City of Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis and Asian Celebration Event Director David Tam will speak Friday evening in front of a small crowd to both honor Asian American and Pacific Islander Month and to announce the Asian Celebration’s new date and location.
Mayor Vinis and Tam will be joined by Cultural Services Community Programs Senior Manager Colette Ramirez and Planning and Development Downtown Manager Eric Brown at 5 p.m. Friday at a Windowfront Exhibition installation site at 856 Willamette St. in a short event.
Last year the Eugene City Council unanimously passed a resolution declaring May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Mayor Vinis will speak about why this year it's more important than ever to acknowledge the area’s AAPI community.
Tam will speak about the changes to the 36th annual Oregon Asian Celebration after it was postponed this month because of COVID-19 threat levels. The festival is joining with another Asian event planned this summer to build upon its “Year of the Ox - Strength in Unity” theme. Unlike in previous years, this summer it will be a free outdoor festival. The Asian Celebration will feature cultural dances, music, Asian food vendors, a marketplace, youth activities and demonstrations of martial arts and crafts.
Windowfront Exhibitions features artists from the Asian Celebration, arts and crafts, heritage, history and poetry as cultural touchstones from every corner of the world's largest continent. Through June 7 people can tour Downtown Eugene to see how vacant storefronts have been transformed into works of art that showcase local artists.
The event will be live streamed on the City of Eugene Cultural Services Facebook page.