AARC: Summer Art Day

Join us for a full day of exhibit celebrations on Saturday, July 26! There will be artist talks, tours, and workshops for our new summer exhibits, Golden Years Weighing Philippine Martial Law 1972-1981, Untangling: AANHPI Intergenerational Dialogues by promqueen x Chie Endo, and Elements Connected by Tiffany Heng-Hui Lee. Please check registration requirements for each session. The center will be closed between sessions, so plan accordingly.

Schedule Overview:
10:00am-1:00pm:Golden Years Weighing Philippine Martial Law 1972-1981| Kwentuhan Halad and Curator Talk 
2:00pm-5:00pm:Elements Connected by Tiffany Heng-Hui Lee | Open Reception: Artist Talk and Mixed Media Collage Workshop
7:00pm-9:00pm: AANHPI Intergenerational Dialogues, by Chie Endo x promqueen | Open Reception: Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion with Participant Q&A 

Golden Years Weighing Philippine Martial Law 1972-1981, curated by Victor Barnuevo Velasco
10:00am-1:00pm

Join us for a morning Kwentuhan and Curator Talk as we gather around the opening of the Golden Years Weighing Philippine Martial Law 1972-1981’s photography exhibit!

10:00am-12:15pm: Kwentuhan/Story Sharing & Banig Circle. The Kwentuhan Halad, facilitated by Maya Pilgrim, invites folks who have been affected by Martial Law in the Philippines - whether personally, generationally, or otherwise - to reflect on and share their experiences through storytelling and conversation and move through a safe collective healing space together. Kwentuhan means storytelling, and Halad means offering. Please bring your own Banig or blanket for the Kwentuhan. Chairs will be provided. Light refreshments will be available. Free and open to the public with RSVP. There is limited space, so RSVP is required: Kwentuhan Halad and Curator Talk | Golden Years: Weighing Martial Law Tickets, Sat, Jul 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite

Facilitator Bio: Maya Pilgrim (she/they) is a gender, racial and healing justice advocate, community builder, facilitator, and organizer. She's worked in anti-violence, youth development, and forced migration issues for over a decade. She is a proud mama to an amazing teenager. 

12:30pm-1:00pm: Curator Talk with Victor Barnuevo Velasco. During this talk, folks can connect their stories to the historic storytelling of the Golden Years exhibit. Visitors are invited to view the exhibit throughout the day and visit the Community Dambana (altar), where you are invited to offer up names, messages, and symbolic items. Light refreshments will be provided. Free and open to the public. RSVP is not required for this session.

Elements Connected by Tiffany Heng-Hui Lee
2:00pm-5:00pm

Join us for a fun afternoon of exploration and collaging with artist Tiffany Heng-Hui Lee and her exhibit, Elements Connected! Sessions are free and open to the public. RSVP is required: Opening Reception: Artist Talk and Creative Workshop | Elements Connected Tickets, Sat, Jul 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite

2:00pm-3:00pm: Opening Reception and Artist Remarks. Meet the artist and explore the exhibit.

3:00pm-5:00pm: Artist Talk, Participant Q&A, and Mixed Media Collage Workshop.Tiffany Heng-Hui Lee will discuss her work, which explores how the balance and sequence of the five interdependent, universe-defining elements of Fire, Earth, Water, Metal and Wood (as articulated in Ancient Chinese tradition) manifest themselves and affect our environments, both natural and artificial. Through her work, Tiffany Heng-Hui Lee documents the effects of climate change and how our landscapes have changed in response to the shift of the presence of the five elements in the environment. 

Following the talk, Tiffany will guide participants through an interactive collage workshop in which they will create their own collages based on the five ancient elements explored in her work. Participants are encouraged to bring old magazines to use in their collages. Participants will have the opportunity to contribute one of their collages to a temporary public installation that will be on display in the Zen Garden Courtyard at the AARC. 

Artist Bio: Tiffany Heng-Hui Lee was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and is based in Houston. She earned her MFA degree from the University of Houston. She was mentored by Richard Stout who encouraged her to develop her own unique style of paper collages.  Lee received the Jones Artist Award from Houston Endowment in 2024. Her work was selected by Alison de Lima Greene, Curator, Museum of Fine Arts, for an open call. Lee’s work has been exhibited extensively in Texas (Beeville Art Museum, Heidi Vaughan Fine Art, K Space, Lawndale, Jung Center, Art Museum TX), as well as in NYC, Chicago, Korea, and Germany. 

Untangling: AANHPI Intergenerational Dialogues, by Chie Endo x promqueen
7:00pm-9:00pm

Join us for a cozy and intimate evening with Chie Endo and promqueen to celebrate their exhibit, Untangling: AANHPI Intergenerational Dialogues! The theme of this evening is, "Where are you at now?" The program kicks off with a welcome intro from Chie and promqueen followed by a brief documentary screening (15 minutes). After the screening, promqueen will moderate a panel discussion with select exhibit participants and audience Q&A. Sessions are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP is required: Untangling AANHPI Intergenerational Dialogues | Exhibit Reception Tickets, Sat, Jul 26, 2025 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite

7:00pm: Doors open
7:30pm: Documentary screening
7:45pm: Panel Discussion
8:05pm: Audience Q&A

Artist Bios: promqueen (she/they) is a queer second generation Vietnamese American musician, actress, writer, and community organizer in AANHPI spaces. She is currently promoting her music project as artist, promqueen, where she sings in Vietnamese and English about her experiences. She has performed at Asia Culture Fair, Asia World Night Market, Soho House, Austin LGTBQ chamber Pride Festival, KUTX Studio 1A, AARC Tonesfest, Future front fest, Austin City Limits Festival and the Long Center. Her music has been featured in the Austin Chronicle, NPR next gen radio and KUTX 98.9. When she isn’t making music, she is tending to her garden and continually writing her family’s story. Follow promqueen on social media at @saypromqueen.

Chie Endo (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary artist focusing on storytelling through visual arts, photography, and design. Her work goes beyond the lens to create impactful visual narratives that resonate with her own experiences growing up as a first-generation, Chinese-American immigrant. Her journey from being born in Japan, raised in the United States, and having Chinese heritage has instilled in her a unique perspective. With a background in the corporate world, Chie’s journey took an unexpected turn when her creative voice and intuition led her towards the world of photography. She draws her photography skills across various genres, from documentary and event photography to fashion and travel photography, drawing on themes of identity and belonging. Follow Chie Endo on social media @chie_endo.