Panel Discussion for Present Tense Biennial 2009

Contemporary Art, Community, and Public Space:
a Panel Discussion for Present Tense Biennial 2009

presented by the Chinese Culture Center and Kearny Street Workshop

Moderated by Darin Ow-wing, Executive Director of Community Educational Services
Date: July 25th
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Chinese Culture Center
Phone: 415-986-1822
Website: http://www.c-c-c.org

Join Present Tense artists, community partner organizations and exhibition curators for a casual and lively discussion about the goals, inspirations and challenges of the nine Chinatown storefront installations that are part of the exhibition. Among other topics, we will discuss the relationship between contemporary art, community building, and public space as a venue for the arts; the impact on artists, the community audience; and how exhibitions like Present Tense can bring new and provocative energy into the public scene.

We invite artists and non-artists alike to participate the discussion in hopes of gauging community response to the Present Tense public art installations, as well as elaborating on the relationship between art, community enrichment and economic development.

This event is co-sponsored and supported by the following organizations:

Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC),
Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA)
Asian Law Caucus
Asia Society of Northern California
Asian American Women Artist Association (AAWAA)
Community Educational Service (CES)
Chinatown YMCA
SF Mayor's Office of Economic & Workforce Development

About Present Tense:
Thirty-one contemporary artists from the Bay Area and beyond
interrogate the phenomenon that is modern Chinese culture in the
Chinese Culture Center's (CCC) Present Tense Biennial: Chinese
Character exhibition. Presented in collaboration with Kearny Street
Workshop (KSW) and guest curated by Kevin B. Chen, program director
for Intersection for the Arts, the exhibition features a wide array of
media including photography, video, painting, animation, sculpture and
installation art displayed at both the Center's downtown San Francisco
gallery and in a number of satellite storefront windows throughout
Chinatown.