In celebration of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, join SJSU King Library’s Africana, Asian American, Chicano, & Native American (AAACNA) Studies Center and SJSU’s Asian American Studies, in partnership with the Lola x Kenneth Collaboration for the exhibit “Southeast to East Side: A Filipino Family Story.” 

This intimate exhibit features collaborative mixed-media works by Crescenciana Tan and her grandson, Kenneth Tan. When Kenneth returned home to San José to care for his lola—“grandmother” in Tagalog—they began creating art together as a way to honor their time, their memories, and each other.

Through watercolor and drawing, Crescenciana shares her life story—from her childhood in the Philippines to her later years in San José. A survivor of World War II and the Japanese occupation, her paintings express loss, resilience, and healing. Layered over her work, Kenneth carefully illustrates the stories she recounts—continuing this process until her passing.

What remains is more than an exhibit. It is a declaration of love, family, and promise. Kenneth continues the work they began together, completing her unfinished pieces while navigating his own grief and remembrance.

This intergenerational collection invites viewers to reflect on how art can hold memory, carry stories forward, and create space for healing across time.