The Dallas Asian American Art Collective’s (DAAART) Ginger Roots: Asian American Arts Festival is underway, with two weeks of arts programming across North Texas through Saturday, May 3.
The festival began on Sunday, April 20 with a book release for The Salt Princess by Anoosha Syed at the Bloom Cafe in Garland, a Monday, April 21 workshop for filmmakers sponsored by the Dallas Film Commission, and Disability in Film: Making Creative Spaces Accessible, a Tuesday, April 22 workshop with Maddy Ullman at the Hexa Event Center in Richardson.
The purpose of the Ginger Roots Festival is to share the depth and breadth of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) identity through a series of multidisciplinary events. DAAART has explained the festival name derives from ginger’s common usage in cuisines across the Asian diaspora, and that the roots of Asian culture in Texas extend back to the 1800s.
In a press release DAAART founder Christina Hahn said, “We aim to share the presence and talent of Asian Texan artists who have always existed in Dallas with the rest of our greater North Texas community. Ginger Roots is a reflection of the vibrant, growing tapestry of the creative future of Texas.”
Festival events continue Thursday, April 24 with a poetry and performance open mic night at Hyphen Space in Dallas, hosted by Veronica Pamidanan, and the Saturday, April 26 opening reception for the Ginger Roots: Dallas exhibition at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society. A complementary exhibition, Ginger Roots: Fort Worth, at 400h Gallery on Sundance Square in Fort Worth, opened Sunday, March 29 and runs through Sunday, May 31.
Other upcoming Ginger Roots Festival events include a Monday, April 28 presentation on the intersection of AAPI art and social justice movements by Dallas Asian American Historical Society co-founder Stephanie Drenka, a Bollywood dance workshop with instructor Madhu Raju on Wednesday, April 30 at Destiny Devoted Dance in Plano, and a Thursday, May 1 music-themed night with Jerry Zeng, JONAVI, Kimia Penton, Rosy L, Andy Yu, and the Bolt Cutter Revolution also at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society.
The full schedule of events, complete with times, locations and other details, is available on the DAART website. All festival events are free and open to the public, with RSVP requested.
