Programs
Asian American Arts Alliance offers programs that build community and provide resources through peer-learning, collaboration, and professional development, furthering the careers of Asian Americans in the arts and supporting a healthy arts ecosystem.
Our programs include networking events, talks, workshops, and fellowships that lower barriers for engagement, embed pathways of access for artists to connect with cultural gatekeepers, advance opportunities for artists and arts administrators of color, and provide tools to develop Asian American leaders in the community.
Our programs are developed in response to community input and directly address what Asian American artists say they need to help develop their craft, connect with other arts professionals and audiences, patrons, mentors, and to achieve successful careers across their lifetimes.
Accessibility Note: A4 is committed to creating inclusive and accessible programming. If you require any accommodations including ASL interpretation, language translation, or large print, please email programs@aaartsalliance.org at least one week before an event or application deadline. We will do our best to accommodate.
Community Safety Statement: We aim to create environments in person and online that are welcoming, inclusive, and safe – physically and emotionally – for our community members. If we observe actions or behaviors that can be interpreted as harmful or threatening, A4 retains the right to use our discretion and remove the offending party. For our community’s safety, we further reserve the right to suspend an offending party’s attendance at A4 events both in-person and virtual in perpetuity and removal from our online offerings (e.g. newsletter).
When you register for an A4 event, you will be asked to agree to this community statement.
If you have any questions about A4 Programs, please email programs@aaartsalliance.org.
Town Hall
Upcoming Event
July Town Hall: Film + Media
ConversAAtions
Professional Development
The Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) is proud to launch the A4 Arts Fund, a new national grant initiative supported by The Wallace Foundation and in partnership with the National Arts Regranting Partners. This program aims to explore and advance equitable grantmaking practices in the creative sector, with a focus on supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) arts and culture.
The A4 Arts Fund offers general operating support and cohort-based engagement to under-resourced arts and culture organizations that support and uphold AAPI communities. Eligible organizations must have annual operating budgets of under $500,000. Through an open application process, A4 will award $500,000 in total funding, granting $25,000 each to 20 organizations across the country for a one-year period.
In addition to funding, grantee partners will also participate in a virtual cohort engagement model, creating a national community of peer organizations. This cohort will be designed to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and mutual support among those committed to sustaining and creating arts and cultural spaces for AAPI communities.
The Jadin Wong Fellowship recognizes an emerging Asian American dance artist/choreographer whose work shows strong potential for greater achievement and who hopes to make a significant impact on the Asian American and New York City artistic community as a whole. The fellowship aims to recognize exemplary work that will continue to inspire young artists and the Asian American community for years to come.
This award is a tribute to the life and work of renowned Chinese American actress, dancer, and comedienne Jadin Wong (1913–2010), a pioneer and innovator of Asian American performing arts. The award is made possible by the Jadin Wong Educational Fund at the New York Community Trust, established to continue her dream of supporting aspiring artists, musicians, and dancers of Asian descent.
This year, A4 will award the Jadin Wong Fellowship to one NYC-based Asian American dance artist/choreographer. The fellow will receive an unrestricted cash stipend of $7,500 and an eight-month fellowship tailored to respond to the unique needs of their practice — and to help develop new or existing work. The fellowship includes artistic mentorship with an established mid-career dance professional, career coaching, and a range of technical support.
A4 is pleased to announce Naomi Funaki as our 2025 Jadin Wong Fellow in Dance.
The Van Lier Fellowship aims to advance the careers and creative practice of Asian American artists living in New York City. This program supports early-career arts practitioners whose work shows outstanding promise in the fields of theater, music, and visual arts and who hope to make a significant impact on the Asian American and New York City artistic community as a whole.
The award is made possible by the Edward and Sally Van Lier Fund through the New York Community Trust, established to continue the Van Lier’s legacy of arts appreciation by supporting arts groups and training programs.
This year, A4 will award the Van Lier Fellowship to two NYC-based Asian American musicians – in the categories of Music Composition and Music Performance. The fellows will receive an unrestricted cash stipend of $7,500 each and an eight-month fellowship tailored to respond to the unique needs of their practice — and to help develop new or existing work. The fellowship includes artistic mentorship with an established mid-career dance professional, career coaching, and a range of technical support.
A4 is pleased to announce our 2025 Van Lier Fellows in Music: Hongbo Cai in Music Composition and Devi Majeske in Music Performance. In addition, A4 has honored Mỹ Tâm Huynh and Sahana Shravan as Artists of Exceptional Merit.
What Can We Do? (WCWD?) is an artist grant program that supports artists and their creative projects showing care to the AAPI community in NYC. The program was created in response to the sharp increase in anti-Asian hate and violence during the pandemic which caused many people to experience grief, anxiety, and fear. WCWD? empowers artists, giving them a chance to find their place in the ecosystem of care through their talents and community connections.
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. Projects focused on the support of Palestinian creators and their communities are supported by the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice.
A4 is pleased to announce our 2025 What Can We Do? Awardees. Learn more about the awardees by clicking on the button below.
The Bandung Residency, presented by the Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) and The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), is an opportunity designed to uplift the work of artists, educators, and organizers whose practice is intended to foster solidarity between Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and Black communities.
The Bandung Residency is made possible through the NYS AAPI Community Fund; the Ford Foundation; the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs with the support of NYC Council Members Crystal Hudson, Christopher Marte, Chi Ossé, and Sandra Ung; and, the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development.
The Bandung Book
Three years, two cohorts, and an extension experiment later, A4 and MoCADA are pleased to present our key learnings and the experiences of our alumni in The Bandung Residency Book 2021-2023. You can download the book for free as a PDF here.
A4 and MoCADA are pleased to announce the 2025 Bandung Residents.
Established in 2011, the Wai Look Award for Outstanding Service to the Arts is is given periodically to an Asian American who is making a significant contribution to the arts by demonstrating a commitment to outstanding service, advocacy, and/or leadership.
The award is a tribute to the life and work of Wai Look, who served on the Asian American Arts Alliance board of directors from 1999 until her death in December 2010. She spent most of her career in the arts, as an administrator and in artist services, and devoted herself to helping others. Ms. Look also strongly believed in the importance of volunteering, which was reflected in her personal, as well as professional life.