A Word from the Coordinator
Mabuhay!
Welcome to the Para Sa Atin / For Us project! I am the project coordinator, Ailene Pasco. I was born in Imus, Cavite near Manila Philippines. My family and I migrated to California in October of 1992 when I was 8 years old. I returned to Imus, Cavite when I was a Sophomore and graduated high school at the Imus Institute of Science and Technology. After graduation in 2002, I flew back to California. I moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2005 where I met my partner, started a family, and kicked off my career as an artist.
The reason I wanted to do this project was to learn more about my own culture. Moving away from the Philippines at the age of 8 didn't give me much time and memories from there. After growing up in California, I slowly lost connection with my culture. All I had were faint memories of a childhood in the Philippines, comprehension of Tagalog, and a handful of cultural traditions that my parents still celebrated and performed. Returning to the Philippines as a teenager who couldn't speak Tagalog made me realize that I knew nothing about my own culture and background. Undergrad school at College of Southern Nevada and University of Nevada Las Vegas gave me opportunities to explore my culture through art. This became my vehicle for my goal of reconnecting with my homeland.
While working on this project, I learned so much about not only the history of the Philippines, but I also learned that there is a need for more gatherings, meetings, and events focused on the Filipino community, specifically in Las Vegas, Nevada. My research led me to so many Filipino artists, businesses, and notable citizens. I shifted my focus to connecting with as many Filipinos as I can in Clark County. In curating the exhibit, I included as many of these entrepreneurs as I can with the budget I had to work with.
The exhibit itself was an amazing event. Although there were many obstacles and hiccups, the event happened and successfully ended. During the event, so many of the community showed up. Both Filipinos and non-Filipinos came together and held conversations about the Philippines. Many expressed nostalgia and shared their memories of childhood and life in the Philippines. Older attendees had opportunities to teach the younger attendees on the artifacts from the Philippines. There was also talk about the need for more events like this one.
Now that the exhibit has ended and this website has been put out into the universe, I would like to proudly welcome you to Para Sa Atin / For Us, a resource website that houses Filipino educational information, Philippine arts and culture, and highlights of the Las Vegas Filipino community.
I would like to extend my full gratitude for everyone who was involved with this project, the event attendees, and viewers of this website. This project is FOR US!
-Ailene Pasco
Welcome to the Para Sa Atin / For Us project! I am the project coordinator, Ailene Pasco. I was born in Imus, Cavite near Manila Philippines. My family and I migrated to California in October of 1992 when I was 8 years old. I returned to Imus, Cavite when I was a Sophomore and graduated high school at the Imus Institute of Science and Technology. After graduation in 2002, I flew back to California. I moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2005 where I met my partner, started a family, and kicked off my career as an artist.
The reason I wanted to do this project was to learn more about my own culture. Moving away from the Philippines at the age of 8 didn't give me much time and memories from there. After growing up in California, I slowly lost connection with my culture. All I had were faint memories of a childhood in the Philippines, comprehension of Tagalog, and a handful of cultural traditions that my parents still celebrated and performed. Returning to the Philippines as a teenager who couldn't speak Tagalog made me realize that I knew nothing about my own culture and background. Undergrad school at College of Southern Nevada and University of Nevada Las Vegas gave me opportunities to explore my culture through art. This became my vehicle for my goal of reconnecting with my homeland.
While working on this project, I learned so much about not only the history of the Philippines, but I also learned that there is a need for more gatherings, meetings, and events focused on the Filipino community, specifically in Las Vegas, Nevada. My research led me to so many Filipino artists, businesses, and notable citizens. I shifted my focus to connecting with as many Filipinos as I can in Clark County. In curating the exhibit, I included as many of these entrepreneurs as I can with the budget I had to work with.
The exhibit itself was an amazing event. Although there were many obstacles and hiccups, the event happened and successfully ended. During the event, so many of the community showed up. Both Filipinos and non-Filipinos came together and held conversations about the Philippines. Many expressed nostalgia and shared their memories of childhood and life in the Philippines. Older attendees had opportunities to teach the younger attendees on the artifacts from the Philippines. There was also talk about the need for more events like this one.
Now that the exhibit has ended and this website has been put out into the universe, I would like to proudly welcome you to Para Sa Atin / For Us, a resource website that houses Filipino educational information, Philippine arts and culture, and highlights of the Las Vegas Filipino community.
I would like to extend my full gratitude for everyone who was involved with this project, the event attendees, and viewers of this website. This project is FOR US!
-Ailene Pasco
Para Sa Atin / For Us
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Para Sa Atin / For Us is a project to highlight the Filipino culture through research, community engagement, and collaboration presented as an exhibition and living website.
Para Sa Atin / For Us is a research project to unearth and celebrate Filipino art and its history. Nevada, specifically Las Vegas, has a large population of Filipino immigrants and Las Vegas born FIlipinos. The city is filled with talented Filipino artists, performers, and art administrators. There are also an extensive list of Filipino-based and ran businesses. In the exhibit, artifacts from Filipino culture will be on view along with artwork from local Filipino artist. During the exhibition will be a celebration of the Filipino culture complete with food, fashion, and activities for attendees. Along with the exhibition, the research will be presented and will live in the form of a website that will become an ongoing platform for future research and resources of the Filipino culture. |
Graph courtesy of Commissioner Jones' Office
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Scope of Work |
Process and Outcome |
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Timeline
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July 2025
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January 2026
April 2026 May 2026 June 2026 |
July 2026
August 2026 September 2026
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Exhibition
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This event was free and open to the public. All ages were welcome! Light refreshments were provided.
Collaborating artists included: Cerissa Lopez, Chels Rust, Loisse Ledres, Nalani Dickey, Robin Leuterio, Sam Ganados, Stephanie Sumler, Sydney Galindo, and Zoe Mekelle Dela Paz. Artifacts donated by Merlinda Pasco and Arlene Pasco Lopez (1966-2025). Para Sa Atin Logo created by artist, Kayla Talastas Logo Magnets made by My Cozy Magnets Sign, map, and stickers printed by Plot Twist Publishing Nanay Mo Sari Sari Store built by Ailene Pasco, ran by Azyrus Parker. Certain snacks provided by Winn & Gia's Closet and D&D Custom Design. Activity sheets created by The Palette Press, Raise Curious Kids, and 123 Homeschool 4 Me. Food and refreshments provided by Yam's Kitchen Sweets, Felix Anne Sarte Liberato, and Maia Illastron. Budget provided by Lulu Art House. |
Please stay tuned for the next exhibit event.
Meet the Artists:
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Origin Place: Angela City / Manila
"My titas used to call me busilak (boo-see-lahk) in Tagalog when I was a little girl. As a bi-racial (Filipina and German) child, I had a very light complexion, hence my aunties used to say I was snow white or white flower. This piece is dedicated to my late father, Ernesto DeGoma Lopez, who was from the Philippines. He passed away from pancreatic cancer when I was 3 years old. I depicted myself when I was 3, during the time of his passing. I am wearing his Judo kimono, as martial arts is a tradition on the Filipino side of my family. Lopez means wolf, and a symbol of my father, whose energy and memory has helped carry and protect me, even in his passing. Both he and I share the same astrological sign, Capricorn, with our birthdays only being 2 days apart. Saturn and the Bakunawa (ouroburos) are symbols connected to our astrological sign, and also represent death and rebirth/the circle of life. " |
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Origin Place: Cebu
"In the background shows the shape of an altered pastel version of the Philippine flag which purposefully flips the red and blue for a pastel color scheme that hints at the pansexual pride flag. The parallels of the traditionally royal shade of blue (representing sacrifice for freedom) and red (courage), are now light magenta pink and baby blue cyan. Yet, they still mirror a recognized sense of sacrifice towards inner freedom while being courageous in who I am. The 3 yellow/gold stars represent the three main sections of the Philippines: Luzon, Mindanao, and the Visayan land clusters. I depicted the largest star as a nod to my Cebuano ancestry from my mother's bloodline. The placement pointing down the stomach also overlaps in the color and area where the solar plexus is located which represent themes of a reclaimed sense of confidence. This is felt in the amount of Filipino pride I've personally felt conflated with queer pride just from this past year alone. First coined in 1924, the term, "Barong Tagalog" which translates to Tagalog Shirt is one of the National Filipino dress shirts for men. Usually an un-tucked long-sleeved lightweight shirt, it can be made of different materials with overlapping embroideries. Pina cloth, for example, is time-consuming to extract and weave from pineapple fibers and therefore lustrous, transparent, and usually expensive for formal occasions. Other materials may include cheaper alternatives such as ramie for informal gatherings or organza to mimic the pure pina look at an affordable cost. I decided to transpose the traditionally male attire that is usually cream-colored into an enmeshment of magenta and cyan like the background flag. While the yellow part of the pansexual flag is subtly blurred in the barong, the lemon hue is emphasized at the pants which correlates to the attraction of the entire gender spectrum inclusive beyond traditional gender norms from non-binary, genderqueer, and other variant expressions. The hints of violet are also a nod to the shade throughout my childhood of ube Filipino purple yam flavoring which feels like it is so apart of my DNA, that I could probably bleed purple at this point. These pigments and planted flags on the inner landscape of my own identity are a steppingstone to explore the facets of what I can continue to learn and grow about myself as a queer Filipinx-American. It is also an invitation for the Fil-Am community to reflect in different ways they feel pride in their heritage, and how they can continually enrich and expand what Pinoy Joy can mean to them. " |
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Origin Place: Cebu
"For me, food has always been a connector to home. Here, I've captured my favorite comfort dishes: rice, red hotdogs and fried fish with soy sauce and suka. With her feet up and hands ready to pick up a sliver of fish, the sole figure is poised in every Filipino's favorite posture of comfort. Though it looks like she is eating alone, she is not. She has been transported to many memories of long tables covered in banana leaves, filled with bright piles of food, across family, friends and strangers. (Anyone is welcome to eat) Filipinos make up one of the world's largest diasporas. We are not strangers to being away, but food will always help us go back whenever we need to be filled." |
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Origin Place: Manila
"Bakunawa's Beckon is a work I created using inking techniques that I finished off with acrylic paints. It's a piece I wanted to make because one, I love dragons, and two, I love portraying duality, and the Bakunawa is a symbol of both creation and destruction so I wanted to use the presence of both the sun and the moon to convey the duality of this beast." |
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Origin Place: Baguio + Aringay, La Union
"This piece was an exploration of my own identity as a Filipino-America, transnational identities and experiences of the Filipino diaspora with an emphasis on Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). A heavily experimental piece that combines formal studio practice with fashion design techniques in an effort to bridge the gap between two worlds that are often regarded as distinct from one another. Modeled after the traditional silhouettes of the Baro't Saya, many details explore and encapsulate the unique experience of growing up Fil-Am and the hardships our families go through to fight for a country that can't stand on its own feet because its support is continuously stolen. Journeys through time and generations are explored through various motifs and techniques. While they may be separated from home, their gaze is always looking back and the mind is always thinking about home." |
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Origin Place: NA
"NA" |
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Origin Place: Angeles City, Pampanga
"Just Chill explores a coming‑of‑age moment shaped by the layered experience of being a mixed Black American and Pinay woman. The work moves through both real and imagined landscapes, using them as markers of memory and identity—places that help me return to myself. The imagery acknowledges the complexity of belonging to multiple cultures, including the parts I understand intimately and the parts that remain distant. The enlarged, floating sampaguita—traditionally a small, fragrant flower woven into crowns—mirrors the scale and presence of the Nigerian trumpet flower. Together, they become symbols of heritage that is both familiar and elusive. In this piece, self‑acceptance emerges not from certainty but from embracing the in‑between, allowing identity to unfold with calm and curiosity." |
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Origin Place: Visayan Islands / Tacloban / Cebu
"Gusto Ko Nga Lumoson Ko Nimo confronts how colonial faith tore through the rhythms of Bisayan spuritual practices, Babaylan, leaving a rupture that still echoes in the body and soul. The blood-red fabric and crown of thorns reference the violence of conversion. While the soft golden hue rising from the ground, with the word Kalag (soul) stitched in, serve as a reminder of the ancestral spirit that endures beneath the weight of history. The piece becomes a plea for paglubong in what was lost and what remains. Drown me entirely--to return to the ancestral and spiritual self, moving with the tides of land and sea. Here, animist memory endures, carrying the knowledge of those who came before."
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Origin Place: Malolos, Bulacan
"Goldfish Memory dives into the artist's forgetfulness and not being able to remember much of her past-- whether recent or long ago. This includes her memories of her own Filipino upbringing when it comes to any traditions she learned as a child. The majority of Zoe's Filipino practices were remembered and continually applied into her life because of her late grandmother. As years continue to pass by, memories of her grandmother started to gradually fade away along with her culture, hence Goldfish Memory. Even as her memories become more distant, the artist has a growing desire to remember these memories of at the very least be at peace with them. This installation is a collection of wind chimes with polaroid emulsions and lumen prints hanging off of a pabitin. Wind chimes are used to create a peaceful and refreshing atmosphere within a garden or yard, while a pabitin is the opposite and is served as a party game for children to grab prizes off of. These wind chimes hang off the pabitin to represent my memories and how they are seen as my "treasures" just like the prizes that are attached to a regular pabitin. Zoe wishes to hold onto her memories and her culture just as this pabitin holds onto them for her.
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Exhibit Artwork List
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Sala
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Walis Ting-Ting
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Kusina
- The kusina is where all the food magic happens in the Filipino culture. Parents pass down recipes to their children. Siblings learning how to cook together. Family share happy memories while making food for everyone. And not just everyone, EVERYONE! Filipinos are known to cook more than needed in the chance that visitors may stop by. Food will always be available. Filipinos will always feed visitors.
- "Growing up in a large family plus extended family, we were always celebrating something or someone. I remember the kusina always packed even the night before the event. Family and friends would all gather in the kusina and help prepare the food for the upcoming festivities. The cooking usually ended with a meal and maybe a little drinking for the older crowd until one at a time people left and the house was quiet for the night. Just to do it all again in the morning." - Ailene Pasco
- Originated from the Philippines, purchased in Las Vegas, NV.
- Eco-friendly, natural plates and wrappers that impart a unique aroma and moisture to foods. Replaces plastic for wrapping food, from street food to farmer's packed lunches. Used for steaming and grilling dishes.
- Symbolizing Filipino resourcefulness, cultural heritage, sustainability, and communal togetherness.
- "Banana leaves were used for everything food related growing up. I remember it being used for to make puto bung-bong. It was used to wrap the white goat cheese that the taho man sold every morning. Street food vendors used banana leaves to wrap food to-go. Every food related festivity used large banana leaves to lay out the food." - Ailene Pasco
- Provided by Felix Anne Sarte Liberato
- Chicken pieces on skewers grilled on an open flame usually served with a vinegar and onion sauce.
- Known as one of the street foods in the Philippines.
- Provided by Felix Anne Sarte Liberto
- Ground pork and vegetables rolled in flour sheets like spring rolls and deep fried.
- Derived from the Chinese spring rolls, was adapted by the FIlipinos in the 17th century
- Provided by Yam's Kitchen Sweets
- Served with coconut shreds
- A type of steamed rice cake found throughout the Philippines. It is made from a mixture of tapioca or rice flour, brown sugar and lye, enhanced with yellow food coloring or annatto extract, and steamed in small ramekins.
- Provided by Yam's Kitchen Sweets
- A type of baked rice cake from the Philippines. It is usually eaten for breakfast, especially during the Christmas season. It is traditionally cooked in clay pots lined with leaves. It is a subtype of kakanin in Philippine cuisine.
- Provided by Yam's Kitchen Sweets
- Mainly made from glutinous rice and coconut milk that are traditionally steamed and wrapped in either buri palm leaves or plain banana leaves.
- Provided by Yam's Kitchen Sweets
- Fermented steamed rice cakes.
- Provided by Maia Illastron
- Known as the Philippine lemon, used for cooking, making sauces, marinate, and juice.
- Provided by Maia Illastron
- A combination of sweet brown sugar syrup, chewy tapioca pearls (sago), and seaweed-based gelatin (gulaman) in water.
- Provided by Andrew Parker
- Shredded cantaloupe with water and sugar.
- Store-bought.
- Spanish colonists introduced the pineapple to the Philippines in the late 16th or 17th century
- Pina fabric derived from the Red Spanish pineapple. Pina fiber is woven into sheer fabric known as nipis, which was historically known to be worn by the elites. Pina is used for traditional garments like the Barong Tagalog and Baro't Saya.
- Despite not being native, the Philippines is a top global producer and uses the leaves to create traditional pina fabric.
- Store-bought.
- Philippine's national fruit
- Mangoes are believed to have originated in the region between India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh and arrives in the Philippines via trade routes from India and Malaysia.
- Philippines is know for producing some of the sweetest mangoes in the world, specifically the Carabao mango (Manila mango).
Sari-Sari Store
- Operated by Azyrus Parker, tindero.
- A sari-sari store is a small, neighborhood convenience store in the Philippines, typically operated from the owner's home, selling a variety of daily essentials in small quantities.
- Rooted in the Philippine-Chinese trade system, these stores evolved from mobile vendors to stationary, home-based shops often managed by a tindera./tindero.
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Panchon
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Tabo
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Other Artifacts
Barrel Man
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Event Photos |
Please email your event photos to [email protected] to be added to this site. We appreciate it!
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Cultural Testimonies from Las Vegas Filipinos
To take the survey and be added to the cultural outcome, please visit the survey through this link:
Filipino Resources in Las Vegas, Nevada
To be added to the resource list, please visit the roster through this link:
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ARTISTS
Ailene Pasco
Chels Rust Loisse Ledres Nalani Dickey Robin Leuterio Sam Ganados Stephanie Sumler Sydney Galindo Zoe Mekelle Dela Paz |
FOOD
Yam's Kitchen Sweets
Felix Anne Sarte Liberto
Maia Illastron
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SERVICES
Plot Twist Publishing - plottwistpublishing.com
My Cozy Magnets
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RETAIL
Winn & Gia's Closet
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ENTERTAINMENT
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The Future of Para Sa Atin / For Us
Please check back for updated content monthly.
Project Team
Ailene Pasco - Lead Artist / Project Coordinator / Historical Researcher
Andrew Parker - Assistant
Azyrus Parker - Staff, Sari-Sari Store
Andrew Parker - Assistant
Azyrus Parker - Staff, Sari-Sari Store
Special Mentions and Donors
Special thanks to Lulu Art House for funding the food and refreshments for the event.
This project is supported in part by the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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