Bainbridge Creative District

SPONSORED BY:

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

This May, Arts & Humanities Bainbridge (AHB) is proud to join the nation in recognizing the Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This is a time to reflect upon and celebrate the remarkable role of the community in our nation’s history. We recognize the history and achievements of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and reflect on the tradition of leadership, resilience, and courage shown by these communities.

Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders make our community more vibrant through diversity of cultures, languages, and religions. AHB will celebrate the diversity of contributions throughout the month of May by hosting Bainbridge’s first ASIAN ARTS & HERITAGE FESTIVAL in partnership with local Indipino, Filipino, and Asian organizations.

Throughout the month of May, AHB and the BCD will be hosting and supporting events designed to commemorate AANHPI Heritage Month. Your participation and support for these events is highly encouraged!

AHB will also be hosting a raffle to help fundraise for future Asian Arts & Heritage Festivals! Participants have a chance to win some amazing prizes, including a round-trip ticket from either Seattle or San Francisco to Manila, and Cebu Province (Generously Provided By Festival Sponsor Philippine Airlines.)

We hope to spark curiosity, activate and inspire you with a series of family-friendly, affordable events and happenings throughout the island!

ALL EVENTS

( Friday May 3, 2024, 5:00pm – 9:00pm ) Arts & Humanities Bainbridge (AHB) and the Bainbridge Creative District (BCD) will be kicking off the Bainbridge Island Asian Arts & Heritage Festival Friday, May 3, at the Moonlight Market. Stop by the AHB booth to see local AANHPI art, participate in free creative activities, get fun BCD merchandise, and learn more about upcoming Bainbridge Island Asian Arts & Heritage Festival events. Presented by Arts & Humanities Bainbridge.

(Sunday May 12, 2024, 11:30am Doors ) Cultural potluck bingo hosted by The Filipino American Community of Bainbridge Island and Vicinity May 12. Times: 11:30am Doors / 12 pm lunch / 1pm bingo Free Everyone is invited to come, bring a cultural dish to share and the chance to win money and prizes. Presented By: The Filipino American Community of Bainbridge Island and Vicinity.

( Saturday May 18, 2024, Starts 6:30pm ) Join us at Eagle Harbor Book Co. on Saturday, May 18th at 6:30 PM for an unforgettable evening with the remarkable author and nonagenarian Mitzi Asai Loftus as she discusses her powerful memoir From Thorns to Blossoms. Mitzi’s memoir details her profound experiences interned as a Japanese American during WWII, offering a personal and unique perspective on a dark chapter in American history. Despite this painful episode of her life, she focuses on themes of resilience and healing and demonstrates how she transformed the pain of her past into a message of hope and reconciliation for today and into the future. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet an inspiring author and witness a personal side of history that continues to resonate across Bainbridge Island and the Pacific Northwest region today. From Thorns to Blossoms is available for purchase now at our store, or via our online catalogue. Copies will be available for sale and signing by Mitzi at the event.

( Saturday May 18, 2024, 1:00pm - 3:30pm ) Join Tina Guldhammer Frei for this one-of-a-kind guided forest bathing event at Blakely Harbor Park. Inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku, or “Forest Bathing,” a forest therapy walk is specifically designed to help you slow down, drop into your senses and connect to the natural world in a deeply restorative way. Throughout the walk (not hike—we won’t be going far) your guide will offer a series of invitations that give you the opportunity to cultivate presence, open all your senses, and actively connect with the land. The session will close with a forest tea ceremony featuring a local native tea plant. Only 20 Tickets Available! Presented by Arts & Humanities Bainbridge and Greet the Wild.

( Tuesday May 21, 2024, 7:00pm – 9:00pm ) “Honor Thy Mother” is the untold story of 36 Aboriginal women from Canada and Native women from tribes in Washington and Alaska who migrated in the 1940s to Bainbridge Island, the traditional territory of the Suquamish people. As survivors of Indian Residential Schools, they came, some still in their teens, to pick berries for Japanese American farmers, fell in love and married Filipino immigrants. They settled on the Island to raise their mixed-heritage, (Indigenous mother and Filipino father) Indipino children. The voices of the Indipino children, now elders, are integral in the storytelling of their mother’s courage and resilience marrying Asian men and risking disenfranchisement from their 19 different tribes. Following the film, Gina Corpuz and Colleen Almojuela will speak briefly then open the floor to questions. The evening will finish with a performance by international singer and actress Stephanie Reese. Presented by Arts & Humanities Bainbridge

( Saturday May 25, 2024, 12:00pm – 3:00pm ) Royal Court Coronation, food, and entertainment. Check out our Facebook page for more or any updated information. All are welcome to attend. We are always looking for and appreciate all our volunteers. Contact us, if you would like to help out. Presented By: The Filipino American Community of Bainbridge Island and Vicinity.

( Wednesday May 29, 2024, 6:00pm – 9:00pm ) An evening of music, literature and history hosted by Bainbridge Arts & Crafts Gallery and Eagle Harbor Books. Micaela Omoto will lead us in song, followed by readings from Dylan Tomine, author of Headwaters and Satsuki Ina, author of The Poet and The Silk Girl, as well as a talk by Clarence Moriwaki – Let It Not Happen Again: Lessons of the Japanese American Exclusion. Speaker interviews with Star Rush, Artist, Arts Educator, Arts Leader.
A book signing hosted by Eagle Harbor Book Co. (located next-door) will take place after the Q&A. Presented by Bainbridge Arts & Crafts and Eagle Harbor Book Co. and Arts & Humanities Bainbridge.

(Saturday Jun. 1, 2024, 11:00am – 4:00pm) Free Event: Art, Food Vendors, Performances and the announcement of our raffle winners! If you would like to participate as a food or art vendor or performer please contact : stizzr@yahoo.com. Presented By: Arts & Humanities Bainbridge and Filipino American Community of Bainbridge Island and Vicinity.

(Saturday Jun. 1, 2024, 6:00pm – 8:00pm) Come sing along or cheer on your friends as we celebrate the conclusion of the Asian Arts & Heritage Festival. Beer and Wine available for purchase. This is a 21 years and older event. I.D. required at the door. Presented By: Arts & Humanities Bainbridge and Filipino American Community of Bainbridge Island and Vicinity.

RAFFLE INFORMATION

Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at each event location and partner businesses. Thanks to our generous sponsors and donors, we’ll be raffling off these exciting prizes including:

One (1) Round-Trip Ticket From Seattle to Manila, and Cebu Province (Generously Provided By Festival Sponsor Philippine Airlines)

Two (2) Tickets To A Seattle Kraken Game ($700 value)

One (1) Night Stay at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort Tower Hotel ($189 Value)

+ More Prizes To Be Announced!

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, May 1, Tickets are $10 Each. The Final Drawing will take place on Saturday, June 1, at the Asian Arts and Heritage Festival Celebration. Participants do not need to be present to win.

More Info Coming Soon!

*Dates and Info Subject to Change*

Have A Questions?

Email: admin@ahbainbridge.org

Sponsored by:

About The Bainbridge Creative District

The Bainbridge Creative District is situated a mere 35 minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle. The ferry trip in itself is a bucolic journey across the beautiful Puget Sound. Upon arriving in Bainbridge, the Creative District is just steps away, located within the bustling downtown Winslow core. Our district makes for both a perfect day trip for visitors and a year round cultural destination for local residents. Immediately upon arriving in the district from the ferry terminal, visitors will find the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA). The museum is always free and features contemporary art & craft of the Puget Sound Region. The Museum is accessible by ramps and elevators and if a wheelchair is needed to enjoy the museum, a loaner one can be borrowed at the reception desk. Just one block away, the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum is committed to documenting, preserving, and sharing the unique history of Bainbridge Island. Their collection of cultural material is extensive and gives insight into the people, events, issues, places, and stories of the island’s collective past. The museum’s exhibits range from the indigenous population of the Suquamish people, to the Japanese internment, through to current day photographs of mask clad Bainbridge residents enduring the Covid pandemic. Bainbridge Island is home to a large and diverse community of visual artists, writers, performing artists and craftspeople. Our goal is to give visibility to our local artist community and help to provide opportunities for artists to prosper. Bainbridge features a First Friday Art Walk, which brings our community together on a monthly basis to celebrate the arts. On a twice yearly basis, Bainbridge features an island-wide Studio Tour, a self-guided art show in which art aficionados can visit artist studios, meet the artists and directly purchase artwork. We have a large community of makers. With our large community of musicians, an array of stellar classical and jazz performances can be found at First Sunday Concerts hosted at the Waterfront Park Community Center, at the Bainbridge Apothecary and Tea Shop, Winslow on the Green, and outside Blackbird Bakery, just to name a few. Our district also features a weekly Farmer’s Market, performing arts center, movie theaters, restaurants, bars, ice-cream shops, award-winning coffee shops, a community center in the “glow” consisting of artisans and makers (Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network – BARN) and so much more. Hop on a ferry and come visit us!