What Can We Do?: Community Care Project Share Out

LOCATION CHANGE: This event will now take place at the A4 offices at 29 West 38th St. 9th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Join A4 as we celebrate the artists, their projects, and their contributions to the community!

Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) is excited to showcase the projects of this year’s What Can We Do? Artist grant awardees.

Throughout the months of February through June, more than 18 artists carried out creative projects showing care to the AAPI community in Flushing, Queens; Chinatown, Manhattan; and Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Many of the artists collaborated with and/or tailored projects for the constituents of community-based organizations including University Settlement, Chatham Square Public Library, Queens Botanical Garden, Glow Cultural Center, CPC Brooklyn, and others.

Their projects varied widely in scope and discipline (full list here). Examples include:

• A lei-making and movement/self-defense workshop at Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing, Queens led by Linda Kuo and the Asian Defense Alliance
• A 10-week dance project tailored for older adults with YWCA in Flushing, Queens led by Nami Kagami
• A book fair event in Chinatown, Manhattan distributing free books from Asian, Black, Blasian, Pasifika, and Indigenous writers led by Rohan Zhou-Lee
• A series of architectural walking tours of Chinatown, Manhattan highlighting the history of gentrification in the neighborhood led by Philip Poon
• A series of workshops for AAPI youth about sustainability, art, and science education with CPC in Sunset Park, Brooklyn led by Caroline Chou, Angeli Magdaraog, and Sally Kong
• An interactive website and engagements that explored the communal vibrancy of spiritual and somatic practices in Sunset Park, Brooklyn led by Banyi Huang

Each artist will have five minutes to present their project, its impact, and photographs from the community engagement. Following the presentations, there will be time to mingle. Light refreshments and drinks will be served.

This event is FREE and open to the public.

Accessibility: The building is ADA compliant. Please find additional accessibility notes here. If you need ASL interpretation, large print, or any other accommodations for this event, please email jlee@aaartsalliance.org at least one week before the event.

Masking is encouraged for employees and community members. We will make masks available. To keep everyone safe and healthy, if you are not feeling well or have been exposed to COVID-19, please stay home.

This program is presented by the Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) and is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Special thanks to Council Members Christopher Marte and Sandra Ung.

The full list of awardees:

Huiyi Chen with Yuanya Feng • Claire Choi • Caroline Chou with Angeli Magdaraog and Sally Kong • River 瑩瑩 Dandelion • Jody Doo in collaboration with Spellbound Theatre • Wesley Han • Banyi Huang • Anna Huang and Chloe Chan of Mott Street Girls • Cindy Hwang of Art Against Displacement • Dena Igusti • Nami Kagami • Linda Kuo • Cathleen Luo • Kathleen Ma with Alice Wang, Julie Chen, and Reb Ngu • Philip Poon • Tian Tang • Carrie Wang • Rohan Zhou-Lee

About Asian American Arts Alliance (A4)

Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring greater representation, equity, and opportunities for Asian American artists and cultural organizations through resource sharing, promotion, and community building. Since 1983, A4 has sought to unify, promote, and represent the artistic and cultural producers of one of New York City’s fastest-growing populations. We are 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 groups. A4 serves as a thoughtful convener of the Asian American cultural workforce around issues of race, identity, and artmaking and provides a critical voice for this community. We are the only service organization in the country dedicated to the professional development of Asian American and Pacific Islander artists in all disciplines.