HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: 

125 years ago today, on February 4, 1899,  the Philippine-American War began ushering in a   century and a quarter long history of Philippine colonial and  neo- colonial relations with the United States.  While this war  continues to be a largely hidden and unknown history, its legacy continues to shape the Filipino American experience as well as other people impacted by U.S. imperialism and war. 

The Philippine-American War occurred two months after the  Treaty of Paris of 1898,  when  Spain agreed  to sell  the Philippines  to the U.S.  for $20 million, also to ceding  Cuba, Guam and Puerto Rico.  Omitted  from history books are the brutal massacres  and deaths of over 200,000  Filipino civilians with General Jake Howling, a veteran of the American Indian Wars, directing American soldiers to kill everyone over 10 years old.  

Also part of the buried history  is the strong anti-imperialist movement in the U.S. that  opposed the  U.S. colonization of the Philippines and the  solidarity of Black soldiers who defected to the side of the Filipino revolutionaries during the war-  an important chapter  of  anti-racist  and anti-imperialist solidarity in U.S. history. 

EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITY:

We believe that art and cultural work can play an important role in shedding light on these hidden histories of Philippine American colonial relations and subsequent impacts on our community here in San Francisco,  as well as  connections to other people experiencing war and occupation. 

SOMA Pilipinas - Filipino Cultural Heritage District invites artists and community members to submit existing or new artwork concepts for consideration to be included in an exhibit on the history and  the legacy of the Philippine American War.  The exhibit will feature photos and political cartoons from Abe Ignacio’s The  Forbidden Book: The Philippine American War in Political Cartoons,  and highlight the war propaganda and resistance of the time.  

We invite artists and community members to submit works that reflect on this history, its connection to San Francisco, where this war was launched, and its remnants in the public realm  such as the Dewey monument in Union Square, which obscures U.S. colonial conquest of the Philippines and celebrates its  ascendance as an imperial power. 

We also encourage artists to submit works that address the  impacts  and current relevance of this war here in San Francisco, our homeland, and internationally including current movements to defend indigenous lands, national sovereignty, and against imperialist war.  We also welcome reflections and artwork that lift up the courageous resistance of the Filipino people and the legacy of anti-racist  and anti-imperialist solidarity of the time. 

ELIGIBILITY:

We will be accepting 2D visual artwork (painting, wall work, photography) and completed audio and video works.  Selected artworks will be shared in an upcoming group show  to be exhibited at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts - Gallery 3 from June 8- August 11, 2023.  

We encourage Filipinx artists and also welcome  artists of all backgrounds to submit existing or new artwork concepts for consideration.

UPDATE:

*CALL FOR ARTWORKS AND INCOMING EXHIBIT ON PAUSE:

SOMA Pilipinas planned for an incoming exhibit on the history and legacy of the Philippine American War at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts for the Summer of 2024. In response to recent concerns of censorship raised by YBCA’s BAN 9 artists, SOMA Pilipinas will be pausing this call for artworks and the planned exhibit pending YBCA’s official response to the BAN 9 artists’ demands and to connect with artists directly about their experiences.  

For more information, please read: “Artists alter, deface their own work at YBCA to protest Gaza silence and decry censorship”