ASIAN AMERICAN ARTS CHICAGO

Celebrating the Creativity of Asian, Pacific Island, and Desi/South Asian Americans in Chicago.

ASIAN AMERICAN
ARTS CHICAGO

AAAC’s Mission

Asian American Arts Chicago AAAC, formerly APIDA Arts, is a not-for-profit, multi-disciplinary arts organization whose mission is to support and amplify artistic expression from the Asian American diaspora in Chicago, Illinois. We produce festivals, performances, and support a database of Asian American identified artists to provide better representation, equity, and opportunity.

APIDA Arts is a nonprofit arts organization

APIDA

Arts

Celebrating the Creativity of Asian, Pacific Island, and Desi/South Asian Americans in Chicago. APIDA Arts’ mission is to amplify and unify APIDA artists in Chicago by showcasing their work at premier cultural institutions, providing greater representation, equity, and opportunity.

APIDA Arts’ Mission

APIDA Arts is a nonprofit, multi-disciplinary arts organization whose mission is to amplify and unify creative expression from the Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi/South Asian American diaspora in Chicago, Illinois. We produce festivals, performances, and support a database of APIDA identified artists to provide better representation, equity, and opportunity.

Events

CALLING ALL AAPINH PERFORMERS, ARTISTS, & MAKERS:

You now officially have Permission to Fail. Join your creative peers in this artist salon of unfinished work of all mediums.

Apply to submit your work-in-progress by September 28. Share your film, music, paintings, dance, sculpture, photo, monologue, drawing, stand-up routine. Put you and your work out there!

Dare to Connect! Online Storytelling Class + Live Showcase with Ada Cheng

Want to tell personal stories to create genuine connections, cultivate trust to build bridges, and develop intimate communities? Interested in learning how to use personal narratives to examine and present urgent social concerns of our time in an accessible way?

During these four sessions, storyteller and solo performer Ada Cheng guides you through central tenets of storytelling and personal narratives, including emotions like vulnerability and trust, story structure, delivery, audience interactions, and impact. Participants will leave this online class with at least one story which they will present in person at a final showcase.

This beginner class is open to everyone ages 18+, regardless of backgrounds and identities.

Virtual class: Nov 2, 9, 16, 23. Sundays 6-9pm CT. Zoom
In Person Showcase: Dec 13. 1-3pm CT. Venue TBA
Tuition: $280 for 5 sessions. Space is limited! Payment plans are available. Payment info sent after registration.

Your instructor is award-winning educator-turned storyteller, solo performer, and producer Dr. Ada Cheng. Dr. Cheng has utilized storytelling to illustrate structural inequities, raise critical awareness, and build intimate communities. Committed to amplifying and uplifting marginalized voices, she has created numerous storytelling platforms for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community members to tell difficult and vulnerable stories. Dr. Cheng has been a speaker for Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau since 2019. She was named Educator of the Year in 2021, 2023-24 Lund-Gill Chair at Dominican University and was a 2024 Illinois Humanities Public Humanities Award honoree. Her interests encompass academia, storytelling/performance, and advocacy.

Arts Education

APIDA Arts bring dancers and educator Wannapa Pimtong-Eubanks to teach movement at Spry Chicago Public School.

APIDA Arts is proud to coproduce this event with Sama Sama Project.

Past Events

The Great Filipino Songbook

LANNA Dream

Lanna Dream is a 45-minute solo contemporary dance theatre performance that reflects the choreographer’s perspective on the recent historical progression of arts and culture in the Lanna region of northern Thailand. Within the context of the Lanna identity from the late 19th century to the present, Northern Thai/Lanna people have had an archetypal and stereotypical image imposed on them from outside and inscribed into their everyday surroundings and lives.

Musical Cabaret

Cameron Cai

Singer

Seo Young Park

Singer

Mariel Saavedra

Singer

Jasmine Meyer

Planist

Jasmine Meyer

Planist

Emily Zhang

MC Producer

Mia Park

Director Producer

Marian Chen

Producer