Betty Joins Asian American Arts to Form Chinatown Art Brigade

In 2015, artists Tomie Arai, ManSee Kong and Betty Yu formed the Chinatown Art Brigade, a new cultural collective that recognizes the power of art to advance social justice.  As Asian American social justice minded artists, cultural workers and media makers we have roots in activism and movement-building work. We believe that art, culture and media work must serve and advance these social justice movements.

Currently, CAB is a project-drive collective that is working in close collaboration with CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities Chinatown Tenants Union, a grassroots organization that works with pan Asian communities around tenants rights, fighting evictions and building community empowerment.

 As a new collective of Asian American social justice artists, cultural workers and media makers; our work is driven by the fundamental belief that collaboration with and accountability to those communities that are directly impacted by racial, social and economic inequities must be central to any cultural, art or media making process. Therefore we joined forces to launch ‘Here to Stay’, a project that includes a series of large-scale outdoor mobile projections that will address themes of gentrification, displacement and community resilience in NY Chinatown. Artwork based on oral histories, photography and video created in community-led workshops will be incorporated into photo and video montages that will be projected onto buildings and public landmarks in Chinatown and the Lower East Side.

Tomie Arai, ManSee Kong and Betty Yu, co-founding members of Chinatown Art Brigade

"City of Justice" at Brooklyn Museum's First Saturday - Jan. 2nd

On January 2nd, U.S. Department of Arts & Culture-NYC animated and transformed the Brooklyn Museum's 3rd floor Beaux Arts Court space into the "City of Justice" for the Museum's First Free Saturday where thousands of people come through the museum.

This interactive space was organized by the USDAC Field Office. Betty Yu, the NYC Cultural Agent curated the show in partnership with Bridget Bartolini and Nadia Mohamed, Field Office members.

We invited participants to an evening where we imagined 2016 and a future where social justice is realized through 10 participatory art-making stations that included poetry, letter writing, theater, body movement, storycircles, and story mapping. The planning team had some hesitations about organizing this when it was revealed that Brooklyn Museum had leased the space out to the Real Estate Summit for their annual gathering, (a major convening of the real estate giants that are the #1 gentrifying force). USDAC-NYC supported the community protests against the museum. And because of grassroots activism the museum welcomed open dialogue and criticism - we then decided to use the "City of Justice" event as an open space for creative imagination and forward-thinking solutions for housing justice. 

Activist groups involved includes CAAAV Chinatown Tenants Union, Brotherhood SisterSol, Picture the Homeless and others.

Some of our creative imagination stations included:

• “Letters to the Future”: where visitors write letters in the future

• “Leaves of Hope”: write hopes for justice on their leaves that will

• “Visions of Progress”: write on blocks of buildings defining "Home" and "Progress"

• “Map Your Story”: contribute a story of displacement or gentrification

• “Memoriam Graffiti Wall”: draw or write messages to honor ancestors and/or living s/heros in the fight for social justice

• "Justice Story Circle": share your stories of hope and justice

• "Poetry and Rhymes Corner": contribute to a collective poem that reflections our visions of liberation.

• "Theatre of the Oppressed Corner": use your body to express collective images for justice

Check out the full photo album of photos from "City of Justice" at Brooklyn Museum

#DaretoImagine Week of Pop-Up Cultural Actions

During the week of Dare to Imagine in October 10-18th 2015, a week of creative actions and events organized by the U.S. Department of Arts & Culture - USDAC (a non-government people-powered arts and culture social justice network), Betty and others in NYC helped organize (4) NYC based large scale events. They collaborated with neighborhood residents and activists to design and structure the content. Collaborations included partnering with artists in East and West Harlem and groups like Picture the Homeless and Brotherhood/SisterSol. USDAC in NYC also collaborated with community-based art groups like The Laundromat Project, Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts (NOCD-NY), and JACK Art Center to hold Dare to Imagine activities.

"Staying in Harlem" Dare to Imagine in West Harlem with Brotherhood SisterSol

Check out more photos from the the "Staying in Harlem" Dare to Imagine event with Brotherhood SisterSol.

Dare To Imagine with Picture the Homeless

Dare to Imagine with Picture the Homeless #HandsOffTheHomeless Letters to Mayor DeBlasio

Artists Letter Writing for our Dare to Imagine with NOCD-NY

Check out more photos from the Dare to Imagine event with Picture the Homeless

Check out these links to learn more about these events:

Picture the Homeless: Evening of Cultural Resistance

Emissary Spotlight: #DaretoImagine in New York City

USDAC NYC-based Art-Infused "Imaginings" Bring Together Hundreds to Envision Housing Justice

This past Summer, as a 2015 NYC U.S. Department of Arts & Culture (a non-government people-powered arts and culture social justice network) Cultural Agent, Betty organized two successful community-based art-infused events, “Imagining: Creative Strategies to Fight Gentrification” in June and July 2015 bringing together over 300 artists, cultural workers, mediamakers, housing rights activists, organizers, community residents and other stakeholders to imagine a future where everyone has adequate housing and it is seen as a human right.

It was unique in that it brought together a cross section of movement and cultural leaders and social justice artists to tackle the omni-present issue of gentrification in our neighborhoods throughout NYC. Participants expressed the desire to have a regular space for organizers, activists, artists, creative folks and other stakeholders to meet and share creative and cultural strategies. From the discussions at smaller scale, place-based Imaginings to other more informal conversations- an overwhelming amount of New Yorkers agree that gentrification and housing displacement is a to key issue facing all New Yorkers and connects and cuts across many other issues like police violence, education reform, labor rights. 

Check out photos from the June 2nd

Also, check out this article about the event.

Participants Break Out into Groups by Borough

A "People's Anti-Displacement Art Hub" displaying housing justice and anti-displacement themed art

Cultural workers, artists, filmmakers and organizers share their cultural work and needs

Each breakout group created visual maps - illustrating their vision for housing justice in hte year 2035

Join us on June 2nd for a " NYC Imagining: Creative Strategies to Fight Gentrification"

Join us on Tuesday, June 2nd for an “Imagining” in New York City that will bring together community members, organizers, artists, cultural workers, and other stakeholders to imagine the creative approaches, organizing strategy and bold vision we need to win anti-gentrification and anti-displacement fights in NYC now and into the future. 

We are in a critical juncture in New York City’s fight against gentrification to preserve affordable housing for working class and low income New Yorkers. During Mayor Bloomberg’s 12-year reign, he passed over 120 rezoning plans that has and will ostensibly displaced thousands of low-income, immigrant, and residents of color from their neighborhoods. Everyday New Yorkers are already struggling and getting systematically pushed out of their city; with declining wages, increase in costs of living and rent prices skyrocketing. Yet, hard-hit communities are organizing to resist this massive displacement across the city.

The event is part celebration and part envisioning and strategizing. Participants will take part in a collective-imagining process where we will ask ourselves: “What the year 2034 might look like when art’s transformative power has been fully integrated into all aspects of public and community organizing life, such as housing as a human right?”

Organized by U.S. Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC), a non-government people-powered department, inciting creativity in the service of empathy, equity, and social imagination. www.usdac.us

This NYC Imagining is being coordinated by an diverse group of artists, cultural workers, activists and organizers.

For more on the event email Betty Yu (2015 NYC Cultural Agent with the USDAC) bettyyu21@gmail.com or ImaginingNYC@gmail.com.

*Special thanks to New Sanctuary Coalition of NYC for the space.

Betty presents at World Press Photo in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico in April

Promedios Presents

The Pedagogy of Photography & Digital Storytelling for Social Change

Presenter: Betty Yu, filmmaker, artist and educator, Chinese American

Translator: Mario Roberto Najera, Promedios de Comunicacion Comunitaria

View fullsize

Date: April 7, 2015, 19:00

 Location: Kinoki, Belisario Dominguez #5A (Corner of Real de Guadalupe), San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas

 Description of Presentation:

The presentation focuses on Betty Yu's experiences with marginalized communities such as immigrant workers, youth of color, homeless and U.S. war veterans utilizing the tools of photography, video and digital storytelling to advocate for social change in the United States. Through the process of photo documentation and digital editing, community members are able to tell their own stories and transform their lives.