The Asian American Arts Alliance Honors Actor Kal Penn, Designer Willa Kim and Music Executive Eric Wong at their 25th Anniversary Gala in New York

Actor Kal Penn, designer Willa Kim and music exec Eric Wong to be Honored at the Asian American Arts Alliance's 25th Anniversary Gala in New York.

The Asian American Arts Alliance celebrates its 25th Anniversary on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 with a gala entitled "GALAXXY" at the TriBeCa Rooftop. This silver anniversary marks a quarter century of commitment to helping hundreds of local Asian American artists and arts groups in the performing and visual arts to access more funding and visibility for their work. In commemorating this milestone year, the Alliance will honor three outstanding industry leaders, actor Kal Penn, costume designer Willa Kim and music executive Eric Kim, all of whom have made strides for Asian Americans in the art.

"I'm honored to be recognized by the Alliance at their 25th anniversary event," says honoree Kal Penn. "Opportunities for artists are rare in any walk of life, so it's particularly encouraging to see the growth of the organization over the years, and their service to the community. Thank you for all of the support and for creating even more opportunities in the arts." Kal Penn is the most visible Asian American actor in Hollywood today with roles in The Namesake , Superman Returns , and the upcoming sequel to Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle . The Alliance is also honoring: Eric Wong, Chief Marketing Officer of Bad Boy Entertainment and Senior Vice President of Marketing for Atlantic Records, who has promoted top artists such as P. Diddy, Bon Jovi, and Mariah Carey; and Willa Kim, a world renowned costume designer for ballet, theatre, opera and television who has won numerous honors including Emmy, Tony, and Obie awards.

"It's hard to believe that it's already been twenty-five years! In looking back we have accomplished so much more than I think even the founders ever imagined" said Lillian Cho, executive director of the Alliance. "With 100 members in our network and growing, the Alliance has been at the forefront of advocating for more funding for Asian Americans in creative fields, and our honorees give us the inspiration to continue our work in bringing awareness to the talent coming from this community."

Co-chaired by actor B.D. Wong and MTV executive Nusrat Durrani, the gala will be a star-studded affair with comedian Azhar Usman as emcee, presenters Margaret Cho, singing sensation Cassie, and former New York Times editor Gwin Joh Chin; as well as performances by sound architect Bora Yoon and DJ Rehka. The event is sponsored by The New York Times, Target and MTV. Special recognition will be given to the JP Morgan Chase Foundation for its long-standing partnership with the Alliance to financially support local Asian American arts organizations through the JP Morgan Chase SOAR Regrant Program.

Tickets to the gala can be purchased by calling Trupti Patel at (212) 941-9208 x5 or going online at http://www.aaartsalliance.org/HTML/calendarEventsGala.html.

For information about the Alliance please visit the website: www.aaartsalliance.org