Porch Light’s Deep Work with the AAPI Community

As we celebrate the Asian American Pacific Islander community this month, we are spotlighting the intentional and impactful ongoing work that Mural Arts’ Porch Light program is doing within that community. In response to the needs of a diverse community, Mural Arts committed to reaching out to the community and asked them to tell their stories of migration, adaptation, and hope for their future. One way this is accomplished is through Porch Light’s Southeast by Southeast storefront at the Bok building, 1901 S. 9th St, which has been in the community for ten years.

In addition to our work at the storefront hub, Porch Light is also facilitating a series of five murals focusing on Philadelphia’s AAPI communities, which began in partnership with the Mayor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and the Managing Director’s Office. The series intends to highlight the presence and contributions of the AAPI communities and to reduce stigma toward the populations due to the fear of the novel coronavirus.

AAPI Mural Series with Porch Light

We dreamt an orchard this way is a new mural designed by artist Gina Kim as part of Porch Light’s AAPI Mural Series. The mural, which is located on the second story at Vietnam Restaurant in Chinatown at 221 N. 11th Street, will be dedicated on Wednesday, May 10 at 3:00 PM. Join us as we celebrate this new mural with lion dance performances by the Philadelphia Suns, an art activity, light refreshments and speakers connected to the project. This striking artwork was painted by lead muralist Kien Nguyen with assistance by Lucia Michel.

This project is the second within a series of five murals focusing on Philadelphia’s AAPI communities, which began in partnership with the Mayor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and the Managing Director’s Office. The artists work with community members to amplify the voices of the AAPI communities and to quell the stigma toward the populations that has risen in recent years due to Covid. We hope that the mural will act as a catalyst for community dialogue around building trust and understanding.

Kim’s mural focuses on the Chinatown neighborhood, a hub and symbol of Asian American culture. Partner organizations for this mural, who helped facilitate community engagement and provided insight into the history of the Chinatown neighborhood, included Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC), a non-profit whose mission is to preserve, protect, and promote Chinatown as a viable ethnic, residential, and business community, and Asian Arts Initiative, a multidisciplinary arts center connecting cultural expression and social change.

The first mural in the series is Unity in Diversity by Winnie Sidharta, located at Hardena restaurant at 1754 S. Hicks St, Philadelphia, PA 19145. The mural focuses on Indonesian, Cambodian, and Vietnamese populations. It tells the story of the Southeast Asian immigrant experience, showcasing traditional design and art along with depictions of life in Philadelphia.

Managed by Mural Arts’ Porch Light Department, this mural series is funded by the City of Philadelphia, Callahan Ward, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and the City’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services.

Porch Light is now planning the third mural, which will be in the Olney neighborhood at Fern Rock Hardware Store at 5957 N. 5th Street. This project will focus on solidarity between the neighborhood’s Asian and Black communities, and is being shaped by a mural advisory council composed of eight civic leaders from the Olney neighborhood. The co-lead artists for this project are Kien Nguyen and Monica Mathieu.

The other two murals will be completed in 2024.

Southeast by Southeast

So many great things happen at Southeast by Southeast! Started in 2011, this initiative has grown and evolved, welcoming in neighbors, helping new families connect to support systems, and becoming a focal point for community activities and social services What began as a series of community workshops and events has now become a thriving and vibrant community space. It is a safe zone for immigrant and refugee families to share concerns, combat feelings of isolation, and feel like they are part of a community.

Shira Walinksy has been an artist, teacher, and organizer who helped to start the Southeast program in 2011. Shatoya Howard is now the Senior Storefronts Manager. Southeast by Southeast is a collective space with contributing artists, teachers, volunteers, and community leaders. From the Burmese Karen community, Naw Doh has been a committed teacher, advocate, and organizer since 2012. The programming at Southeast by Southeast began with the Burmese and Bhutanese refugee groups in Philadelphia. Over the years, the communities in Southeast Philadelphia have expanded, and we have also expanded to work with Latinx communities. Alma Figueroa-Gonzalez, who offers artmaking classes in Spanish, has been a tremendous asset to the expansion.

In the hub space, volunteers, neighbors, and artists teach classes on various subjects, stretching from sewing and weaving to English as a Second Language. Entrepreneurship and highly skilled craft making are culturally significant to many of the immigrant and refugee families, and providing a warm, inviting hub space with familiar activities has opened doors for other social services. Southeast by Southeast makes a new place into a home, connecting neighbors to services and each other while transforming the neighborhood through vivid art and activity.

Southeast by Southeast moved into the Bok building in the last year and celebrated a decade in November with an art exhibit that featured photographs of participants and their progression in the last ten years, including their start in refugee camps, moving to Philadelphia, learning English and becoming citizens. Over 400 people attended the opening night and exhibit, which included films from the Making Home movies series. https://www.muralarts.org/artworks/making-home-movies-3/

The Southeast programming has also always taken pride in showcasing the amazing talent that its participants bring, including textile work. A new textile class on Fridays allows attendees from different cultures to share their techniques and provide an outlet to create and sell items. That class, and Alma’s painting class, were featured in Bok’s recent open studio on April 21, where women were also able to sell the items they have created.

Southeast By Southeast took part in the Open Studios at Bok April 21st. The women’s textile group, a youth textile group led by Naw Doh and Alma Figueroa-Gonzales’s painting class, Shira and Shatoya all took part. Over 2,000 people came through the building. This was a wonderful opportunity for the Southeast community to learn about other small businesses and communities in the building. The women in our group were also happy to sell some of their work at fair prices. We look forward to continuing to celebrate stories and culture through textile work and to continue to grow the community of people who want to take part.

Through the AAPI mural series and their deeply impactful work at Southeast By Southeast, Porch Light is committed to amplifying the voices of the Asian American Pacific Islander community. These ongoing projects will help these communities to fully engage Philadelphia and make it truly feel like home.

Rashidah Salam conducts a "Winter Garden" multimedia workshop for Southeast by Southeast, March 4, 2023. Photo by Erin Blewett.
Rashidah Salam conducts a "Winter Garden" multimedia workshop for Southeast by Southeast, March 4, 2023. Photo by Erin Blewett.
Rashidah Salam conducts a "Winter Garden" multimedia workshop for Southeast by Southeast, March 4, 2023. Photo by Erin Blewett.
Artist Layqa Nuna Yawar works with Art Education students at the Southeast by Southeast hub space in South Philadelphia, July 24 2019. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Artist Layqa Nuna Yawar works with Art Education students at the Southeast by Southeast hub space in South Philadelphia, July 24 2019. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Visiting artist Becky McIntyre leads an art education class at Bok, July 27, 2022. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Visiting artist Becky McIntyre leads an art education class at Bok, July 27, 2022. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Visiting artist Becky McIntyre leads an art education class at Bok, July 27, 2022. Photo by Steve Weinik.
Making Home Movies Screening and 10-year Anniversary Retrospective, November 10, 2022. Photo by Troy Bynum.
Making Home Movies Screening and 10-year Anniversary Retrospective, November 10, 2022. Photo by Troy Bynum.
Making Home Movies Screening and 10-year Anniversary Retrospective, November 10, 2022. Photo by Troy Bynum.
Making Home Movies Screening and 10-year Anniversary Retrospective, November 10, 2022. Photo by Troy Bynum.

Last updated: Jun 26, 2023

Porch Light

Apr 25, 2023

AAPI Mural Series with Porch Light

Southeast by Southeast

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