Major Exhibit and Anthology Release by Premiere Arts Organization Honors Women Who Inspired Them

Here's a press release for the Asian American women artists anthology that features an essay I wrote. I wish I could be in San Francisco for the launch party!
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CHEERING THEIR MUSES!
Major Exhibit and Anthology Release by Premiere Arts Organization Honors Women Who Inspired Them

Contact: Anh-Hoa Thi Nguyen 510-763-1313, Ext. 424 or poetesshoa@yahoo.com

For Immediate Release

SAN FRANCISCO – Please join the Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) in celebrating the arrival of their latest creation, an anthology titled “Cheers to Muses: Contemporary Works by Asian American Women”, with a reception at the Chinese Culture Center gallery, where an exhibit of the same name displays work from over 30 different Asian American women visual artists and writers from the book.

Come and view the exhibit, which closes August 25, and help us celebrate the completion of this groundbreaking work – and our newly acquired 501(c)3 status! (More details below.)

CHEERS TO AAWAA!
Cheers to Muses Anthology Release Party
WHEN: August 17, 2007, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Chinese Culture Center, 750 Kearny Street, 3rd Floor
Hilton Hotel, San Francisco Chinatown
Cheers to Muses Exhibition: June 15-August 25; Gallery Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10-4 p.m.

ABOUT THE ANTHOLOGY
Cheers to Muses: Contemporary Works by Asian American Women consists of 128 pages richly illustrated with 46 color plates. Featuring 64 artists and 77 visual and literary works by artists ranging in age from 14 to 85. (Paperback; $24.95 list price; ISBN-10: 0-9787359-0-0; ISBN-13: 978-0-9787359-0-6) Orders: http://www.aawaa.net/

- 64 artists and 77 visual and literary works are featured.
- Selected artists and writers range in age from 14 to 85.
- Contributors’ ancestries can be traced to more than 35 countries, including Burma, China, Germany, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the United States.
- Muses include artists Ruth Asawa and Yoko Ono; architect Maya Lin; writer Maxine Hong-Kingston; political activist Yuri Kochiyama; film director Mira Nair; actresses Anna May Wong and Nancy Kwan; and golfer Michelle Wie; as well as a mother, a flower-arranger, and a waitress/cook.
- Three contributors – installations artist Dawn Nakanishi; editor and writer Roshni Rustomji; and artist and AAWAA co-founder, Flo Oy Wong – are themselves cited as muses by others.

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT:
Curated by Cynthia Tom, the exhibit features selected art and written word from Cheers to Muses', visual art varying in media and dimension, fictional and biographic narratives, and poetry.

In addition to the work of dynamic artists and writers currently working in the field, the exhibit as well as the anthology also includes moving dedications written by the contributors to non-familial Asian American women whose lives or works have influenced and inspired their own. Both the exhibit and the anthology support AAWAA's mission to produce thought-provoking projects that challenge, inspire, and interpret the work of Asian American women artists. Founded in 1989, AAWAA promotes the visibility of Bay Area Asian American women artists through programs that exhibit, interpret, publish, and document their work. For more information on AAWAA, visit http://www.aawaa.net/

ANNOUNCING OFFICIAL 501(c)3 STATUS
The Asian American Women Artists Association is happy to announce that they are now a 501(c)3 organization. Effective immediately, you can donate and make payments directly to AAWAA. (Please make checks out to AAWAA.) Donations will be tax-deductible to the extent of the law. AAWAA thanks Intersection for the Arts for being their fiscal sponsor for the past two years.

This new status marks the beginning of another level of growth for AAWAA, which has recently risen dramatically in visibility and programming. Now that they are an official non-profit, they will need more board and advisory board members as well as financial support. AAWAA invites you to get involved at this exciting time and help this important organization grow and prosper.