Submitted by Evanston ASPA
Evanston ASPA, which stands for Asian, South Asian and Pacific Island Americans, will host its Umbrella Arts Festival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at Fountain Square in downtown Evanston. The annual event celebrates Asian American history, art and culture.
The festival is designed to increase visibility and representation of the Asian American community and to engage the community-at-large in collective experiences that work to dispel harmful myths and narratives about the Asian American community. It provides opportunities to raise awareness, educate and engage people in dialogues that counter the anti-Asian hate and violence that continues throughout the country. The Umbrella Arts Festival invites people into these cultural experiences and conversations through the arts. The umbrella symbolizes the Asian American diaspora, which includes a diversity of ethnicities from more than 40 countries around the world, and is inclusive of the many intersections of identities that exist in our communities.
Umbrella Arts Festival
May 13
Fountain Square, Downtown Evanston
11a.m. – to 2 p.m.
The festival is free and open to all ages!
Speakers Mayor Daniel Biss, Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita, and State Representative Jen Gong-Gershowitz will help to kick-off the celebration, which will be emcee’d by Randy Kim, host and creator of the Banh Mi Chronicles Podcast.
The Umbrella Arts Festival 2023 is sponsored by Evanston ASPA, City of Evanston, Evanston Arts Council, Studio 3 Evanston, Downtown Evanston, Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club, Evanston Community Foundation, Cook County Commissioner Josina Morita, and CoLab.
The Umbrella Arts Festival is one of many activities and events taking place in and around Evanston to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month in May. Evanston ASPA has published its annual calendar highlighting the many in-person and virtual opportunities to celebrate Asian American Heritage Month in the Greater Chicago Area.
For more information visit www.evanstonaspa.org and here.