Community ArtCommunity Art

KQED is proud to display artwork from different community-focused art partners in its San Francisco headquarters in months-long rotations.

BALAY KREATIVE STUDIOS
Balay is a vibrant Filipino American Art Studio located in San Francisco’s SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District. The organization draws its name from the word balay, meaning “home” in several dialects (Cebuano, Ilocano, and Waray-Waray) originating in the Philippines. Through the work of three Filipina American artists — Veecaps, ChiChai and Cristine Blanco — this presentation explores the complex emotions, histories, and relationships that shape both the Filipino diaspora at large and the Filipino American experience in the Bay Area. The artworks poignantly reflect the search for identity, belonging, and cultural preservation in a foreign land, while simultaneously paying homage to the resilient spirit of the Filipino community.

Cristine Blanco is an interdisciplinary artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, and installation. Her artistic practice focuses on environmental injustices, the precarious nature of resources, and the familial story as her starting point. Through labor-intensive processes, Blanco investigates the inherent tensions and care within these themes, often referencing lineage and life cycles as a metaphor for larger cosmic narratives. Currently living on Ohlone lands, Blanco was born and raised in the Bay Area by immigrant parents. Blanco’s work has been showcased at numerous esteemed institutions, such as the Berkeley Art Center, SF Arts Commission’s Main Gallery, Alternative Space LOOP (Seoul, Korea), Root Division, /slash, and SOMArts Cultural Center.

ChiChai (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary artist, educator, and community-gatherer born and raised in Occupied Ohlone Land, also known as the San Francisco Bay Area. Whether teaching or creating, ChiChai’s work is intersectional in its roots to nature, feminism, and the dismantling of colonial mindsets. You can catch her teaching art and how to use art as a tool for decolonizing to youth and adults. ChiChai received her MA in International Studies from University of San Francisco (2016), in which she was awarded Most Original Thesis for her master’s thesis “Challenging Filipino Colonial Mentality through Philippine Art.” She has taught youth to seniors for various nonprofits and organizations throughout the Bay Area, including Destiny Arts, Galing Bata, and Youth Art Exchange.

Vivian Capulong, also recognized as VeeCaps, is a visual artist based in San Francisco. Born and raised in the Bay Area, her artistic journey is deeply influenced by her nostalgic upbringing and Filipino American heritage. Her work predominantly features acrylic paint, where she crafts colorful and vibrant portraits and scenery, influenced by semi-realism, animation, and classical art. VeeCaps’s artistic vision is rooted in her desire to transform defining moments and life experiences into hopeful and uplifting art.

In addition to her studio work, VeeCaps has shared her artwork publicly by creating murals throughout the Bay Area and showcasing her pieces at SFMOMA. Balancing her artistic pursuits, Vivian is also a UX designer. This dual expertise allows her to merge artistic creativity with technical precision, creating intuitive and engaging experiences.

For more information about Balay Kreative Studios visit balaykreative.org.

KQED Live and PRX Podcast Garage event ticket holders can view the installation up to one-hour prior to events when doors open.

Art is located in the lower lobby corridor leading from the garage into the lower lobby, and in the Pub Hub near in The Commons lobby. For questions, please write to communityart@kqed.org.

PREVIOUS COMMUNITY ART INSTALLATIONS

First Exposures (2023/24)
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (2023)
Creativity Explored (2022)