Center for Community Life

Centered on YBCA's vision to place contemporary art at the heart of community life, we offer educational, social, and interactive programs that offer a range of experiences to both provide a deeper understanding of the art, artists, and YBCA's Big Ideas. Working on a philosophy of programming that situates contemporary art as a vital element in our society, we are also invested in civic engagement programs that provide a spectrum of civic activities that promote commentary, dialogue, action, and leadership.

Public Programs

Join us for exciting conversations, panels, and special events that provide a deeper understanding and experience with YBCA's art, artists, and Big Ideas. See what Public Programs are currently upcoming.

Artist inSight (AIS)

Learn more about the making of, influences, and the critical issues related to the presented works from artists and their collaborators.

Community Conversations

Speak up and interact in these salon style and town hall events dealing with our Big Ideas and today's pressing issues.

YBCA Live!

Love the excitement and party atmosphere of YBCA's exhibit opening night parties? Join us for smaller scale social events to celebrate our current art and artists.

Room for Big Ideas

When visiting YBCA, stop into our Room for Big Ideas, an interactive lounge space where you can learn more about the Big Ideas behind YBCA art and artists.

Civic Engagement

YBCA is a dedicated participant and stakeholder in the arts community and civic life. The programs below illustrate the kind of collaborative projects we participate in to promote equity and access in the arts.

Fil AM Conference

As part of our civic engagement efforts, YBCA convened a leadership team from local and national Filipino American arts and cultural organizations to address the groundswell of Filipino American activities in the Bay Area with a focus on the development of four local major Filipino cultural and arts spaces and particularly the trends in artistic production and its relationship to community development projects and academia.

Leadership from Bindlestiff Studio, Bayanihan Community Center, Kularts Inc., Manilatown Heritage Foundation, Filipino Cultural Center, professors from UCLA, NYU, UC Santa Cruz, and the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development collaborated with YBCA Community Engagement to host a one day conference entitled, PURO ARTE: Filipino American Arts, Academia, and Community Development. This one day conference held in April of 06, brought together 75 key leaders in the field of arts, academia, and community development to identify the respective roles and the institutional ties of each field and the ways it impacts artistic expression and cultural production. PURO ARTE resulted in the development of a formal network that includes participants of the conference and beyond as well as initiating collaborations that have yielded in national grant awards of significant amounts for neighboring organizations.

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