KSW Remembers Over 30 Years in Arts Activism

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KSW was founded in 1972 in San Francisco's Chinatown/Manilatown neighborhood. Much of its art and definition were derived from the struggles and issues surrounding that neighborhood: the struggle for low-income housing; the strikes of garment and electrical union workers; the connection with the tenants of the International Hotel, where KSW was housed until our eviction from the site in 1977. The early 1970s was a time of growth for the Asian American Movement; all across the country new groups were forming that addressed issues of health care, identity, history and cultural pride. Artistically, it was a fertile time of exploration. KSW was part of a grassroots art movement that pioneered innovative and influential forms of Asian American art, including Asian American jazz, small press publications, silkscreen posters and large-scale public murals.

Noting a scarcity of original art coming out of Chinatown, Jim Dong, Lora Foo, and Mike Chin founded KSW in August 1972 with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the San Francisco Neighborhood Arts Program, and the Chinatown-North Beach Youth Council. Located in the International Hotel at 854 Kearny Street, KSW was started to offer different forms of creative expression to the Chinatown community. Workshops were offered in silk screening, sewing, modern dance, photography, ceramics, drawing sewing, jewelry making, guitar, leather craft, needlepoint, and video. Even boxing and tai chi were offered. In 1974 KSW opened the Jackson Street Gallery, located on the Jackson Street side of the International Hotel. The space, formerly the Hungry i, was large enough to hold a huge gallery and performance space, as well as a meeting area. KSW then began to produce exhibitions and performances.

Once called the "model grassroots program" by the NEA, KSW quickly became a drop-in center for artists and community members. We also extended our work into the Chinatown community by conducting art sessions at schools and children’s and senior centers. "In those first few summers, a few hundred kids would go through the workshop in one week. At the peak, we had five to seven classes every day," said founder Jim Dong.

KSW was the first to do a mural in Chinatown. KSW artists painted a mural in Commodore Stockton Elementary School after a teacher complained that a lot of the teachers did not know that much about Chinese American history. KSW artists also executed the long mural on the Jackson Street side of the International Hotel. During the period following the fall of the I-Hotel, KSW moved to a small storefront in North Beach. After a short stay, KSW moved back to Chinatown -- to another hotel, next door to a senior meals program. There, daily interaction with the senior citizens who came to eat their lunch provided the inspiration for KSW’s artists, writers, and photographers. KSW’s small press published books of poetry and photography, and we started presenting more outside of the facility. A short while later, priced out of Chinatown, KSW settled into small units inside the California Flower Market. Volunteerism and visibility was low, with most of the original members raising families and pursuing careers.