common ground open mic series
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Tuesday Night Project finally called us back for a second date! Double the art, double the heart part II! Come on out to LA’s Little Tokyo for an evening of art+community with OC and LA artists all on one beautiful stage.
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Tuesday Night Project presents:
Merging Mics II: an LA/OC collaboration with common ground at:
The 1st & 3rd Tuesday Night Cafe
June 5, 2012
Hosted by: Johneric Concordia
Guest DJ: DJ unSHEIKAble
Featuring:
- Pratiti Renee Mehta
- Damon Turner
http://www.iamreal8.com/
- ¡DUENDE!
http://duendelongbeach.weebly.com/
- Vietnamese American Oral Histories Project
http://sites.uci.edu/vaohp/
- common ground planning committee
http://commongroundoc.tumblr.com/
- George Abe & Friends
Featured Live Artist:
Julie Lam
http://www.phoenix85.com/
Featured Organization:
common ground
http://commongroundoc.tumblr.com/
Open Mic sign-ups at 6:45pm
Live broadcast begins at 7:30 PM at:
http://www.tuesdaynightproject.org/watchlive
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Parking is available across the street at the Aiso Street Parking Lot!
$3 Flat Rate after 5pm
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As part of VAALA’s Cycles of Life Art Exhibition currently running through April 1, 2012, we’d like to invite community members to register for the My Own Story (MOS) Creative Writing Workshop. Co-presented by VAALA and Common Ground Open Mic Series, MOS is a writing/storytelling workshop facilitated by critically acclaimed performer/teacher Alex Luu. MOS participants will come into a creative space to explore elements that make up their own unique voices/stories. Through fun, non-traditional/interactive games/exercises, participants will be able to unearth, discover, write, and express their own autobiographical stories. The workshop will be held at VAALA Cultural Center, the location of the Cycles of Life art exhibition. The MOS workshop will culminate in a special reading showcase by workshop participants along with music by Common Ground Open Mic performers, Pratiti Renee Mehta and Nina Rae.
When: Saturday, March 31st from 12-5pm
Sunday, April 1st from 12-4pm
Followed by Reading Showcase and Exhibition Closing Reception
April 1st from 4-6:30pm
Where: VAALA Cultural Center (1600 North Broadway, Santa Ana , CA , 92706 )
Who: Open to anyone high school age and up (Youth strongly encouraged)
Fee: $5 Registration includes lunch and refreshments
Note: Participants must be present for both days of workshop
Register soon as there are only 25 spots in the workshop!
***ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST REGISTER***
Email Julie at julievo@vaala.org to register or with any questions about the workshop.
About Alex Luu
Alex Luu is a critically acclaimed solo performance artist, workshop facilitator/teacher, and independent filmmaker who graduated from UCLA’s School of Film/Television. Luu has been performing and facilitating/teaching the MY OWN STORY (MOS) workshop nationally since 1989 and 1997, respectively. Luu’s autobiographical “performance theater” work addresses themes such as identity, racism, body image/politics, family dynamics and the overall under representation of People of Color (especially Asian American males) in mainstream media & culture.
Based in Los Angeles, Luu combines performance art, monologue and physical movement in a kenetic no-holds-barred style and presentation that is at once hilariously-over-the-top and heartrenderingly poignant. Luu’s works have been seen at Highways Performance Space, Boston Center for the Arts, Strand Theater, Japanese American Cultural Community Center, Asian American Writers Workshop, Tremont Theater, Asian American Theater Center, Los Angeles Theater Center, East West Players, Rude Guerilla Theater and college/high school campuses.
About Common Ground Open Mic Series
common ground connects communities through creative expressions. We are a collective of community members, artists, and activists committed to cultivating positive and safe space for artistic growth and community empowerment. Occurs on the first Thursday of every month. www.facebook.com/commongroundoc
About VAALA & Cycles of Life exhibition
The mission of the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) is to connect and enrich communities through Vietnamese art and culture. VAALA’s spring art exhibition entitled “Cycles of Life,” features 24 artists of Vietnamese descent from different generations, and their work offers for examination whether aspects of culture (Vietnamese, American, other) have influenced the artists’ understanding and interpretation of this theme. Simultaneously, it aims to show how the artists themselves belong to larger cycles of artistic influence. In positioning one generation of artists adjacent to another generation, the exhibit asks whether there are threads of stylistic, cultural, and thematic influence or continuity between artists and artworks. The exhibition is curated by artists Ann Phong, Barbara Thomason, and James Dinh. The gallery will be open from 12pm-5pm (and by appointment) every Saturday and Sunday for the duration of the exhibition. The exhibition is free and open to the public. www.vaala.org
On March 1, 2012, forWord was featured at common ground’s March collaboration show with Tuesday Night Project for an all around night of explosive awesomeness. The night was filled with a lot of art and a lot of community and a lot of heart on all ends. It was a little strange for me because I help organize common ground and I was featuring with forWord as well.
Enough about me… on to the show! It was an exciting show for us because fW loves both cg and TNP and they came together to put on a great show. It was our second time featuring at common ground. You can read about the first time here! Mark opened up our set with his Untitled piece about hip hop and then I tagged in with my piece about wanting to kiss someone. Eddy and Stephanie did their new piece about censorship and we closed out our set with a currently untitled piece we’ve only performed one other time at APAAC about being Asian American.
As for the rest of the show, the co-hosts were Cara from cg and Candace from TNP aka C^2 (but squares they were not!). They really upped the ante on awkwardness but in a very warm and hilarious way. It was amazing to share the stage with the other features! Pratiti brought the house down with her beautiful voice and the harmonium, a very interesting Indian instrument, and it was really cool to see the creator of Tuesday Night Project, traci akemi kato-kiriyama, in front of the scenes collaborating with Sue Jin and Jenny San Angel for a poetry and music extravaganza! DJ 2-one was cool as a cucumber!
Shout out to my friend Mai-Thi who sang her soul out on her ukulele and Noize who came out to support and who beatboxes his way into our hearts all the time. One time he chased me down a street in Long Beach after the Definitive Soapbox just to get me to SPIT! That’s love right there!
Much thanks to common ground (Phi, Cara, Sandy) for the invite to perform (cg/susan: you’re welcome!). It was a beautiful night and we were glad to be a part of it!
common ground will be on hiatus but for updates, check the facebook! Also, more photos from the night on the facebook! Tuesday Night Project kick starts their show on April 3rd. Check them out here.
Who took these bomb photos? Kristina Aquino
-susan
Photos from our March “Merging Mics” collaboration show with Tuesday Night Project. Thanks to all the features, volunteers, and organizers for making this last show before our hiatus happen. Check us out on Facebook for more updates, and be sure to check out TNP as they kick off their 14th season on April 3!
Credit: The amazing Kristina Aquino.
![TOMORROW, innovative and energetic spoken word collective ForWord will take the [common ground] stage as part of our March 1st “MERGING MICS” collaboration show with Tuesday Night Project— rumor has it, they’ll be performing some new work. The four-member crew took some time to share about the importance of art+community in their lives:
Eddy:
I love Hip Hop. With that being said, I’ve experienced art playing a significant role in my community. I grew up amongst those who used pencils, microphones, sidewalks, cardboards, aerosol cans, city walls, vinyl records, and mixers to get through the day. Honestly, I was never a master of the four elements, but a sheet of paper and a sharpened pencil went a long way. When I stepped into the open mic scene, I was exposed to not only emcees, but singers, musicians, and poets who all valued the freedom of self-expression. While some nailed high notes and others jammed on guitars, it was through spoken word poetry where I found myself and was able to meet so many good folks during high school, college, and still now. In this community, art is more than a role for me, for us. It is the reason to live. This community I live in and love so much is art expressed.
Susan:
I think art has been a really effective way to communicate within the community, especially for those who are not comfortable articulating in plain language their feelings and concerns. I feel really lucky to have spaces like TNP and cg— spaces for people to gather, share stories and ideas, connect, and grow together. When they can come together in spaces like TNP and cg and one can feel a part of that, it just feels like you’re a part of something bigger, working toward something bigger than yourself and that’s kind of nice to think about.
Stephanie:
The best, and perhaps most convenient, aspect of art is that it’s accessible to everyone. By accessible, I mean it can be enjoyed both as a spectator and a participant. Even further, it is emotionally appealing to the masses and, with respect to the APIA community, has been a vessel for increasing our visibility in the mainstream. The more Asian faces I see on the screen, the more I remember and am self-affirmed: we exist!
Mark:
Art offers a new avenue to express yourself. There are times when pictures, photographs, dance, paintings/murals, music, and poetry/spoken word hold the attention of an audience longer than a regular conversation. We can utilize that time to talk about politics, world issues, life or whatever else. In the APIA community, and any community for that matter, art is utilized as a way to bring issues that are affecting us into the forefront of the mainstream conversation.
Our “MERGING MICS” show is tomorrow! Bring a friend or ten, and RSVP here. See you soon!
Photo: ForWord on stage at our June 2011 show. Credit: Scott Chan](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m065l98shK1qceq89o1_1280.jpg)
TOMORROW, innovative and energetic spoken word collective ForWord will take the [common ground] stage as part of our March 1st “MERGING MICS” collaboration show with Tuesday Night Project— rumor has it, they’ll be performing some new work. The four-member crew took some time to share about the importance of art+community in their lives:
Eddy:
I love Hip Hop. With that being said, I’ve experienced art playing a significant role in my community. I grew up amongst those who used pencils, microphones, sidewalks, cardboards, aerosol cans, city walls, vinyl records, and mixers to get through the day. Honestly, I was never a master of the four elements, but a sheet of paper and a sharpened pencil went a long way. When I stepped into the open mic scene, I was exposed to not only emcees, but singers, musicians, and poets who all valued the freedom of self-expression. While some nailed high notes and others jammed on guitars, it was through spoken word poetry where I found myself and was able to meet so many good folks during high school, college, and still now. In this community, art is more than a role for me, for us. It is the reason to live. This community I live in and love so much is art expressed.
Susan:
I think art has been a really effective way to communicate within the community, especially for those who are not comfortable articulating in plain language their feelings and concerns. I feel really lucky to have spaces like TNP and cg— spaces for people to gather, share stories and ideas, connect, and grow together. When they can come together in spaces like TNP and cg and one can feel a part of that, it just feels like you’re a part of something bigger, working toward something bigger than yourself and that’s kind of nice to think about.
Stephanie:
The best, and perhaps most convenient, aspect of art is that it’s accessible to everyone. By accessible, I mean it can be enjoyed both as a spectator and a participant. Even further, it is emotionally appealing to the masses and, with respect to the APIA community, has been a vessel for increasing our visibility in the mainstream. The more Asian faces I see on the screen, the more I remember and am self-affirmed: we exist!
Mark:
Art offers a new avenue to express yourself. There are times when pictures, photographs, dance, paintings/murals, music, and poetry/spoken word hold the attention of an audience longer than a regular conversation. We can utilize that time to talk about politics, world issues, life or whatever else. In the APIA community, and any community for that matter, art is utilized as a way to bring issues that are affecting us into the forefront of the mainstream conversation.
Our “MERGING MICS” show is tomorrow! Bring a friend or ten, and RSVP here. See you soon!
Photo: ForWord on stage at our June 2011 show. Credit: Scott Chan
This Thursday, March 1st we will be “MERGING MICS” in a heart-warming, community-building collaboration with Tuesday Night Project. TNP hosts the 1st and 3rd Tuesday Night Cafe, a space for new work from Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Greater L.A. communities. It’s one of the longest running free public art series in downtown L.A.
Some of the beautiful TNP organizers took some time to weigh in on their thoughts about the importance of art+community:
traci kato-kiriyama:
Art is traditionally, historically, politically, spiritually a way people have communicated with each other through struggle and from the heart. I’ve learned through various communities time and again how art, from music to murals, has the ability to reach a mass and connect on very human, personal levels. Movement activists brought themselves together with countless people across the world through the power of sharing their stories through song. Art is one of our best means of education through the visual and oral tradition. Art is breath. Art is connection. And it’s just really damn necessary and super cool.
Chris Hahn:
Art has the ability to move people if it strikes the right cords. I am a prime example, if it were not for the art from my community I would be spending my time drinking and being unproductive. I now pursue music as a medium to release frustration and pleasure.
Candace Kita:
In my community, I’ve seen expression transform into compassion. I’m convinced that there is nothing more powerful than the art of creation— whether that means creating work or creating relationships.
Art has always been an important way for me to build and understand community. The acts of sharing and expression do wonders to help people understand, relate to, and connect with each other.
Art has been the connecting link in my community, the common thread that has led me to meeting so many of the people I work with now. Everyone I truly consider to be my family I’ve met through the Spoken Word scene or worked with through FilAm Arts or the Cafe. And even though I’m not particularly good at any one medium or method of art making, because I’m surrounded by so many loving and talented artists, I can’t help but feel like their triumphs are tributes to the people and communities we’ve all built together.NOW dya get why we’re so, so excited about our collaboration this Thursday?? RSVP on Facebook, or just show up ready for a good time. We’re going to be taking a hiatus after this show, so be sure to catch us now, and TNP when they start up again on April 3!
Soulful singer and March 1st feature Pratiti Renee Mehta reflects on the importance that music has played in the communities she is a part of:
When I was seven years old, I convinced a music teacher from school to come home in order to explain to my unyielding mother how much I loved and needed music in my life. Little did he know…! Actually, little did my mother know I even had an interest in singing.
Two decades later, this is by far still my favorite memory. Why? Well, if it hadn’t been for this very moment, I would have never met my soul mate.
Having spent half my life in India and half in the US, I often find myself wondering where my identity truly lies. English replaces Hindi as my day-to-day language, dresses replace saris on (most) special occasions and humongous family Sunday get-togethers are limited to occasional Skype sessions. As the rest of my Indian life slowly says its goodbyes, the music in my soul refuses to leave.
Indian classical music, in particular, has done wonders for my identity pangs. It has provided a platform for generations of Indians, like and unlike myself, to carry on the voice of our people no matter how “Indianized” or “Americanized” we may be or feel. I am an individual, carrying the voice of millions. If this isn’t community, then I don’t know what is.
This is a voice of my ancestors, of my origin and it reminds me that while the world I live in is nothing like theirs, our “common ground” is the music they have buried so deeply in my soul.
Did you miss her and Andre perform last February? Catch the video of the flooring performance here, or better yet— see her on stage for our March 1st “MERGING MICS” collaboration show! It’s only a week away. How can you stand it?!
Photo credit: Kristina Aquino
Planning team member Cara reflects on the impact of common ground on her life in VAALA’s latest newsletter. Here’s an excerpt:
I was introduced to common ground about a year and a half ago, at a crucial moment in my life. I had taken the first step toward recovering from my identity crisis: admitting I was Vietnamese American. Putting words to the frustrations and experiences I’d never been able to before was painful at first; that, mixed with a sometimes paralyzing crowd anxiety— even attending common ground was a big second step. But I did it. And it was amazing.
Read the rest here: VAALA - Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association
Our flyer for the cg+TNP collaboration show. RSVP here!
Double the art, double the heart. SEE YOU THERE!
Dear friends and lovers,
Get ready for double the art+community! On Thursday, March 1st, [common ground] is “MERGING MICS” with Tuesday Night Project!
[common ground] is an Orange County open mic series connecting communities through creative expressions. [common ground] is committed to cultivating a safe and positive space for art and healing.
Tuesday Night Project hosts the 1st & 3rd Tuesday Night Cafe. With its 14th season beginning this April, Tuesday Night Cafe is a space for new work from Asian American/Pacific Islander and Greater Los Angeles area communities and is one of the longest running free public art series in downtown L.A.
That’s right, cg and TNP are carpooling together to deliver you yet another night of love and talent and joy, so fasten your seat belts!
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FEATURING:
traci kato-kiriyama // poetry
Sue Jin // music & vocals
forWord // spoken word
Pratiti Mehta // vocals
Tuesday Night Project // community spotlight
DJ 2-one // guest DJ
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Doors open at 6pm.
Open mic sign-ups **START AT 6 AND END AT 6:30**! Because of our limited mic space, we will be giving preference to performers who are new to the space.
$5 suggested donation, but no one will be turned away for anything less!
This will be [common ground]’s last show before we take a brief hiatus, so please don’t miss out!
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Further questions? Interested in volunteering? Contact us! Drop a line to commongroundoc@gmail.com. We’d really like that!
See you there!!!
♥ Double the art, double the heart! ♥
cg + TNP
