On Wednesday, April 7, at 11:30 a.m. PST, watch the #HERITAGEiRL livestream as artists-activists Nobuko Miyamoto, Elizabeth (Liz) Young, and Arlan Huang, reminisce about the Basement Workshop, Asian Women United, the Yellow Pearl Project, and the people and groups that made it happen.
This program will be facilitated by Phil Tajitsu Nash from the University of Maryland. Click here to watch.
In 1972, the collective known as Basement Workshop in Chinatown, NYC published the art book “Yellow Pearl.” It was originally a project meant to illustrate the music of Chris Iijima, Nobuko Miyamoto, and Charlie Chin, but grew into a 57-page compilation of writing, art, and music by over 30 Asian American artists. The introduction of the collection reads:
“YELLOW PEARL is a collection of the creative talents of young Asian Americans. It is also an expression of an emerging consciousness of being Asian in America. We need to write about the War, Attica and our people’s history. We need to express our loves, our loneliness and our dreams. Through YELLOW PEARL we share what we feel, what we think and what we are with our brothers and sisters.”
The program is co-sponsored by the Association for Asian American Studies and the Smithsonian Institution (Asian Pacific American Center, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, National Museum of American History). This program is supported by the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, Federal Funds administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.