What is SAPA-IT?
SAPA-IT marks an innovative workshop process in which Interisland Terminal is supplementing the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s A Day in the Life project. This project focuses on diversifying the portrayal of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the American mediascape. It invites participants to submit images captured on May 10th, a date chosen to address the exclusion of Chinese laborers from historical photographs and paintings of the Golden Spike Ceremony, which marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. This event coincides with the 145th anniversary of the ceremony and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Interisland Terminal is hosting a series of workshops to explore identity and digital mediums critically.
Announcement
Interisland Terminal is pleased to announce the participants for SAPA-IT! These participants explore various themes, including humanitarianism, cultural diversity, the Micronesian diaspora, challenges within Hawaii’s tourism, identity politics, consumerism, racial tensions, flows of capital and labor, the globalization of cultural practices, and homelessness. They are critically examining what it means to be Asian and/or Pacific Islander in Hawaiʻi today.
This collective of artists will participate in a workshop series to develop these concepts iteratively through digital mediums. On May 10th, 2014, artists will create works and post them by May 14th. The Smithsonian will curate a series from the media collected across the country and throughout the Pacific.
Mark Your Calendars!
Billie Lee, MFA, will lead a round-table discussion with the SAPA-IT collective on June 19th, 2014, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at the soon-to-be-opened Kakaʻako Agora. Join us for this public discussion. Please register as seating is limited.
Participants
- Alissa Altman: Alissa Altman grew up in upstate New York, where her father introduced her to photography. She is currently studying agriculture, food policy, and food security at the University of Hawaii’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Her artistic work focuses on the connections between people, farms, food, and the culinary world, crossing cultural and geographical boundaries.
- Gaye Chan: A conceptual artist engaged in solo and collaborative activities across various platforms, including the web, publications, streets, and galleries. Her work often examines how cartography and photography offer and obscure information. Gaye is a professor and chair of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Hawai’i.
- Jessica Devera: An explorative storyteller, Jessi engages viewers with indigenous cultures, political themes, and imaginative concepts. Based in Haleiwa, she works in performance art, photography, sculpture, and print, often focusing on historical documentation and local activism.
- Chris Kahunahana: A Native Hawaiian filmmaker, artist, and activist, Christopher was born on Oahu and raised in Waimanalo, Hawai’i. He has been instrumental in promoting music and art culture in Honolulu and San Francisco and is currently involved in filmmaking, including producing and directing short films.
- Misa Tupou: Misa’s creative endeavors span live theatre and film, focusing on mask performance, physical theatre, and new work creation. He is a co-founder and festival organizer of the O’ahu Fringe Festival and the Aotearoa New Zealand Film Festival.