Cultural Programming and Community Engagement at Evanston ASPA!- June Ahleman, BFA Painting ’27
My work with Evanston ASPA got off to a busy and exciting start. With May being Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, there were many events, programs, and community celebrations to help prepare for and support. The two programs I was involved with were an exhibition called In the Absence of Space and the annual Umbrella Arts Festival.
In the Absence of Space, is an exhibition held by Evanston ASPA in partnership with Evanston Latinos, Aloha Center Chicago, Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum, Shorefront Legacy Center, and Evanston Made. This exhibition explores how artists respond to exclusion and invisibility by imagining and building spaces of presence, connection, and community.
My first day was artwork drop off day so I was able to start working with the team and contributing artists right away. My favorite part of helping with the exhibition was discussing relationships between artworks and installing accordingly! I was really excited to get more experience handling and mounting work. I will continue to help staff the gallery space through the month of June.
The second event I helped with was The Umbrella Arts Festival. The Umbrella Arts Festival is a celebration of Asian American history, culture and art. The umbrella symbolizes the Asian American diaspora which includes a diversity of ethnicities from over 40 Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Island countries around the world, and is inclusive of the many intersections of identities that exist in our communities. This year’s Umbrella Arts Festival took place on Saturday May 30th, the same day as the opening of In The Absence of Space. I was able to work between both the welcome table at the festival and in the gallery space as well! The festival was super well attended and there were so many exciting performances and activities. I had so many meaningful conversations at the event and enjoyed seeing firsthand the impact that community-centered programming can have.
Alongside these events I have been researching current resources available to support the TEAACH Act and preparing for a community gathering/workshop I’ll be hosting at the end of the month! The TEAACH act (Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History) is an Illinois act passed in 2021 that mandates that all public elementary and high schools in the state teach a unit of curriculum on the history and contributions of Asian Americans.