thirdspacearts

Identity is the history that has gone into bone and blood and reshaped the flesh.  Identity is not what we were but what we have become, what we are at this moment.  - Nick Joaquín

I am a first generation Asian Pacific Islander American of Filipino and Indian descent, a cisgender able-bodied woman of color, a survivor of violent trauma, the daughter of immigrants navigating privilege and discrimination in a society that sees me as a perpetual foreigner despite my birth in the US, a descendant of healers, a working mother to mixed race children in a society that will persecute them for who they are and who they choose to love, an activist whose professional practice involves the visual, performative and culinary arts as a vehicle for healing justice, an educator and social practitioner dedicated to working with young people in the fight against discrimination and the creation of a society that is equitable, and an artist and scholar in terms not defined by a white, colonial, patriarchal, academic system, but by women storytellers, cultural weavers and social framers.

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Through my work I seek to create third spaces as a form of healing justice in my community.

These spaces exist in between and outside of the 'norm' and

utilize the arts to center stories that are often silenced or go unheard.

Healing Justice & Third Spaces

Healing justice as a movement is guided by the principles of Cara Page, a Black, Indigenous, queer femme organizer who acknowledged that social justice without healing dismisses the many layers of generational trauma and violence that exist as a result of racism and oppression.  Healing justice brings collective practices of healing into activism, and is inclusive of wisdom from BBIPOC, LGBTQ, disabled, neurodivergent communities, and young people in social movements and community care.  Third spaces are described by cultural and post-colonial theorist Homi K. Bhabha and sociologist Ray Oldenburg as communal spaces that are established outside of home, work, and school, and serve as anchors of community life that facilitate and foster creative interaction.  Third spaces are not governed by any one political, religious, cultural, or social agenda rather they foster the sharing and co-creation of new knowledge that is inclusive of the histories and experiences of all members of the community.  These spaces are vital to democracy and civic engagement, and allow for opportunities that amplify voices of people who lack social privilege and provide communities that are typically marginalized a sense of place.

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What is Third Space Arts?

I created Third Space Arts as an umbrella for the various projects and initiatives that I am involved with in collaboration with fellow artists, makers and healers, grassroots movements, local community groups and arts organizations.  These efforts take physical, virtual, and even metaphorical form, but they all center on art as a vehicle for self-expression, fostering relationships, building community, and social change.  With a focus on elevating the work and amplifying the voices of people representing all expressions of identity - gender, sexuality, race, culture, ethnicity, ability, and social and economic status - third space arts is an intersection of identities and ideologies that serve to create spaces where people come together to engage in dialogue, harness the power of creativity, and build a more just community. 

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