traci kato-kiriyama

When a young artist visits the studio of a charismatic artist to get her first tattoo, she is forced to confront a shared cultural secret that awakens the burgeoning force inside of her.

After her mother's traditional Chinese medicine shop is vandalized, a young botanist draws on the resilience of her local community and the healing remedies of her ancestors to contend with her deepest anxieties.

This is Not a Showcase centers on the courtyard of the Union Center for the Arts, the home of Tuesday Night Cafe, the longest running grassroots Asian American run art series in the country. Contrasting meditations and reflections from the filmmaker and TNC’s staff with footage from the show’s 25th season, This is Not a Showcase takes us on a journey through time and space as we search for the meaning of community, home and belonging in Los Angeles.

When a young artist visits the studio of a charismatic artist to get her first tattoo, she is forced to confront a shared cultural secret that awakens the burgeoning force inside of her.

This is Not a Showcase centers on the courtyard of the Union Center for the Arts, the home of Tuesday Night Cafe, the longest running grassroots Asian American run art series in the country. Contrasting meditations and reflections from the filmmaker and TNC’s staff with footage from the show’s 25th season, This is Not a Showcase takes us on a journey through time and space as we search for the meaning of community, home and belonging in Los Angeles.