Basement Workshop emerged as the first Asian-American[1] political and arts organization in New York City, in existence from 1970[1] to 1986.[2] Created during the Asian American Movement, it became an umbrella organization for a diverse group of young Asian-Americans seeking creative and new ways of intersecting artistic expression with political and community activism. The rise of the Black Power Movement and protests against the Vietnam War provided a partial yet weighty backdrop for Basement’s inception.
Basement’s original mission was steeped in language suggestive of community grassroots mobilization. The goals spoke of "trying to understand ourselves and our communities; trying to provide resources to serve our people.”[3] Specific objectives included community service education programs, including language classes, media such as a monthly magazine and newsletters.
Basement’s formative years became shaped by a loose and disparate group of visual, performing and spoken word artists, writers, and politicized community advocates.[4] Some were drop-ins, while others committed themselves for longer stretches. Some shared either compatible or competing loyalties with other community initiatives, such as community education activities, the promotion of affordable health care services, and the pursuit of Maoist political ideology.
Regardless, many of the Basement members were themselves in the discovery stages of their own personal development and artistic direction as they sought to redefine and affirm a proud Asian American identity and heritage in a society that continued to marginalize Asian American groups. By offering inspiration, Basement emboldened many to test their own creative vision, whether personal or collective, within an activist context of racial injustice and political oppression.
^ abMaeda, Daryl Joji (2016-06-09). "The Asian American Movement". The Asian American Movement. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.013.21. ISBN 978-0-19-932917-5.
^Wong, Ryan Lee. "Basement Workshop, The Genesis of NY's Asian American Resistance Culture" (PDF). Signal – via Squarespace.
^Ong, Christina (2019). "Basement Workshop, 50 Years Later (1969-2019)". YouTube. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
^Yung, Danny N.T. "Art for the Community: A Short History of Basement Workshop in New York". Archived from the original on 2022-01-24.
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