jensen Louie a.k.a. DJ Tec are SFSU students who do fundraisers, community events, and community oriented causes. If you want to contact them to do an event, you can email them at impactsounds@hotmail.com or call 415.688.0464.

Island Soul Island Soul is a newly formed island reggae group that likes to mix-up their style of music with a little R&B flavor. Their smash hit "Laka Laka Laka" and "Merry Christmas Tonga...From Island Soul" has received much airtime on Radio Tonga San Francisco, Friendly Island Christian Radio, and KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley.

Kaipa, Summi Summi Kaipa graduated from the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop with an MFA in Poetry. She is currently the editor of Interlope, a magazine dedicated to publishing innovative Asian American writing

Khimm, Suzy Suzy Khimm is a freelance writer, journalist, and poet. She recently completed her first chapbook, "Ditto the Rest," to be parceled out to supporters of obscure culture throughout the Bay Area and the NYC metro region. She is also a writer for Alternet, a progressive newswire (www.alternet.org). Currently, she is hard at work on her Grand Manifesto on art, ideology, and those Saturday morning cartoons she missed while her parents forced her to go to Korean Language school.

Kim, Kaoru and Sung Kaoru and Sung Kim are husband and wife Bay Area filmmakers currently working on a low-budget feature film entitled "Book of Rules."

Kim, Min Jung Min Jung Kim is a Bay Area writer and leading humor dot.columnist for pop culture APA webzine II stix (pronounced "Two Sticks" - www.iistix.com). A graduate form the University of Michigan, she has also been published in Asian Avenue, Asian American Women's Journal, APA Voices, We-Woori Magazine, Mosaics and several other online publications. She has recently had her poetry accepted for the OKAY anthology project, and an audio poetry compilation produced by Watermark Press.

Ko, Melody Melody Ko is a freelance photographer and writer currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. She has spent the past 5 years documenting people in several Asian countries.

Koh, Annie The extraordinarily energetic Annie Koh is a member of the Literary and Performance Curatorial Committees, one of the Tables Coordinators, moderator of this year's Panel Discussion, and late night stage manager for APAture's Main Event. Over the course of three APAtures, she has produced two issues of her zine "For Motion Discomfort." In between sneezes she works at the Asian Pacific Fund, a community foundation, Locus 1640 Post, a new pan-Asian American arts space, and is the webmaster of Kearny Street Workshop.

Le, Sonny Sonny Le is a PR & Media Consultant. In addition to consulting for corporate and nonprofit organizations, he facilitates workshops for the East Bay Resource Center for Nonprofit Support and other resource organizations. He recently directed the Census 2000 PR and Media Campaign in Northern California and coordinated the New California Media EXPO & Awards in February. He's also on KSW's Advisory Board and has directed and raised funds for a number of nonprofits, including the old Ohana Cultural Center. He's a founding member of the Ohana Open Mike in the East Bay.

Lee, Victoria Victoria Lee has studied the art of corde lisse for over a year and has performed for Trapeze World (a local entertainment company) as well as for resorts overseas. She has previously trained in flying trapeze and static trapeze.

The Yearlings is a Berkeley indie pop trio, playing around the Bay Area for the past two years.

Maduli, David David Maduli is a public middle school teacher. He wants the voices of young people to be heard. He writes with concision, clarity, honesty and emotion in mind because an audience is a precious thing and words are valuable. He feels it is important for there to always be space for hope, celebration and beauty in art.

Malhi, Meeta Meeta's past work focused on women's, bi-cultural and political issues within the South Asian Diaspora. She has expanded her scope of work to stories of migration, historical heroes, and spiritual issues for South Asians living in the states today. For the next year, she is coordinating a video/poetry project for South Asian youth exploring the Sikh spiritual identity in North America.

Maliwat, Chris Chris Maliwat has been taking photographs ever since he made pinhole cameras in elementary school. At that time, he was startled at how much you can learn by capturing the world in one short instance. Since then, he has been taking pictures to help him observe, understand and remember.

Matsuo, Reiko Reiko Matsuo is a performance and installation artist who received her Bachelor of Arts at University of Maryland in 2000. She has since moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in pursuit of an Asian American community to enrich her studies and passion. The focus of her work is on communication and sharing concepts with others.

Maxwell Horse Maxwell Horse, a trio of guitar, bass and drums, has been active as a band for 3 years in the Bay Area. Dedicated to independence in thought and commerce, they've released one CD and a 7" single on their own label and are currently gearing up to record their second full-length while continuing to play frequent shows at area venues such as the Bottom of the Hill and the Paradise Lounge.

Miyake, Mark Mark Miyake's interest in printmaking started 3 years ago: first with glue-relief prints, then linocuts, and finally rubbercuts. He was attracted by the accessible nature of printmaking using inexpensive and non-toxic materials. The idea of creating a one-of-a-kind plate to produce an infinitely reproducible image has always intrigued him. A newcomer to the Bay Area, Mark is a modern day renaissance man: Writer, Illustrator, Print Maker, burgeoning Film Maker, and full time nice guy.

Nath, Kirthi Kirthi is a filmmaker and writer currently living in San Francisco, CA. Her films reveal intrigue and obsession with questions of self, boundaries, memory and desire, and how this cross-sects with the sensual experience of a moment. She received her MFA at the Visual Arts Graduate Program at the University of California, San Diego and works at Girlsinc.

Neely, John John began working in video as an undergrad making a thesis documentary about alternative rock in Providence, R.I. Later, he worked as a designer in Seattle and San Francisco before going back to school. Currently pursuing a Master's in Documentary at Stanford, John is interested in issues around race, technology and globalization.

Ng, Daniel Daniel Ng was born in Hong Kong, moved to New York when he was one year old, and then to the Bay Area in 1992. He has a degree in mechanical engineering and creates works fusing science and technology, fire and art. He has worked with the Illumination Project and Survival Research Labs and regularly displays his work at the Burning Man festival. Daniel has a brand new nephew, his sister's first child, born in July.

Nobles, Allyn In 1995 Allyn Nobles traded his hometown of South San Francisco for the chance to experience life in San Francisco. Allyn's artistic endeavor goes beyond his own testimony of aestheticism of and within the gay community. His current work reflects this and is also becoming a prescribed commentary about his on-going healing process.

Omaki, Ai Ai Omaki is a graduate of SFSU major in Radio and Television. "The Slab" is the first documentary project that she has ever worked on and produced. Having been born in Manila and raised in Japan, she is interested in making documentaries, especially concerning minority women living in Japan.

Pak, Jenie Jenie Pak was born in South Korea. She received her Masters of Fine Arts degree in Poetry from Cornell University. She has work published or forthcoming in Alligator Juniper, Blithe House Quarterly, Five Fingers Review, Love Shook My Heart II, Many Mountains Moving, and the Oakland Review. She is currently at work on a screenplay. She lives in San Francisco and can be contacted at navia427@aol.com

Peterson, Jamie Born and raised in Southern California, Jamie Peterson studied Fine Arts at Cabrillo College in Aptos, the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, and the Scuola Lorenzo De Medici in Florence, Italy. Jamie graduated with a BFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute, May 2001.

Pham, Thien Thien Pham was born in Vietnam and immigrated here in 1980. He just graduated from the Academy of Arts in December and now lives in Saratoga.

Pien, Lark Lark Pien is a comic book artist who likes coffee, cigarettes and diet coke. She was an architect before and still has designer's tendencies (towards spatial relationships, lighting and processional experience). Every now and then she puts out a good project. Lark is constantly seeking inspiration and intimacy.

Ranpura, Janaki Janaki Ranpura is an Indian-American shadow puppeteer and theater artist. A graduate of Yale University, Janaki has appeared with Shadowlight Productions of San Francisco and is currently studying physical theater in Paris, France.

Rivera-Gravage, Michella "Raining Ash" is Michella Rivera-Gravage's first film/video piece. She has curated several programs in the past, including the Women of Color Film Festival at UC Berkeley and "Constellation of Home" at the SF Cinematheque. She currently works at the Bay Area Video Coalition as the Post Production Coordinator.

Salgado, Anthony Anthony Salgado is a poet.

Sataman, Sirima Sirima Sataman (born 1966 in Bangkok, Thailand) received her BA in Art from Pitzer College, Claremont, California and now resides in Davenport, California. Her most recent body of work "Coupled Trees" is large scale black and white block prints depicting wind-shaped and weathered trees. The Coupled Trees Series are about evolving relationships -- How do proximity and man-made or natural force affect couples over time?

Sato, Ikuko Ikuko Sato studies film/video/performance at the California College of Arts and Crafts. She is an artist who is trying to figure out how love, justice, art and fun come together. Her handcrafted books are some of what she's figured out so far.

Sheng, Samuel Samuel Sheng has been doing local theatre, independent films and all sorts of odds and ends in the San Francisco Bay Area for the last four years to support his habit of acting. Onstage, he has appeared in the 25th Anniversary revival production of "The Chickencoop Chinaman" at Asian American Theatre Company, four productions of the Magic Theatre's "Young California Writer's Project", the West Coast Premiere of "The Joy Luck Club" at Theatreworks, the world premiere of Thick Description's "Under Western Eye's" opening up their new space, The Thick House, "South Pacific" for the Mountain Play, a Sold Out Award winner at the 1998 San Francisco Fringe Festival, "Sex, Murder and Mayhem Never Looked This Good" for the Guerilla Theatre Company, the award winning one act, "Cause and Effect on Clement Street" at the New Play Festival '97 for the Santa Cruz Playwright's Festival, "Along For the Ride", the New Play Award from the 1997 SF Weekly Black Box Awards for Icicle Productions and most recently, "CafØ Depresso" at the Exit Theater for Tanta Productions, etc. He also co-founded R/Evolution Theater Company, which debuted June 16th, 2001 with "TEXAS" at the Thick House.

Shiga, Jason Jason Shiga was born in Berkeley, California. His comic strip, "Fleep" currently appears in the newspaper "Asian Week." Jason works as a library aide in Oakland.

The Skyflakes The Skyflakes are a Filipino-American alternative/pop/punk band. Members come from all over Northern California. Influences include the Breeders, the Cure, Blondie and the Ramones.

Sun, Deth Deth Sun is a visual artist.

Sundaralingam, Pireeni Pireeni is a Tamil Sri Lankan poet. Her previous work has appeared in "The Oxford and Cambridge Anthology of Poetry." She is a member of the S.F. Writers' Collective "Dhaia Tribe" and is currently working on her first collection of Poetry, entitled "Margin Lands."

Takayama, Robynn Robynn Takayama created her alter ego, Nonogirl, when she worked at Kinko's and started a print zine. The name asserts her identity as a woman of color and reflects her participation in the Asian American community and a culture of resistance. Today, Nonogirl broadcasts personal perspectives and unheard stories online at Nonogirl Radio (www.nonogirl.com) and on air at Radio Segue, KUSF 90.3 FM.

Tamaribuchi, Peter Peter Tamaribuchi is an Asian American director, teacher and playwright. Most recently, he has directed the Caught Up Performance Project which empowers Southeast Asian youth to perform their own plays on gang violence. He has also written and directed and performed his work for APAture and Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco. This fall, he will be involved with theater at the College of Marin in Kentfield, CA.

Tan, Jenny This is Jenny Tan's first work as a writer and in the comic book industry.

Tang, Alex Alex Tang is a member of Ming Fai, and has been rapping for over a decade. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, he has been exposed to a multitude of music, people and lifestyles, allowing him to incorporate and address issues affecting him and his community. Don't take it wrong, he has fun and keeps the rhymes tight while you bop your head in amazement as he flavors his flow in Chinese. Don't sleep on Ming Fai, it's a party.

Tsen, Li Cheng Li Cheng Tsen is a contemporary puppet theater artist from Taipei, Taiwan. Her theater company, The Puppet and Its Double Theater, founded in 1999, is the first theater troupe to focus on the development of contemporary puppet arts in Taiwan. Past productions include "The Happy Prince," "Bei-bei, the Wing Seller," and "The Labyrinth River," which each use various forms of puppetry, among them masks, rod puppets, shadow puppets, hand puppets, string puppets, table-top puppets, black theater and object theater.

Tiee, Charlise Charlise Tiee has been drawing girls since she was small. She learned how to draw from her mother, who drew her people to color. She remembers having Tomy Fashion Plates (that toy from the '70s) and drawing her own heads onto the bodies. Later, her father taught her watercolor and calligraphy, but eventually she found her way to oils. She paints portraits of people she knows. Some of her work has been exhibited in coffeehouses and the like in the Bay Area.

Tong, Jennifer Jennifer Tong is a Bay Area documentary photographer and arts educator. She is committed to the belief of using the arts to build cultural understanding and tolerance.

Treanor, Kenji Kenji M. Treanor is the project director and co-editor of "wirecutting," a zine project for and by young people to express their ideas on the collective political identity of various communities, post-Japanese American internment and redress. Kenji has worked as an activist/organizer, teacher, and non-profit coordinator, and has been artistic as a musician, writer, actor, designer/desktop publisher, karaoke singer, and car culture fan.

Ubungen, Pearl Pearl Ubungen is a fourth Filipina American born and raised in San Francisco. She creates work that combines the use of post-modern dance with elements of theater, text, popular culture and original live music. She is known for her commitment to community-based site-specific work and her collaborative process with visual artists, musicians and community members. Her works with her dance company, Pearl Ubungen Dancers and Musicians, include I-Hotel/The Fall, Makibaka!, and Tagulaylay.

Untalan, Teri Singer, songwriter, violist and arranger Teri Untalan has been active in the SF musical community for the last 10 years. She fronts the jazz/lounge group Lush Life Players, which debuted at the 1999 APAture exhibit and who's new CD is expected out early Sept. She is also working on a new CD of her original material to be released in 2002. Other credits including playing and/or writing for Buckethead, Westside Chemical, Quatro Caminos, David Hopkins and Butch Barry.

Villa, Carlos Carlos Villa is a professor in the Painting Department and has taught at the San Francisco Art Institute since 1969. He received a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA in Painting from Mills College. Villa has exhibited his work internationally, including exhibitions at the Syntex Gallery, Palo Alto; the INTAR Gallery, New York; and the American Academy at Rome, Italy. His work is featured in the permanent collections of many institutions, including those of the Casa de las Americas, Havana, Cuba; Columbia University, New York; the Oakland Museum; the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; and the Whitney Museum, New York.

Wai, Pauli Pauli Wai is a writer who has taught about interracial and cultural issues. Pauli's experience studying abroad in China has led him to think about issues of race/culture as related to post-colonialism, as well as U.S. economic and cultural imperialism. Pauli Wai wishes to bring more understanding between Asian/Asian Americans and other races.

Wakida, Patricia Patricia Wakida was born in the year of the dog. She writes, edits, publishes, letterpress prints, and bookbinds under the Wasabi Press imprint. She is currently Projects and Development Director at Heyday Books in Berkeley.

Woo, Grace As a child, Grace watched her mom sketch dress patterns and that was when she learned to first draw the human figure. In her drawings over the next 3 decades, ideas of gender, race, and the body emerged but they all boiled down to the eternal question "will the dress fit?"

Wu, Dan Dan Wu is a 1.5-generation Chinese boy from Kentucky. He hates standing in lines, knows a bit of Simpsons trivia and wants more time in his life for archery, bowling and the Sims. He's a retired zinester who decided not to spend the money for film school.

Yang, Gene Gene Yang began drawing comic books in the 5th grade. In 1997, he received the Xeric Grant for his first professional comic book Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks. He is currently working on a series of stories about the Monkey King, folk hero of ancient China. By day, Gene teaches computer science at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland.

Yee, Liza Liza Yee is a senior at UCLA studying Italian and Art and has been interested in photography throughout her life. She began to take photos more seriously since starting college. It has really widened her perception of her surroundings and created an awareness of how people affect each other. It is a growing process that she welcomes and that challenges her to explore different ways of conveying ideas, emotions, and beauty to herself and others.

Yeung, Bernice Bernice Yeung does a zine called "option8." She helped organize APAture 2000 and 2001.

Yi, Jean Jean Yi is a visual artist residing in San Jose.