Pilipinx American Library Artist Retreat: A Politics of Filipinx Diasporic Queer Curation Now

A Politics of Filipinx Diasporic Queer Curation Now, moderated by Jan Christian Bernabe, with Kelvin Burzon and Jeffrey Augustine Songco.

JAN CHRISTIAN BERNABE (“he, him, his”) is a Filipinx American genderqueer queer based in Chicago. He is an independent curator, “alt-academic,” and art & culture writer. With a Ph.D. in American Culture from the University of Michigan, he has written for the Filipino American Artist Directory, positions: asia critique, Wasafiri Magazine, Verge: Studies in Global Asias, and others. With the artist-academic Laura Kina, he co-edited Queering Contemporary Asian American Art published by the University of Washington Press (2017). As a curator and writer, he is interested in the intersections of Filipinx diasporic art, queer cultural practices, and social justice.

KELVIN BURZON is a Filipino-American artist whose work explores intersections of sexuality, race, gender and religion. His most recent work investigates religion’s role in culture and familial relationships and highlights religion’s traditions, imagery, theatricality, and psychological vestige. He graduated from Wabash College and received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Indiana University’s School of Art + Design. His work is exhibited widely and is a part of permanent collections including The Kinsey Institute and the Center for Photography at Woodstock.

JEFFREY AUGUSTINE SONGCO holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and an MFA from San Francisco Art Institute. He has exhibited throughout the USA including the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids. In 2017, he was featured in the publication Queering Contemporary Asian American Art, and received the Installation Category Juried Award at ArtPrize Nine. He currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan. About the program

About the Program
The PAL Artist Retreat gathers artists, writers, curators and cultural workers across disciplines for the purpose of fostering community, collaboration and intergenerational dialogue within the Filipino community and the broader contemporary art world. This day-long convening will include a mix of panels, breakouts and conversations on strategies for visibility, representation, support, mentorship and other possibilities.

The PAL Artist Retreat is presented in conjunction with PAL / The Pilipinx American Library at the Asian Art Museum. For more info: http://www.asianart.org.