CELEBRATING ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH
“To celebrate API heritage month is to celebrate my first memory, my last name; my birth, my longing; my accent, my skin.”
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is a month-long celebration of achievements by Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Since 1978, the month of May has been a time to honor the heritage of Asian and Pacific Americans and their timeless contributions to the United States. We’ve gathered some fantastic artist resources that highlight the legacy and rich diversity of the culture!
Asian American Arts Alliance
The Asian American Arts Alliance is a service organization which is dedicated to strengthening Asian American arts and cultural groups through resource sharing, promotion, and community building.
The organizations is a diverse alliance of artists, organizations, and arts supporters who believe that working together as a pan-ethnic, multidisciplinary community is essential to nurturing the development of artists and arts organizations. Here are few upcoming listings in their Asian American Arts Calendar:
- Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Theatre – Immigrant Artists
- Indo-American Arts Council – Call for Submissions
- Korean Cultural Service – Internship Program
- AHL Foundation – Calling Korean Visual Artists
Association for Asian Studies
The Association for Asian Studies (AAS) is a scholarly, non-political, non-profit professional association open to all persons interested in Asia and the study of Asia. With approximately 8,000 members worldwide, the association represents all the regions and countries of Asia and all academic disciplines.
Through its publications, online resources, regional conferences, and annual conference, the AAS provides its members with a unique professional network.
In Source: AAS Book Prize Competitions
Center for Asian American Media
The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. Their award-winning documentaries, personal stories, dramas and experimental works reflect the rich history and diversity of Asian people in the U.S.
In Source: Documentary Fund
Asian Cinevision
Asian CineVision (ACV) is a nonprofit media arts organization devoted to the development, exhibition, promotion, and preservation of Asian and Asian American film and video. Since 1978, ACV has presented the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF), the first and longest running festival in the U.S. to showcase for the best in independent Asian and Asian American cinema.
In Source: Asian American International Film Festival
PA‘I Foundation
PA‘I Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian cultural traditions for future generations. The goal of PA‘I Foundation is to establish a cultural center on O’ahu to better serve the broader Hawaiian community.
In Source: PA’I Arts & Culture Center
Asian-American Writer’s Workshop
The Asian American Writers’ Workshop (AAWW) is a nonprofit literary arts organization founded in 1991 to support of writers, literature and community. The Workshop also has a online magazine, called Open City which shares the stories of Asian and immigrant neighborhoods. The organization offers several AAWW fellowships and encourages API writers to join as members.
In Source: Become an AAWW Membership
Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program
NYFA’s Immigrant Artist Program (IAP) pairs immigrant artists working in all disciplines with artist mentors who provide critical support and nurture their creative development. IAP artist Liuyu Chen was born and raised in Yongkang, a city in China and has lived in NYC for almost three years.
“Being born outside of this country was a chance; coming here to pursue a different way of being is my choice. At NYFA IAP, my choice has proudly embraced my chance!
To celebrate API heritage month is to celebrate my first memory, my last name; my birth, my longing; my accent, my skin. Yet, it is not only about me, it is also about you––whoever you are: the distance between us, is what I have come so far to close.”
In the IAP program, mentors meet regularly to help their mentees accomplish a specific task, such as writing an artist statement, creating a website, or completing a grant application. The goal is to help immigrant artists acquire the skills necessary to compete, and ultimately succeed, as artists.
The 2015 IAP application deadline is May 26, 2015. For more information about the IAP program, please visit:
https://www.nyfa.org/Content/Show/Mentorship
NYFA Source is a free directory of over 12,000 opportunities, awards, and services for individual artists nationwide. NYFA staff also offers individualized support to artists through the NYFA Source Hotline [email protected] | 1-800-232-2789 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST Mon-Fri).
– Glory Edim, Program Associate, Online Resources
Image: Hidemi Takagi “Thunderbolt”, 2014
