Friday, December 8 at 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
The Taipei Economic And Cultural Office In New York
1 E 42nd St, New York, New York 10017

Taiwan Matters : How to incorporate both grassroots movement and public art in global advocacy

How do we give back to Taiwan while we are not physically in Taiwan?
When we are not in Taiwan, what can we do to let more people know about Taiwan?

From street rally to street fair, from demonstration to art installation, what do they have in common? Why are they connected?

As a part of the movement to bring more awareness for Taiwan to New Yorkers during the month of September when world leaders convene in the Big Apple for the annual United Nations General Assembly, a group of volunteers worked tirelessly to bring a series of events together to engage in such effort as Taiwan is excluded from the United Nations.

Taiwanese in the New York area have been advocating UN membership for Taiwan and participating in global advocacy since during the martial law era.

Taiwan, a vibrant democracy in east Asia and a strong ally of the USA, is the only country in the world systematically barred from participating in the global arena. The movement to recognize Taiwan as Taiwan can be traced back as early as the 50’s and continues to present day. As the years pass, the activist community continues to grow and evolve. Today, younger activists are comprised of 2nd/3rd generation Taiwanese American as well as recent migrants who moved to New York for school or work.

The organizers have also been experimenting new formats in advocacy. Past September, they’ve incorporated public art, outdoor speaker sessions, even a bubble tea street festival to let residents and tourists in New York to learn about Taiwan and its people.

How do they do it? Why do they do it?

There will be eight volunteers in this upcoming panel. They will share their experiences in making these things happen. Two of them are architects, who will share how they have used their professional skills to create art to raise awareness. You can also come and share what other strategies and campaigns we can use in the future.

Come to this interactive workshop, where volunteers for each of the events shares their views and find out the reasons behind their work to bring justice for Taiwan!