won’t you celebrate with me

what i have shaped into

a kind of life? i had no model.

born in babylon

both nonwhite and woman

what did i see to be except myself?

– excerpt from “won’t you celebrate with me?” by Lucille Clifton

Behind every Filipina is a legacy of struggle towards self-determination and self-awareness––as both a woman and a Filipino. Lucille Clifton’s poem “won’t you celebrate with me?,” though initially conceived as an ode to the emerging self-consciousness of African American women like Clifton herself, is able to resonate with the way Filipina women have gathered strength from their experiences and make strides towards autonomy.

“Between Starshine & Clay” takes its name from the poem, as a way of celebrating these women’s accomplishments and their journey towards self-understanding. The exhibit brings together an impressive roster of the most seasoned Filipina artists whose work explores varied themes grounded by their cultural identity and personal experiences as women.

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the show shines the spotlight on the works of Ambie Abaño, Agnes Arellano, Aze Ong, Katrina Cuenca, Krista Nogueras, Maria Francisca Juarez, Eugenia Alcaide, Olive Jaro Lopez, Jemima Yabes, Guenivere Decena, and Isobel Francisco, and the ways in which their individual oeuvres render the full spectrum of the Filipina experience.