History of FilAm ARTS

1990:  FilAm ARTS traces its roots to the Annual Festival of Philippine
Arts & Culture, organized by the City of Los Angeles’ Cultural
Affairs Department to promote cultural understanding among L.A.’s multicultural
population. About 100 artists, community leaders and volunteers implement the
festival in partnership with the city.

• 1992: First Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture takes place at
  Los Angeles City College on May 14, one week after L.A. riots
• 1993: Historical tribute to grandmasters of Filipino Martial Arts
  presented at Los Angeles City Hall rotunda
• 1993: Filipino American art exhibit at the Los Angeles City Hall stirs
  controversy and gets mainstream media attention

1995: The City transfers Festival
to community organizers, and after a strategic planning process, FilAm ARTS
becomes a fully operational nonprofit, charitable organization in 1999. 

• 1996: “La Revolucion
  Filipina,” production by world-renowned Ballet Philippines becomes part of the
  Summer Nights at the Ford series
• 1998: “Philippine Jazz” as part of the Summer Nights at the Ford, the
  award-winning “Puentes Culturales,” music and dance comparison of the
  Philippines and Mexico are presented in celebration of 100 years of Philippine
  independence; and Geffen artist, Kai, and comedian Rex Nararette make FPAC
  debuts. 

2000:  FilAm ARTS formalizes its board of directors with 10
founding members and hires a full-time executive director

• 2000: Balagtasan Poetry Slam
  launches at FPAC, attracts large youth audiences
• 2001: First Vegetable
  Competition garners L.A. Times front page review and attracts audiences from
  Central CA

2001: The California Arts
Council, the state government arts agency, recognizes FilAm ARTS as the
emerging leader of Filipino cultural production and chooses the organization to
develop and maintain the statewide Pilipino Artists Network. 

• 2002: Pilipino Artists Network recognized by Ford Foundation as a model
  organizing structure around arts and culture and receives an award in Emerging
  Voices
• 2003: Pilipino Artists
  Network becomes founding member of the California Cultural Alliance

2003: The City of Los Angeles
Community Development Department establishes Eskuwela Kultura
(Cultural School), an after-school arts education program, to serve at-risk,
inner-city, K-12 youth in L.A.’s Historic Filipinotown.

• 2004: Pilipino Artists
  Network Art Walk debuts in Historic Filipinotown and garners mainstream and
  international media attention
• 2006: FilAm ARTS is lead
  presenter in Smithsonian Institution’s national commemoration of 100 Years of
  Filipino American Migration

2008: FilAm ARTS is one of the
four cultural organizations awarded by the California Community Foundation’s
through its Building Culture in Los
Angeles initiative.

• 2010: FilAm ARTS establishes
  the Eskuwela Kultura Mobile Lab that encompasses the wider reach of providing
  classes in film, graphic design, and music recording to youth in Historic
  Filipinotown and South L.A.