KSW Reflects on Your Incredible Impact

“KSW is where history meets dreaming. And because of you, we are so much closer to dreaming for another 50 years.”

KSW Co-Directors Mihee Kim, Jason Bayani 2022 (Photo credit: Mish Lapitan)

To all our community: we are sitting back and thanking our lucky stars for this time at KSW. It is so rewarding to do this work and see how much can change for the better. 

Our goal is that KSW is here to stay for another 50 years and beyond. Not only for the sake of our history and what our programs do for Asian American artists in San Francisco, but really, because of the people we’ve met along the way. Because of the communities that are still together, connected in some form, because of the spaces we collectively create. We are a home for artists built entirely by our community’s generous supporters, organizers, and allies across 50 years. KSW is where history meets dreaming. And because of you, we are so much closer to dreaming for another 50 years. 

KSW50 June 11, 2022 (Photo Credit: Claire Burke)

Over the course of this past year, we have had the pleasure of celebrating 50 years, most notably in June, the KSW50 Gala: To Imagine is to Exist. All summer, we’ve been gently reeling from the outpouring of love and support, which allowed us to come together, across distance and time, to celebrate the history and future of this organization.

We’ve always tried to create a special home for artists, one built on community movements, generosity, and a belief that our voices belong. At KSW50, the radical joy we’ve witnessed over these many years came together in celebration and poured resources back into our community in a way that’s allowed us to move towards stabilization, and dream of better futures.

As a part of the changes we’ve enacted over recent years, we have an important announcement to make. One that we are incredibly proud of. We’re now able to support two full-time Co-Directors. Every step in valuing community arts and uplifting artists and arts organizers are meaningful ones, and we are so proud of these recent changes. This adjustment has come with a long awaited move from a more classic non-profit model to that of Co-Directorship, which aligns more closely with our values as a non-hierarchical organization. Though this is how we’ve always worked, moving to an official Co-Director model challenges us as well as other nonprofits to understand the meaning of equity under impossible circumstances. This evolution was recommended by our staff, and ushered forward by our Board of Directors led by Paul Ocampo as Board President. The shift was informed by our communities, our founding story, and how we dream of living with one another in a world where art can and does create more just futures.

Founder Jim Dong, KSW50 June 11, 2022 (Photo Credit: Claire Burke)

Everything you’ve given back, all the time volunteered, the expertise, the connections made on our behalf, the outreach, the donations, the food and drink made with your own hands, the countless hours supporting our events and programs, all this led to not only an amazing gala that surpassed all our expectations, but also led to other important wins for KSW and our communities.

For example, we won the following grants, creating much needed stability for our organization:

San Francisco Art Commission - Cultural Equity Initiatives
Grants for the Arts - Parades & Festivals 
Grants for the Arts - Arts Programming 
California Arts Council Impact Grant
California Arts Council General Operating Support 
Poetry Foundation General Operating Support 
&more!

Community Art Weaving in progress led by Charlene Tan, KSW50 June 11, 2022  (Photo Credit: Ron Fernandez)

These wins buoy us and have allowed us to create infrastructure and processes that build a stronger KSW. With more resources, our work will be able to serve more artists and community members for years to come. The leadership at KSW is committed to sustainability and growth.

“Imagine” Art Auction, KSW50 June 11, 2022  (Photo Credit: Claire Burke)

“Counting Cranes” by Truong Tran, KSW50 June 11, 2022 (Photo Credit: Claire Burke)

To our amazing Board of Directors: Wow. We’ve come so far in a relatively short amount of time. And truly, it’s because of you. Some of you have been involved in KSW for decades, offering expertise and advice (Robynn! Amanda!). Others have worked perilously late on our budgets, ensuring we build our organization slowly and surely (Lawrence!). Others play important roles at KSW because of their knowledge, skill and care, (Josh! Irene! Nina!), while another has called us 1-1 for several years, always checking in to ensure the staff is doing OK (Jenny!), and others still offer incredible insight which allows staff and KSW to flourish together (Paul! Cris! Jayo! Jen!). You all contribute your talent and intelligence, and this has really made all the difference to KSW and to us as staff.

KSW Board & Staff: Irene Gutierrez, Jen Chu, Jayo Miko Macasaquit, Mihee Kim, Jason Bayani, Michelle Lin, Joshua Wheeler, Robynn Takayama, Paul Ocampo, Lawrence Liu, Jenny Ton, Missing from photograph: Cristiana Baik, Amanda Chaudhary, Nina Asay, KSW50 June 11, 2022 (Photo Credit: Ron Fernandez)

We are so grateful to all of you. To our outgoing board members Jennifer Chu and Jayo Miko Macasaquit, thank you deeply for your contributions these past years. You will be dearly missed! There are many others to thank, including KSW’s program leads, especially Michelle Lin who was a consultant on several projects including KSW50. We owe many successes to her too.

Thank you everyone, for all that you’ve done, and for all that you continue to do!

Sincerely,

Your KSW Co-DIrectors

Mihee & Jason