Month-long event will feature a family-friendly collaborative painting activity and panel discussions with mental health professionals and local Bay Area writers who engage in mental health topics in their work.

Local organizations offering mental health services are also tabling during key event dates to share resources and information.

Oct1: Opening Reception

With a special reading by Bay Area writers Dawn Angelicca Barcelona and Hannah Wastyk

Oct 8: Mental Health Professionals Discussion

Featuring representatives from Asian Health Services and NAMI San Francisco

Oct 13: Collaborative Painting with Justice Murals at Lincoln Summer Nights

A fun family-friendly collaborative painting activity — supplies and materials provided, no experience necessary

Oct 29: Writers Discussion Panel

Featuring Bay Area poets Michelle Lin and Christine No

Our signature award-winning mental health project was launched in 2019 as a webcomic

It was translated into 6 languages including Chinese and Spanish to increase accessibility and maximize reach

US-based Sweet Lit published the comic as a Chapbook in 2020

The project received a “Speaking Out" Mind HK Media Award for challenging negative narratives around mental health, and a mini-grant from ARTogether

It was also nominated for a Shorty Social Good Award and two Webby Awards

So far, the comic has been viewed by over 10,000 readers across 100 countries

The comic will now be presented as an in-person exhibition for the very first time in 2022

Founded in 1984, Oakland Asian Cultural Center (Co-Presenter and Venue Sponsor) is located in the heart of the city’s Chinatown district. Through presentations of high-quality cultural and artistic programs such as performances, exhibitions, festivals, school tours, workshops and classes for the community, the organization fosters inter-generational and cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, collaboration, and social justice.

ARTogether (Co-Presenter and Fiscal Sponsor) is a Bay Area 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that seeks to strengthen refugee and immigrant communities through the creative arts. Our mission is to provide art programs that foster compassionate communities where refugees and immigrants can flourish. ARTogether works with artists to produce programming, professional development workshops and exhibitions that highlight topics relevant to the refugee and immigrant communities.

Asian Health Services (Lead Sponsor) is a national model for multilingual and multicultural health care services for low-income children, families and elders in and around Alameda County, California. AHS offers primary, dental, and behavioral and mental health services to more than 50,000 patients in 15 languages from 9 clinic sites, regardless of immigration and insurance status, income, language, or culture. Languages include: English, Korean, ASL, Lao, Burmese, Mandarin, Cantonese, French, Mien, Karen, Mongolian, Karenni, Tagalog, Khmer, and Vietnamese. Rooted in advocacy since inception, AHS promotes national and local campaigns and policies that make our communities a safer and healthier place to live and thrive.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) San Francisco (Community Partner) is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals living with a mental health condition(s) and their families/loved ones. NAMI effectively provides advocacy, support, and education for millions of Americans via grassroots, local affiliates throughout the United States. NAMI San Francisco's mission is to provide community education, spaces for peer and family connection, and programs designed to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. To this end, NAMI SF offers a Helpline, support groups, educational classes, and a range of educational presentations for community-specific groups.

Justice Murals (Community Partner) is a collaborative national art non-profit fostering civic dialogue & engagement. The organization has done over 25+ museum, gallery & pop-up installations w/ artists, students, refugees, & volunteers to spark important equity conversations. In addition to local community work, Justice Murals has partnered with international organizations like Afghan artists ArtLords, recreating their murals painted over by the Taliban alongside Afghan refugees, and is also aligned with the Ukrainian Institute in Kyiv to promote Ukrainian art and messages of peace. Justice Murals uses a range of art mediums to amplify community voices, including light projections that are seen on recognizable buildings across the Bay Area.

Lincoln Summer Nights (Community Partner) is a volunteer-led community event that takes place at Lincoln Square Park in Oakland Chinatown on every 2nd Thursday of the month from 5-8pm. On its 6th season now, it draws together a multi-generational and multi-cultural crowd of families, youth, and seniors for an evening of free games, art, resource fair, sports, and performances.

Edward Gunawan (Writer and Lead Organizer) is an interdisciplinary writer and filmmaker. The author of two chapbooks: The Way Back (Foglifter Press, winner of Start a Riot! Prize) and Press Play (Sweet Lit), he has also completed over 25 feature and short film projects as writer, producer, actor, and/or director. His two most recent producing projects — How to Win at Checkers (Every Time) and By the Time It Gets Dark were both honored as Thailand's Best Foreign Language Film entries for the Academy Awards. His non-fiction essay “Crows Like Us,” in which he examines mental health-related suicides in the LGBTI community, was published in the Intimate Strangers anthology (Signal 8 Press). A queer immigrant from Indonesia and of Chinese heritage, he now resides on Ohlone land in Oakland, CA where he organizes storytelling and wellness gatherings that foster individual well-being and community health through creative play.

Elbert Lim (Illustrator) is a visual storyteller from Indonesia. In 2019, he founded Khayalan Arts — a creative studio that creates socially-impactful art projects, installations, exhibitions, and workshops. He is also the creator and lead designer of Samudra (released in 2021 on Steam), an award-winning video game that addresses the global threat of ocean pollution.