Con Edison Immigrant Artist Program Newsletter, Issue No. 11
Featured Organization: Asian American Arts Alliance
This month we profile our Brooklyn neighbors and collaborators the Asian American Arts Alliance, who just announced their new online platform for artists.
A lot has changed since 1983, when the Alliance was first founded. The Alliance continues in its dedication to strengthening Asian American artists and arts/cultural groups in New York City through funding, promotion and community building, but they are also moving into brand new territory with a4Hub, their new interactive online platform for New York City’s Asian American artistic community.
What is a4hub?
The Alliance’s entire website – www.aaartsalliance.org – has been redesigned as an interactive social network for artists and arts organization serving the NYC area Asian-American community. Members can join for free, upload multimedia content like music and videos and photos, message other members through the internal email system, write on each others’ walls, share upcoming events, and participate in discussion forums.
Why the change?
Instead of a traditional website with mainly static content occasionally updated by program staff, an interactive hub like the Alliance’s allows for a much more dynamic, democratic site with constantly updating content and much greater input from the entire community of site viewers(using user-friendly Ning technology). According to Alliance Program Director Nico Daswani, the site was created to enable greater communication among Alliance members, providing a larger-scale, virtual counterpart to physical gatherings like the monthly Town Hall. It also allows the Alliance to grow its online community, reaching out to new members and audiences – page views have tripled since the new hub was debuted at the beginning of the month.
Do you have to be Asian-American and NYC-based to join?
No – the hub, and the Alliance itself, are open to all individuals and organizations with a connection to Asian and Asian-American arts in the New York City area.
What does the Alliance offer on the ground in New York?
The Alliance participates in grant-making to artists and small arts groups and produces programming throughout the year, including the aforementioned Town Hall and the Brainstorm! workshop series, produced in collaboration with Queens Council on the Arts and our very own NYFA Immigrant Artist Project. Visit the About section of their website to learn more.
How can you get involved?
Come out to the next Town Hall gathering on June 1, where artists and arts workers convene for a lively forum to announce news, learn about opportunities, and meet each other. Participants are invited to bring fliers and postcards, and to contribute food to the pot-luck. See the Headlines section of this newsletter for more information.
Visit the Alliance’s website and online hub: www.aaartsalliance.org
