Celebrating Our AAPI Community
Join us as we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month at Filoli, recognizing the rich cultural history, traditions, and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Throughout the month, we’ll offer a variety of events and experiences that highlight the diversity and vibrancy of AAPI cultures.
Whether you're discovering new perspectives or celebrating familiar traditions, AAPI Heritage Month at Filoli is a wonderful opportunity to learn, connect, and celebrate with the community.
Haiku Contest
Submit your best haikus inspired by Filoli’s spring Garden to our annual contest, judged by San Mateo Poet Laureate Emerita Aileen Cassinetto.
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the contest, we are inviting work that highlights nature’s many generosities and the role it plays as a place for contemplation, joy, and healing. Please share your own personal and communal stories around Filoli’s Garden and the way it keeps us rooted and resilient. The special Ecopoetry Award will recognize a haiku that celebrates this theme while touching on the connection between humans and the environment.
Bonsai Exhibit
May 1–31, 2025
Everything is better in miniature, especially trees! Explore highlights from our bonsai collection, on display all month with object labels translated in English, Japanese, and Traditional Chinese.
Object Highlight: Art by Betty Ecke
Director of Museum Collections and Curator Kevin Wisney details a serendipitous moment when an auction item was brought to his attention. A beautiful piece of art by famed Chinese/Hawaiian artist Betty Ecke (Tseng Yuho or Zheng Youhe). The art had a very strong provenance – Mr. and Mrs. Roth purchased the art from Betty Ecke and brought it to Filoli.
Asian Art Tour
Enjoy a tour of Filoli's Asian art collection with Interpretation Manager Willa Brock. Just as it was during the time of the families, the home is predominantly filled with 17th and 18th century English and Irish furniture and art. However, the collection does span more than six centuries and over a dozen countries, including many Chinese pieces.
Read Our Blog
The National Trust for Historic Preservation: Stories of Resilience: Three Asian Americans Who Shaped Filoli
Filoli highlights three Asian Americans who helped build the Filoli community and steward the estate: a beloved chef who worked for the Roths, a floriculturist who transformed the garden’s textures, and a famed landscape architect instrumental in preserving Filoli for the public.
Featured in the photo the the left is Chef Kee Low. For more than 40 years the Roths’ Kitchens were skillfully managed by Low. He cooked from memory and skill, rather than recipe books, and had a talent for duplicating dishes from the Roths’ international travels, from tamales to curry chicken.
All About Bonsai
Highlights from Filoli’s collection of more than 50 bonsai will be on display all month in the Garden House and on the Dining Room Terrace. Read our blog to learn more about the history of bonsai and their tie to Filoli.
