Lunar New Year 2022: How to usher in the Year of the Tiger
HAPPY Lunar New Year! Welcome the Year of the Water Tiger! Unlike the fixed new year of the Gregorian calendar commonly celebrated on January 1st, the date of the Lunar…
Category: Arts & Culture
Covering the week’s most noteworthy arts and culture stories for the Filipino community.
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Gold House, other API brands to usher in Year of the Tiger with campaign for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Gold House is partnering with several Asian and Pacific Islander-owned brands for its second annual Lunar New Year campaign for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® to bring…
Fil-Am cast members of Broadway’s Aladdin on why representation, sense of community matter
AMONG all the musicals running on Broadway today, Aladdin holds the record when it comes to the sheer number of Filipinos in the ensemble. It’s nine, for those who are…
Jumping at midnight, driving away evil spirits: Filipino traditions to welcome the new year
THE New Year has always been a countrywide celebration that is nothing short of fun, dynamic, and loud. Filipinos love to welcome the new year with as much fanfare as…
Dissecting the classic Noche Buena spread
IF the long list of Christmas trends and traditions was any indication, Filipinos love celebrating the yuletide season. Be it decorating the house with lanterns and ornaments as early as…
Mon David’s homecoming concert: The floodgates of his creative intelligence, unleashed
“Mon’s performance at Catalina was the alarm clock [that] my jazz spirit needed to wake from its catatonic dormancy throughout the pandemic! It was a great jolt of jazz as…
Simbang Gabi: A revered Filipino Christmas tradition
Contributed by Manny V. Ilagan SIMBANG Gabi, which literally means “evening or night Mass,” is a Filipino Christmas tradition. As a devotional practice in the tradition of the novena, it…
Experience a true Filipino Christmas: Celebrating the festive spirit of home with the joyful mini parols
In the Philippines, Christmas is always a reason for vibrant celebrations. This serves as the time of the year when people often come together to catch up and enjoy the…
Diwata Komiks heads to San Diego Comic-Con and announces their next title for US release
LOS ANGELES – After Diwata Komiks’ successful community launch at the end of October, the multicultural creative development and publishing group sets their sights on the world’s largest comics convention….
FASGI features Filipino artists during month-long exhibit in Historic Filipinotown until Nov. 30
Continuing the celebration of Fil-Am History Month, the Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI) in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown is holding an ongoing art exhibit until November 30. Named Pangitain…
Disney releases 2nd Filipino-inspired Christmas short
WITH the holidays fast approaching, Disney has released its second Filipino-inspired Christmas advert focused on family togetherness and the power of storytelling. “The Stepdad” is a follow-up to last year’s…
Errol C. Mendoza: The man endowed with creative gifts
IF there’s somebody who passionately dares to thread a career path that’s rarely taken by like-minded professionals, Errol C. Mendoza typifies this description. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, Errol’s artistic…
‘History ripples into perpetuity’: Fil-Am author’s sprawling memoir weaves family history, migration, colonialism
Author and BuzzFeed News inequality editor Albert Samaha’s second book Concepcion is his definitive love letter to his family, and the entire Filipino diaspora by extension. The book tells the…
Diwata Komiks introduces ‘Carmina: A Filipino-American Urban Mythology’ and a number of upcoming titles
AS the world looks to discover new stories for media consumption, Diwata Komiks (simply the English word “comics,” adapted to fit native Filipino languages) launches with a premiere slate of…
Filipino cultural fashion show slated in North Hollywood
LOS Angeles-based runway models and event organizers gather for a grand photo-op during final final rehearsals for “Ani” (Harvest), a cultural fashion show, slated Oct 16, 2021 at 11455 Burbank…
Annual city-wide arts festival in Long Beach makes return
THE 6th annual POW! WOW! Long Beach made its long awaited return featuring artists from all over the globe who showcased their art throughout the city. The weeklong outdoor mural…
Fans troop to Javits Center and witness a ‘new normal’ New York Comic Con
Thousands of fans made a beeline to the convention center to attend the four-day extravaganza for fans of pop culture. Event organizers made sure health and safety protocols were followed….
Rising from the ashes: Fil-Am playwright brings ‘brown’ to the fore
‘Lizard Boy’ to premiere at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley “From the ashes of Mount St. Helens emerged a monster with mysterious powers—powers that changed one boy’s life forever. Freak or hero?…
Filipino designer Oliver Tolentino closes LA Fashion Week red carpet night
The expected crowd doubled and quickly became standing-room-only at the fashion show of Beverly Hills-based designer Oliver Tolentino on Friday, October 8 for Los Angeles Fashion Week (LAFW). Tolentino presented…
PH Consulate General and Fil-Am community in LA to celebrate Filipino American History Month 2021 with a fashion show on Philippine textiles
LOS ANGELES — The Philippine Consulate General and the Filipino-American Community in Los Angeles (FACLA) will celebrate Filipino-American History Month with a commemorative dinner and cultural fashion show on Saturday,…
Little Manila Block Party celebrates Filipino American history, culture
MORE than a dozen community organizations gathered on Saturday, Oct. 2 for a Little Manila Block Party and to celebrate Filipino American History Month. “As Filipinos, we believe in the …
Study in Hope: SPAA returns to Philippine Center with 2021 Exhibit
By Robert P. De Tagle THE Society of Philippine American Artists (SPAA) returns home to the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue, NYC, with an in-person exhibit from 4 to 15…
Filipino American History Month exhibit at Princeton featuring NExSE collective navigates postcolonialism and liminal spaces beyond
By Vina Orden IN early 2020, eight intergenerational, emerging and mid-career Filipino American artists from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania—Julio Jose Austria, Jeho Bitancor, Mic Boekelmann, Francis Estrada, Ben…
From farm to fashion: How sustainable designer Chona Bacaoco overcame bullying early in her career
Milan-based designer Chona Bacaoco turned emotional after a successful fashion show at the Angel Orensanz Foundation in New York City’s Lower East Side last week in celebration of New York…
FilAm ARTS presents ‘A Love Letter to HiFi’
Return to in-person programming in Historic Filipinotown LOS ANGELES — FilAm ARTS (The Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture) announced its return to live in-person programming…
Filipino artist Errol C. Mendoza and his colorful visions
Errol C. Mendoza illustrates alternative visions of humanity with varied colors evocative multiple styles showing diverse images of the contemporary world. Existential tones characterize his creation: the meaning of the…
Fil-Am talents shine as ‘Pinoy’tainment presents live performances at The Ford
LXV Enterprises, LLC in association with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association presents ‘“Pinoy”tainment,’ an evening of music, dance and comedy featuring seasoned performers and up-and-coming artists from the Filipino-American community,…
Errol Mendoza: Finding Arcadia in abstraction
By Cid Reyes OF certain artists, it can be said that they paint with such joy and exuberance as if abstraction had never been discovered, as if their hands were…
Introducing FilAm Arts’ new leadership
INTRODUCING FILAM ARTS’ NEW LEADERSHIP. Photo shows (L-R) Executive Director Giselle Tongi-Walters, FilAm Arts Board of Directors: Theresa Calimag (Chair), Alvin Catacutan (Vice-Chair) , Maurus Dumalaog, Keanu Valibia, Mic Diaz…
‘It allows us to live and be seen’: Leyna Bloom becomes first transgender model on cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
LEYNA Bloom, a Black and Filipina American model and actress, has become the first openly transgender woman to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. Bloom, 27, shared the…