In 2018, SOMA Pilipinas won a prestigious National Endowment for the Arts Grant to work with local artists to come up with place-making ideas. Artist Niki Waters came up with a neat idea of creating Bahay Kubo’s (traditional thatched roofed homes) and turning them into birdhouses.

Design by Niki Waters

The idea was inspired by the Philippine folk song “Bahay Kubo”, which celebrates the importance of the home, family, and land. Although the house may be small, the land around it provides so much by nourishing the family with the earth’s bounty.

In this 1-hr class, you will build a wooden birdhouse under her direction using balsa wood, bamboo (some upcycled from the garden), and other natural materials. You can take them home or leave them at Kapwa Gardens to welcome our winged friends back to SOMA Pilipinas as a much-needed wildlife corridor in the big city.

Only 10 tickets available, so make sure to register as seats will be limited.

About the Artist

Niki Waters is a Filipino-American interdisciplinary artist who moved to the Bay Area from the Philippines in 2006. She loves the rich FilAm community in the Bay Area and draws inspiration from her childhood in the Philippines.