October 16, 2022

  • Kearny Street Workshop Turns 50 and I Turn 70

    Kearny Street Workshop 50th

    Back in 1972 we were Kearny Street Workshop

    Doris and Jimmy Yee hosted the 50th Kearny Street Workshop originals reunion. Of course there were a lot more people but many didn’t make it. Yes and a bunch are no longer alive.

    I was only nineteen years old when KSW started. I was in my second year at San Francisco State College at the time as an art major. KSW was started by Jim Dong and Michael Chin. It was a Chinatown/Manilatown community arts organization.

    In the beginning stages I kept my distance from KSW. I was busy with SFSU and with a lot of other things. Besides Mike said it was going to be my hangout. As much as I tried not to, I naturally gravitated towards the organization being already an artist in the Chinatown community.

    I guess it was the time and energy that goes towards organizing a grassroots community arts organization that I didn’t want to devote so much time to. Besides the average person was four years older than me which at that age was quite a gap. I just let them worry about it.