FilAm ARTS: The Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture

The Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture, also known as FilAm ARTS, is a multi-disciplinary community arts organization whose mission is to advance the understanding of the arts and diverse cultural heritage of Filipinos in the United States. With three public programs - the Annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture, the statewide Pilipino Artists Network, and the arts education program, Eskuwela Kultura, FilAm ARTS' organizational purpose is to engage diverse peoples in cultural arts as a synergistic approach to individual and community self-determination and empowerment. FilAm ARTS traces its roots to the annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) - an annual series of multidisciplinary arts events that takes place in the County of Los Angeles that includes art exhibits, literary readings, performances, and film screenings, that all culminate in a two-day festival weekend. The first Festival was held in 1992 at Los Angeles City College, as a project developed by the City of Los Angeles, in efforts to heal the city through cultural gatherings, in light of the LA Riots which occurred in April of 1992. FPAC has since moved to Cabrillo Beach, and then to Point Fermin Park, then to Echo Park, and the Levitt Pavilion (current location) and has welcomed over 25,000 attendees, 1200 artists, and 400 volunteers.