Community Spotlight: FilAm ARTS

FilAm Arts: Building Community Through Arts and Culture
Article by Rhoda Dizon
September 3, 2010
Arts

Mission Statement: Building Community Through Arts and Culture

FilAm ARTS stands for the Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture. FilAm ARTS is a non- profit, multi-disciplinary community arts organization whose mission is to advance the understanding of the arts and the diverse cultural heritage of Pilipinos in the United States through presentation, education and arts services. With three public programs, FilAm ARTS’ organizational purpose is to engage diverse peoples in cultural arts as a synergistic approach to individual and community self-determination and empowerment.

MAJOR PROGRAMS:

Annual Festival of Philppine Arts and Culture (FPAC)

FilAm ARTS traces its roots to the annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC), which is its longest and most notorious program to date. FPAC is an annual series of multi-disciplinary arts events that takes place in the County of Los Angeles that includes art exhibitions, literary readings, performances, film screenings that all culminate in a two-day festival weekend. This year, FPAC will be held on the weekend of September 11th and 12th at Point Fermin Park in San Pedro, California. For more information about this upcoming event please visit: www.filamarts.org.
 

Pilipino Artist Network (PAN)

The Pilipino Artists Network (PAN) is a California-statewide, capacity-building program for established and emerging Pilipino American Traditional Folk Arts, Dance, Theater, Music, Visual Arts, Media Arts, Literary Arts, Arts Education, and Presenters. It is designed to promote the growth of multiple disciplines by developing mutually supportive relationships that provide greater access to resources and markets not otherwise available through individual effort. If an artist participates in the PAN pavilion at FPAC they automatically become a part of the Pilipino Artist Network. PAN also advocates for state funding of the arts in the belief that arts programming and the work of artists will contribute greatly to the empowerment and well being of people of all backgrounds.   
 

Eskuwela Kultura

The Eskuwela Kultura (Cultural school) advances the education components of FilAm ARTS mission-providing a range of classes in martial arts (arnis, eskrima, kali), multicultural dance, visual arts, production, music, crafts, creative writing or a combination of arts disciplines in a safe and supportive environment for both youth and adults. The Eskuela Kultura was once an after school program that sought to educate and empower youth through arts and mentorship with community leaders. Eskuwela Kultura was open to local youth, from kindergarten to high school, who resided in the North Los Angeles/Eagle Rock area to downtown LA.  Classes were opened to all youth who provided their own transportation to and from workshops for a nominal fee.    
 
                       
To keep up with the latest happenings of Film ARTS, you can checkout these listservs:
 
Literary/Spoken World: panliteraryarts@yahoogroups.com
 
 

 

To Contact FilAm ARTS:

E-mail: info@filamarts.org
Phone numbers: (213) 380-FPAC (3722)
(213) 380-3724 FAX
Address: 760 S. Westmoreland Ave. #266
Los Angeles, CA 90005
 

To Donate to FilAm ARTS:

 

THE ARTS INITIATIVE:

Here are some basic facts about the arts and arts advocacy in California from the past and the present. 
 

Arts funding in California

Major budget cuts in the arts have had a dire impact on our community, with fewer art classes offered at schools and universities, thus lesser contribution to the art world in general. With the help of the Pilipino-American community, events such as FPAC can persist on, even through economically tough times such as these. 

Before budget cuts…

  • The California Arts Council (CAC) budget used to be $32 million.
  • Pilipino American artists were among the top most funded ethnic groups in the competitive grant cycles.
  • California Arts Council (CAC) funding supported cultural programming, providing people from all backgrounds the experience of our state’s cultural diversity.

Now…

  • California ranks 48th in arts funding in the U.S. That means we’re third to last in the nation. The repercussions of these cuts are felt not only within cultural communities throughout the state, but also in economic and social arenas. Imagine a world without FPAC, a world without community arts opportunities for artist of all backgrounds.      
  • California spends 3 cents per person on the arts. The national average is $1.15.  France spends $56 per person.
  • All grants programs by the CAC have been stopped indefinitely. This includes
  • Artists in Residence
  • Arts Programs for 850,000 K-12 students
  • Funding for cultural dance, music, poets and authors, visual artists, media artists, etc.
 
 

What you can do to Advocate for the Arts
 

 1. Write to your legislators and ask them to support the arts!           

 
2. Become a member or volunteer at FilAm ARTS. Click here.  
 
3. Support artists           
Get to know Pilipino Artists in every genre.  Visit the PAN Pavilion and watch musical performances at FPAC. Buy tickets, CD’s, artworks, books... support Pilipino artists! 
 
4. Start using the arts to help yourself too.
Enroll yourself or your child in arts classes for personal development, stress relief or just for fun.  
 
5. Tell others about Arts Advocacy and why it is important to you. 
Many people do not know how important arts can be to them.  Share a fact and welcome a discussion.   
 
6. Visit and support FilAM ARTS friends and partner arts organizations.
It takes so many organizations to produce a festival such as FPAC!  Click on these web links to FilAM ARTS’ friends and partner arts organizations and support them as well.
 
7. Don't just go to the movies, experience the ARTS!
Did you know that Los Angeles is home to more theaters than in New York. In L.A. on any given night you will find concerts, art openings, film screenings, arts and crafts fairs, poetry and literary readings, a variety of arts classes and dialogues. Pick up an L.A. Weekly or click on ExperienceLA.com for more information. 
 
8. Learn about other advocacy efforts such:
California Arts Council (CAC)           
http://www.cac.ca.gov/         
             
California Arts Advocates (CAA) 
      
Americans for the Arts Advocacy
    
California Asian/Pacific Islander Arts Network (CAAPIAN) 
 
9. Read about other Arts and Culture related news in monthly brochures such as ArtScene, which highlight new art shows, closing art exhibitions, fundraisers, and other art related events in Southern California galleries and museums. Artillery Magazine is a monthly magazine that provides articles and updates on the latest happenings in the L.A. contemporary art community.    
 
10. Learn about and appreciate other cultures so that you can not only help build the Pilipino American community, but other communities of your interest as well.  
 

Related Posts
Sources
-facts about the arts today
-advocacy for the arts
-facts about the arts and its effect on children
-advocacy sources
-Official 2008 Festival Program: the 17th Annual- Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture

 

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