The fourth annual Umbrella Arts Festival at downtown Evanston’s Fountain Square on May 11 brought more than 1,000 people to the free event.
Last year still saw more than 1,000 attendees despite rainy conditions, said Melissa Raman Molitor of Evanston, associate professor, adj., School of the Art Institute of Chicago, director of Evanston ASPA (Asian, South Asian, Pacific Islander American) and chair of the Evanston Arts Council.
Colorful umbrellas decorated trees on the square. Paper lanterns moving in the breeze added rainbow hues for a festive scene.
Elodie Kim, 3, of Arlington Heights, the daughter of Young-Ghee Kim, a seventh-grade teacher at Nichols Middle School in Evanston, touched one of these umbrellas thanks to a gentle lift by her father.
“It might sound cliché but the umbrella kind of is the multitude of what it means to be Asian American in this country,” Young-Ghee Kim said. “It’s not just like Korean, Chinese, Japanese, like people typically would think but consists of a lot, like South Asian.
“And so it’s a beautiful thing,” Elodie’s father said. “It’s a tapestry and I think that’s what makes America great, truly.”
An umbrella, “works for all seasons,” Raman Molitor said, “A lot of people don’t realize when you’re talking about Asian American, we’re not a monolith, it actually is inclusive of over 40 countries, many, many cultures, many ethnicities. So when we think about the umbrella, we think about it sort of encompassing all of those many cultures when we talk about Asian Americans.”
The Umbrella Arts Festival was launched in response to increased hate towards Asian Americans in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Raman Molitor said.
“We realized the harm that the lack of visibility and representation of the Asian American community was causing when all that went down and there was no support, no resources for our community,” Raman Molitor said. “Evanston ASPA really kind of came out of that, just trying to provide support and resources for the Asian American community, increase visibility and representation and this (Umbrella Arts Festival) is one of the many ways that we do that, and also raising awareness…education … Education is everything.”
She stated 10% of Evanston residents identify as Asian American.
“We’re really passionate about utilizing art as a way to build community and relationships and make connections,” Raman Molitor continued.
A popular and busy destination for many attendees was the tent and booth accommodating the Bamboo Peace Posts Community Art Project. Anyone could create a peace post by wrapping a bamboo pole with yarn and adding decorations like beads for a vibrant community installation.
According to the leaflet about the Community Art Project, the Asia-Pacific region is the largest producer of bamboo in the world. Bamboo is a grass and not a tree and, “is considered one of the most sustainable resources in efforts to save our environment,” the description noted.
“In many Asian cultures, bamboo symbolizes strength, flexibility and growth,” the paragraph further stated. “It is also considered to be associated with good luck.”
Prabha Parameswaran of Evanston was a volunteer who helped to staff the bamboo peace posts table and hoped that participants would get a moment of quiet a the booth.
“We all could use little moments of quiet and peace,” Parameswaran said.
Alec and Kristin Bernstein and daughter Amelia, 4, collaborated as an Evanston family so Amelia could attach her creation featuring white fringe yarn to the community installation.
“We’re excited to expose Amelia to new cultures and new interests and to have a wonderful craft here in the middle of Evanston,” Alec Bernstein said.
Kristin Bernstein added tasting the event’s food offerings would be part of Amelia’s experience too.
Activities included performance art on stage and also the IGNR drum group walking around and making music in costume along the event premises.
The stage accommodated an itinerary of speakers including Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss who acknowledged that the Umbrella Arts Festival has, “very quickly become a real highlight of the year here in Evanston.”
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The first documented Asian American presence in Evanston was in the 19th century, in 1888, Biss noted.
“And for a lot of that time, the Asian American community was far too close to invisible. That is not an unacceptable way for us to behave and it’s not the best way for us to get the most out of life in our diverse community,” Biss said. “It’s also not the best way to make sure that everyone is safe here.”
Biss took note of signage installed near the stage that said, “Stop Asian Hate.”
“There has been a rise in violence against Asian American people in recent years in America,” Biss said. “The right way for us to stop that is to make sure that the Asian American community is lifted up, is visible and is celebrated as a pivotal and critical part of life here in Evanston.”
Visit www.evanstonaspa.com for more information.
Karie Angell Luc is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.