Las Gallas on WHYY Radio!

Highlighting the shared stories and struggles of immigration and migration within the Asian and Latino communities, Illuminate Me is the multi-sensory culmination of a cross-cultural exploration through a series of community workshops in which participants shared personal histories and journeys through a range of text, sound and image-based storytelling activities. Lanterns created by workshop participants are featured in the exhibition alongside new mixed-media artwork by Las Gallas members Julia Lopez, Magda Martinez, and Michelle A. Ortiz accompanied by an original soundscape by Alex Shaw.

Click on the video below to listen to the the story on the installation by Peter Crimmins from WHYY Radio. Click here to see pictures and read the story.

Opening Reception: Friday October 19, 5 p.m.

Highlighting the shared stories and struggles of immigration and migration within the Asian and Latino communities, Illuminate Me is the multi-sensory culmination of a cross-cultural exploration through a series of community workshops in which participants shared personal histories and journeys through a range of text, sound and image-based storytelling activities. Lanterns created by workshop participants are featured in the exhibition alongside new mixed-media artwork by Las Gallas members Julia Lopez, Magda Martinez, and Michelle A. Ortiz accompanied by an original soundscape by Alex Shaw.
The opening reception of Illuminate Me on Friday October 19 coincides with the bi-annual convening of approximately 400 artists and representatives from member organizations of the National Association of Latino Arts And Culture (NALAC) which takes place in Philadelphia this October 17 - 21. 

Illuminate Me is the first in a series of projects that Asian Arts Initiative is presenting as part of our Neighborhood Spotlight Series, presented by PNC Arts Alive and The Knight Foundation. Our Neighborhood Spotlight Series  focuses on the neighborhoods of Chinatown (our home base) and South Philadelphia (where we offer after-school programming three public schools) and provides creative experiences and interactions in spaces such as public parks, plazas, storefronts, restaurants, and parking lots, allowing us to enliven our communities and engage diverse audiences.

Illuminate Me is made possible with generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Knight Arts Challenge, The PNC Foundation's PNC Arts Alive grant initiative and the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC).