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Asian Arts Initiative
A community-based arts center and the cultural heart of Chinatown North, the Asian Arts Initiative promotes dialogue about the Asian-American experience.
The organization serves underrepresented artists and uses art — rotating exhibitions, open-mic nights, film screenings and performances — to create community.
In addition to a gallery (open five days a week), the center also features a workshop, meeting spaces and a black-box-style theater.
The Asian Arts Initiative hosts a full calendar of events, including courses, tours, book release events and more.
The organization also helms several programs, including socially engaged artist-residencies, which foster relationships with and creates public art projects for the community. These residencies emphasize projects that address the issue of equity and access to power within Chinatown.
Additionally, the organization offers children’s after school programs, a youth arts workshop and other initiatives that focus on culture and community development
The Asian Arts Initiative hosts a variety of events aimed at connecting the community to art and performance. — Photo by Louis Kang
The Asian Arts Initiative was founded in 1993 to respond to racial tensions and to promote more understanding of Asian-American culture.
Today, the center — located inside a former Warner Bros. theater — invites community members and artists of all skill levels and backgrounds to view and create their own art.
The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks.