Join SOMA Pilipinas in viewing Cian Dayrit’s exhibition, Liberties Were Taken, at Root Division . All are welcome to view the exhibit and join SOMA Pilipinas for music, food, and activities as part of their Appreciation Party for Advisory Group Members.

About the Exhibit

Liberties Were Taken showcases Dayrit’s investigations of power and identity as represented and reproduced in monuments, museums, and maps. His work unravels the layering of complex power structures, oppressive systems ,and the legacies of colonialism that continue to dominate Philippine society today. The exhibition brings together embroidered textiles, elaborate paintings, and multimedia works created over a decade of participatory actions and solidarity work with landless farmers, Indigenous, and marginalized groups in the Philippines and around the world.

Call For Artworks

SOMA Pilipinas invites artists and community members submit artworks that highlight SOMA Pilipinas' past, present, and future for an upcoming historical and community-arts based exhibition at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts from August 1 - December 14, 2025. 

SOMA Pilipinas invites artists to submit artworks that: 

• Pay homage to the generations before us that forged the Filipino community’s living legacy of building community through the bayanihan spirit throughout San Francisco, with special focus on the South of Market neighborhood

• Document our community’s lived experiences and efforts to re/claim space and

• Imagine Filipinx futures amidst an ever changing South of Market neighborhood and City. 

This call is open to visual artwork (2D work including: painting, mixed-media, photography); 3D sculptural objects; and short-form video works. Deadline to submit is March 31, 2025 at 8PM PST.  

SOMA Pilipinas is Community-in-Action and a Cultural Movement. The cultural heritage district spanning 1.5 square miles honors 120+ history of Filipinos in San Francisco, and celebrates the community’s living legacy of making home, celebrating culture, building community and fighting for economic and racial justice in the rapidly gentrifying South of Market neighborhood. We are looking for passionate, motivated students to join us as interns and help us plan and execute community events and programs.

Deadline Extended to March 27, 2025 - apply today!

$1 – $30Sliding scale

In honor of Filipino American History Month, join us for a moving multimedia experience highlighting stories of African American soldiers and Filipinos during the Philippine–American War. Developed by John Calloway, this artistic showcase combines live music, Indigenous dance, and spoken word to narrate powerful depictions of this history and the fight for freedom. The program will be emceed by Mario Nomi from the Oakland based Filipino Advocates for Justice. This program is being co-presented by Kularts and SOMA Pilipinas.

UNDISCOVERED SF is so excited to bring back UNDISCOVERED SF for ONE big festival in October for Filipino American History Month this year with another amazing CULTURE CRAWL!

UNDISCOVERED SF is planning a multi-venue SOMA Pilipinas cultural district festival where attendees will walk the commercial corridor and visit local businesses & cultural hubs to shop, eat, and support artists, creatives, and small businesses.

SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District unveils the restoration of the first mural depicting the history of Filipino immigration to the Americas, named “Ang Lipi ni Lapu Lapu”, which translates to “The Descendents of Lapu Lapu”.

The restoration of Ang Lipi ni Lapu Lapu will be celebrated as part of the Community Block Party during the SOMA Sunday Streets on October 13, 2024 from 12-5PM.

Come by the Heroes Village (at Lapu Lapu and Bonifacio Street) to see the 40-year old mural fully restored for the first time, and enjoy photo opportunities with the MAHAL Jeepney, community performances, inaugural 2024 Parol making workshop, and a taste of Philippine ice cream flavors from the SOMA Pilipinas Sorbetes cart!