City in California unveils Fil-Am’s public art work

Camille Hoffman’s installation, titled “Storied Waters: Dreams of Bayanihan,” features the silhouettes of historic photos of Filipinos in California and honors “laborers, past, present, and future.” FACEBOOK

A new, immersive public art piece by award-winning contemporary Filipino American artist Camille Hoffman was unveiled by the City of San Luis Obispo, California and the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art on Saturday, June 11.

The installation, titled “Storied Waters: Dreams of Bayanihan,” features the silhouettes of historic photos of Filipinos in California and honors “laborers, past, present, and future.” “Bayanihan” is the spirit of community and cooperation).

Artist Camille Hoffman. FACEBOOK

Artist Camille Hoffman says the sculpture references the historic date of October 18, 1587, when the first Filipinos stepped foot on Chumash land and the present-day Continental United States at Morro Bay.

They arrived as crew members aboard a ship which was a part of the Manila galleon trade under Spanish rule.

Hoffman’s family ancestry is rooted in the Philippines, and her art practice has involved an “unraveling and re-threading of misplaced personal and collective narratives in the wake of colonialism.”

San Luis Obispo’s Public Art Program is designed to strengthen the city’s commitment to sustaining a vibrant and historically-aware community. The resulting artwork represents diversity of thought that can take a wide range of forms, sizes, and scales, and can range from temporary to permanent. Hoffman’s installation is the third project of the program in partnership with the SLO Museum of Art.