Asian Arts Initiative hopes its SHARED SPACES 共享空间 will help artists and immigrants stay in Chinatown North

In 2017, arts and culture nonprofit Asian Arts Initiative (AAI) created a cultural plan for Callowhill and Chinatown North.

The result is a map of sorts, now called People:Power:Place, tracking cultural assets and examining how AAI can best engage with them; see the executive summary of its planning report here.

This summer, People:Power:Place launched its pilot cooperative facilities project, SHARED SPACES 共享空间, which connects neighborhood-based cultural groups with low- or no- cost residency, rehearsal or meeting space.

Neighborhood Project Manager Dave Kyu said via email that the project’s long-term goal is “to ensure that artists and immigrants will continue to have a presence in our fast-developing neighborhood.”

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“Chinatown is unique in that it remains a cultural center for the Chinese community,” Kyu said. “We hope to build a program that provides neighborhood-based cultural groups access to underutilized community spaces in the Chinatown North/Callowhill neighborhood.”

Kyu said AAI expects artists, cultural workers and cultural groups with strong ties to the neighborhoods and budgets of less than $100,000 to be involved in the program. An official program launch is expected for October.

SHARED SPACES is currently hiring for two positions: program facilities associate and program neighborhood outreach associate. (Applicants must be bilingual.)

AAI recently announced its the new executive director, Anne Ishii.