Art and Cultural Expression
from the Diaspora

Voices of Resistance

Voices of Resistance (VOR) is an annual exploration and affirmation of South Asian Diasporic identity through art.  VOR provides a forum for artists of South Asian descent to share visual art and perform work that speaks to all the faces, experiences, and perspectives of the South Asian Diaspora.  We use art as a powerful means of social commentary that allows us to empower and transform in ways ordinarily impossible through other mediums. 

VOR is SAPAC's biggest event of the year—more than 250 people come to experience a variety of performing and visual artists from within Chicago's South Asian community.

VOR8 will be held August 9, 2009

at Old Town School of Folk Music.

Please visit our Events page for more info! 

3rd I

Several members of SAPAC formed the Chicago chapter of a national organization, 3rd I South Asian Independent Film, that promotes diverse images of South Asians through film and media.  3rd I has a full calendar of screenings scheduled for this coming year and is also a good source for learning about other South Asian films being screened in Chicago. To learn more, visit their website or email thirdi-chicago@thirdi.org.

SAPAC also supports a number of efforts to lift up the voice of South Asian writers, poets, and artists:

DesiLit

June 11-14, 2009: DesiLit presents
the Kriti Festival of South Asian Arts & Literature!
@ UIC & Roosevelt University
Learn more and buy tickets at DesiLit's website!

In 2004 a group of SAPAC members created an organization called DesiLit to build support for the work of South Asian and South Asian diaspora writers by

• enhancing public awareness of their work through local readings and events,

• creating opportunities for new and aspiring South Asian writers to learn from others in the field and develop their work, through workshops and classes, and

• developing a supportive community among those interested in South Asian literature.

DesiLit now has eight chapters in the U.S., Canada, and England and runs many activities, most notably the Kriti Festival. Held biennially in 2005 and 2007, Kriti was Chicago's first literary festival exclusively featuring writers from the South Asian diaspora. The group also publishes an online literary magazine and hosts author appearances, local readings, and writing workshops.

To learn more and to get in touch with others interested in South Asian literature, visit the DesiLit website.

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Kitchen Poems

A project of the Asian American Artists Collective, Kitchen Poems is a monthly gathering of writers, poets, and playwrights who work on the craft of writing. Visit their website for more info.