Fieldtrip: “Living in the Mainstream” by Pippa Fleming

On the night of the Cal vs. USC game, I decided instead to see my friends' performance of a show she had written, directed, and was starring in! The show entitled, “Living in the Mainstream”: The Ms. K.I.A. Chronicles -- A Black, butch, lesbian, warrior, drag king’s tale of survival in America, was showing at the Museum of African Diaspora in San Francisco. Co-sponsors included The Endangered Species Project and the GLBT Historical Society of San Francisco.

This music filled play allowed me to witness the transformation of Pippa Fleming, a Black butch lesbian into Ms. K.I.A., a drag king/male impersonator poet, philosopher and cabaret performer. The several poetry-infused musical numbers took me as an audience member on a journey back to the days reminiscent of Harlem Renaissance cabaret performers, Gladys Bentley and Storme DeLarverie and mystically catapulted the entire crowd into a current reality that left us trying to catch our breath, while being part of a cultural revolution.

The Ms. K.I.A. Chronicles is part of a larger full-length play called “Living in the Mainstream(LITM).” LITM is a time-shifting story that speaks about the struggles of Pippa, a young girl coming into herself as a tomboy and coming out as a butch lesbian.

I really enjoyed the new perspectives presented in the show and learned a lot about struggles faced by queer women and how they relate to all of society.

Asian Art Museum San Francisco--Nicole W.

For my final field trip I decided to make a visit to the Asian Art Museum San Francisco. This museum is and I quote " one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art." Considering the extent of this museum and the fact that I had never been, I felt that it was about time I go. Since the museum is so large I was not able to see all of the collections, however, I did manage to see the South East Asian Art and Chinese Art collections. If anyone is interested in this museum, I really recommened it. It's right off the Civic Center bart stop in San Francisco. Below are pictures from my visit.

ARTIVISM

The weekend before last I attended Artivism, an artists' talk and roundtable at La Pena Cultural Center. My friend told me that it would be a lecture about community art and activism. It turned out to be a 3 hours of doing acting exercises, which was more than a little embarassing for me (even though I like to think that I am a celebrity, I am definitely NOT an actor), but fun nonetheless. The crowd was a bunch of local actors, artists, and non-profit workers, and we all worked together to uncover the issues facing art in the community. The main issue that was brought up was lack of funding and opportunity. We did role played and did improv skits which dealt with this issue: we became the kids that drop out of school, the policemen which put them in jail, the teachers which try so hard to help them succeed. And while it was a little uncomfortable for me to act, I learned a lot and met a lot of interesting people from the community. I'd like to go back to La Pena sometime soon and see what else they have to offer, because I think that institutions like it are important. If we don't have people working toward social change, we'll never see it.

Clausen House fashion show!

For the last 3 years, I've volunteered with a developmentally disabled woman named Kathleen. Kathleen lives in the Clausen House, a group home and independent living program for people with disabilities. A few weks ago Clausen House had a fashion show, which Kathleen modeled in. I attended, and it was really heartwarming and a lot of fun. Kathleen and her friends all wore fancy outfits donated by local stores. For many of them who can't keep a steady job, these cltohes were much nicer than they were used to. Kathleen's sparkly dress made her feel really good about herself, and she said she wished she could wear it everyday. I was happy to see Kathleen in the spotlight for once, so often she is forgotten and ignored: by people on the streets, her family, and society in general. Also, Kathleen's boyfriend Michael escorted her down the catwalk, and it was one of the cutest things I've ever seen. After the fashion show was over, we all sat down to a nice meal and there was a guest speaker who talked about diversity. Overall, the fashion show was a fun experience and in my opinion, a very important event. It was a day where people like Kathleen were recognized and celebrated, and there disabilities were pushed to the side for once.

Danceworx Outside Field trip -- Hoam Lee

For my second field trip, I went to the Danceworx showcase on 11/18/07 at the Julia Morgan Center in Berkeley.
It was an amazing experience to see their hard work pay off and create a beautifully directed showcase of not only hip hop dance but tap dance to jazz and even singing.















By Hoam Lee

[m]aganda event -- [M]aganda Fall Celebration 11/17/07 -- by Hoam

For my Maganda event I went to the fall celebration. I made it right before the speakers, and they were simply amazing. So here are a couple pictures about the event.


Lovely Mc's introducing each speaker and Tricia just about to read poetry. She did an amazing job even though she was becomming a bit nervous. =P


My favorite poem was titled " Strong and Silent." It was the best poem I've ever listened to.





By Hoam Lee

Penelopea: My Art Post

So, for my art post I am going to show you guys a few things that I've made. A few of my friends and I have started a little shop on Etsy.com (a website where anyone can sell their handmade things). We like to call it Penelopea. Right now we have some sock animals and a few Christmas ornaments in the shape of cupcakes and ice cream cones. We post new things all the time! And we also have a blog where we post images and write about things that inspire us to be creative. You can all go check us out and tell us what you think!