What Can We Do?

What Can We Do? (WCWD), presented by the Asian American Arts Alliance (A4), is a grant program for artists creating community-care projects that engage and support Asian communities and other communities of color in NYC.

This program is presented by 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. Programs serving cross-cultural solidarity and the Palestinian community are funded through a grant from the Ford Foundation for Social Justice.

A4 is pleased to announce the 2026 Awardees. Read the press release here.

View other Fellowships & Awards:

Hala Alyan

An Arab woman looks sternly at the camera against a plain background

A free community reading and open mic, “Kan Yama Kan” centered on community care, cross-cultural solidarity, and social justice through verse, language, and song.

halaalyan.com

Wenjun Chen

“Hometown XR” was a community-centered project that invited Asian American, immigrant, and other communities of color to share short hometown memories which were transformed into immersive, AI-generated audiovisual worlds.

chenwenjun.net

Cecile Chong and Tao Leigh Goffe (Broken China)

Two artists smile at the camera. They both have long black hair.

“Celebrating Masculinities: Lunar New Year Workshop (Year of the Fire Horse)” invited boys ages 11 to 15 to explore Afro-Asian-Latine ideas of masculinity through film, guided dialogue, calligraphy, food, and music.

cecilechong.com

Siyang Dai with Yejia Sun

“天地通用市场 Tiandi Universal Market” was a series of workshops that taught the crafting of paper offerings, exploring mourning, memory, ancestry, and identity by positioning death culture as a space for dialogue and collective care.

Zoe Fuad (G-REBELS)

“Care Web NYC” created and distributed handmade books and aid items across a diffused collective of 40 mutual aid contributors, as well as facilitated ten political education workshops.

Devika Girish (Another World)

An Asian woman leaning against a glass barrier smiling

A series of workshops with Another World’s youth reporters and volunteer organizers to create a special issue of The People’s Torch dedicated to Afro-Asian solidarity in Brooklyn.

Maya Han

Portrait of an Asian woman outdoors smiling with sunglasses on the top of her head

“Mycelial May” was a free workshop to raise awareness of the underrecognized role and benefits of fungi, fostering art and nature engagement and the (re)discovery of rich myco-cultural heritage.

hanprojects.net

Kitty Hu with Dave Yim (Always Chinatown Film)

Portrait of an Asian woman with long black hair smiling outdoors

“We Are Always Chinatown” was a series of three youth storytelling workshops that featured an immersive, hands-on documentary filmmaking program in partnership with Welcome to Chinatown.

shoesoffmedia.com

Samar Haddad King

Four free Dabke workshops led by two teaching artists in Arabic and English as a part of the AAFSC’s Audacious Young Women of Action afterschool program.

ysdt.org

Gigi Lin

An Asian face with clear glasses and short hair posing against a wood wall.

Inspired by CAAAV’s 40-year archive of housing justice and tenant organizing, “Threads of Resilience” was a series of intergenerational printmaking workshops for AAPI youth and elders.

gigi-lin-studio.squarespace.com

Qiqing Lin

An Asian woman smiles against an artwork

Featuring textile artworks by Chinese immigrant women in New York city, “Hands at Work” featured an exhibition and hands-on fiber art workshop open to the public.

linqiqing.com

Camille Luong with Pepi Ng

Two Asian people posing in a busy city street. One is wearing glasses and a sweater. The other one has short hair and a cardigan.

A series of interviews with street vendors to learn about their work and immigration stories with the end goal of making a comprehensive zine discussing how Chinese culture (re)claims Queens’ urban spaces.

camilleluong.com

Angelique Molina and Kathleen Villanueva (The Y. Orosa Literary Society)

Portraits of two Asian women who lead The Y. Orosa Literary Society

The “Community Craft & Care” event involved crafting at a communal table and discussing New York City’s social issues and ways participants could engage meaningfully with their community.

Nadine Nelson

“Pantry Pollination” centered on the pantry as a site of cultural memory, wellness, and exchange, exploring shared histories across Black diasporic and Asian communities.

nadinenelso2.wixsite.com

Nikita Shah

An Asian woman smiles against a backdrop with artwork pinned to the wall

“Fursat” was a textile-centered community and pedagogical practice rooted in South Asian traditions of leisure, reflection, and wisdom.

nikita-shah.com

Nadia Tahoun

“Shared Language: Community Writing as Care” invited participants to reflect on care, reciprocity, and connection through collective writing and visual poetry.

nadiatahoun.com

Ko Tanaka with Lalit Sritara

Designed for local children based on the principles of social-emotional learning, participants in “Little Songwriters’ Lab” collaboratively created an original musical story using synthesizers.

kotanaka.net

TD Tso

“Reciprocity: Black and Asian Feminist Solidarity with the Earth” strengthened understandings of cross-racial feminist connections as tools for environmental and food justice.

late-bloomer.info

Ruby Wang

A multilingual performance project, “TONGUES” included a community workshop that brought theater games and activities to ESOL students and an outdoor performance featuring two community artists.

Spica Wobbe with Abby Man-Yee Chan

“Prologue and More…” was a three-session community arts project in Manhattan that used performance, storytelling, and shadow puppetry to foster intergenerational connection and cultural reflection.

doubleimagetheaterlab.com

Aminah Al Huqail

an Arab woman wearing a butter yellow buttoned shirt leans against a wall

A series of events and workshops that blended Arabic language with Arab art and culture, featuring two family workshops with Zane Elias, “tatreez for kids” with Rita Lahoud, and all-age workshops highlighting Palestinian artists.

Florence Almeda

an Asian woman wearing metal glasses and a jewelry laughs while bending over

“A Safe, Calm Place” was a day-long sound installation that utilized the power of sound to uplift the resilience of AAPI individuals within birthing spaces.

Kristen Cawog

a woman with shoulder-length curly hair sits with one hand on her knee

A hands-on Tatreez workshop teaching the traditional art of Palestinian embroidery and how it’s woven into Palestinian history, culture, and resistance.

Annette Cho

an Asian woman wearing a buttoned shirt poses next to a tree

The Newcomer was a multimedia community art project that explores cultural pride within the Korean diaspora through participatory artmaking, a short animation, and interactive digital art.

Shenghan Gao

An Asian woman with long straight hair and a white T-shirt smiles near a parking garage

A documentary film project centered on New Cameron Bakery, which fosters a unique ecosystem of care among workers, regulars, and other Chinatown business owners.

Kayhan Irani

An Arab woman with short curly hair and wearing a black blazer

“There is a Portal” included two digital workshops in self-reflective and creative writing for the staff of Women for Afghan Women, a social service and resettlement support community organization for Afghan immigrants.

Fatin Jarara

an Arab woman wearing a red textile smiles

“Ghanani” workshops taught folkloric songs of love, faith, community, and the Homeland for Palestinian women of all generations.

Da Hyun Kim

a Korean woman with chin-length hair holds a finger to her chin against a black background

“Rhythm & Seoul” was a 90-minute beginner-friendly dance workshop series designed to introduce participants to the richness of Korean music, dance, and traditions.

Rochelle Kwan

a group of Asian seniors smiling and posing inside a room with yellow walls and yellow linoleum floors

“Memories from Golden Song” continued a collaboration between Chinatown Records, dancer Mei-Yin Ng, and Chinatown seniors at Knickerbocker Village. It allowed seniors to combine physical strength movement classes with music and storytelling.

Haoju Lu

a drawing of an Asian person with chin-length black hair and red shirt

A series of “Know Your Rights” outreach efforts tailored to Chinese food delivery workers. They highlighted knowledge necessary to advocate for themselves, as well as built dialogue, community, and kinship across workers.

Kruthika N.S.

a South Asian woman with long dark curly hair wearing a denim jacket smiles inside an art gallery

“Playing, Dreaming, Worldbuilding” empowered youth to envision and build the worlds they want to live in through a meditative dreaming session, collective play, and space to create art in the participants’ medium of choice.

Waseem Alzer, Aya Aziz, and Sarah Bitar of Beitna Theater

three separate images; a bearded man, a woman with shoulder-length curly brown hair, and a person with short cropped hair

Beitna Theater is a collective dedicated to uplifting New York City’s local Arab community with interactive theater in Arabic and English. They organized a Palestinian dinner and a facilitated theatrical workshop inviting community members to invoke their connection to Palestine through memory.

Michi Osato and Noelle Ghoussaini

two separate images; one woman holding a hand to her chest and another woman with heavy eye makeup

“Between Heaven and Earth” was a healing space for various Palestinian-led organizations, offering ear acupuncture, meditation, collective creative ceremony, and homemade Syrian food.

Hind Shoufani

An Arab woman with pink curly hair smiles amid a crowded street

“Poeticians” was a curated evening of music and poetry for the Arab community in Brooklyn, providing a platform for Arab artists to create, hone, and perform bold and rebellious work.

Tiffany Troy

An Asian woman with short cropped hair and a striped turtleneck and slim metal glasses grins

An Asian American Diasporic Poetry Symposium featuring panelists of Asian American poets who have written about their Asian/mixed race identity in relation to theater and performance, worked with archives of declassified correspondences and photographs of war as a visual form, and thought about food as identity.

Lour Yasin

an Arab woman with long brown hair and wearing a denim shirt

AREA D was a staged reading that featured four actors and a six-piece live band, bringing the musical’s bold fusion of Palestinian pop, punk, and theatrical storytelling to life.

XY Zhou

An Asian person with a purple mullet and silver heart-shaped earring in one ear

In the Mood for Love was a print publication facilitated by Active Chapter that documented love stories from AAPI elders and residents of Chinatown.

Huiyi Chen with Yuanya Feng

Young woman with dark hair and bangs staring into the camera, standing against a white wall, wearing a cocoa colored top

“Eating Spring” included a film screeniing, an edible plants knowledge sharing tour, and a foraging walk.

chenhuiyi.com

Claire Choi

Asian American person with close cropped dark hear wearing a brown v-neck sweater in front of a plant and white wall

A community project designed to bridge generational gaps and promote mental health awareness, “CARES (Cultivating Asian Resilience, Empowerment, and Support)” included story sharing, poetry and letter writing, physical team-building exercises, and zine making.

clairechoi.myportfolio.com

Caroline Chou with Angeli Magdaraog and Sally Kong

image of three women against plain white or grey backgrounds, two with long dark hair, the center with short hair wearing a grey sweater.

“Roots of Renewal: Learning and Growing from Nature’s Decay” engaged and empowered AAPI youth aged 12–18 through a five-week program which included a blend of sustainability practices, art, and science education.

wp.nyu.edu

Jody Doo in collaboration with Spellbound Theatre

young woman with wavy shoulder length dark hair wearing a white sleeveless top set against a green tile background

A theater production of a Stand Clear of the Closing Doors, Please, translated into Mandarin for children 0–7 years old and their families.

spellboundtheatre.com

Wesley Han

image of young man with short dark hair wearing wire framed glasses with blurred illuminated signs in the background

“Pangium Treasure Hunt” was an interactive treasure hunt created for Flushing locals at a small Korean-owned flower shop.

Banyi Huang

An interactive webiste that explores the communal vibrancy of spiritual and somatic practices, as well as one Qigong and beginners Tai Chi workshop.

banyihuang.com

Anna Huang and Chloe Chan of Mott Street Girls

two Asian American women with medium brown, straight long hair wearing pink t-shirts with the letters MSG in brown standing in a Chinatown street with lanterns above

The “Gift a Lucky Red Envelope” program supported local Chinatown businesses by increasing foot traffic in the neighborhood after Lunar New Year and sharing historical context, culture, and community experiences.

mottstreetgirls.com

Cindy Hwang of Art Against Displacement

a group of 20 people seated around a white table covered with papers with a grand piano in the background in what appears to be a gallery setting

A creative demonstration against the proposed Chinatown mega-jail during the annual Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade.

aad.nyc

Dena Igusti

A multimedia series including interviews with Southeast Asian Americans from Flushing, Sunset Park, and Chinatown, “A Bit Tuary” explored participants’ current and anticipatory relationships to grief.

denaigusti.com

Nami Kagami

woman with long, loose, medium brown hair staring into camera wearing a long sleeved white blouse and black shorts

“Moving Through Transitions,” was a 10-week dance class for older adults involving gentle exercises, choreography, and exploration of various themes.

instagram.com

Linda Kuo

young woman smiling with long black hair wearing a dark sweater against a white wall

A series of three lei-making workshops that also included a self-defense tutorial.

lindakuo.me

Cathleen Luo

Asian American person with close cropped dark hear wearing a black turtleneck sweater sitting on an escalator

“Empowering Chinatown Through Ceramics” was a four-session seminar where participants used ceramics and clay to create self-portraits while learning the basics of hand-building.

cathleenluo.myportfolio.com

Kathleen Ma with Alice Wang, Julie Chen, and Reb Ngu

collaged image of four young women outdoors on the water with stones and trees in the background

A poetry translation and zine workshop organized for high schoolers in partnership with the nonprofit Parent Child Relationship Association in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

kathleenma.com

Philip Poon

young man with dark short hair wearing gold wire rimmed round glasses and a black jacket unzipped over a black t-shirt set against a light blue gradient background

A series of architectural walking tours of Chinatown that highlighted the history of gentrification in the neighborhood.

philippoon.com

Tian Tang

image of young Asian American women with long straight dark hair, red lipstick, and white short sleeve shirt in front of a blurred background of a building

“A Time Capsule of Important Portraits” was a photo/video essay comprised of portrait photography and in-depth studio interviews of the street vendors on Forsyth Street in Chinatown, allowing them to tell their stories and shed light on the many threats and problems facing their market.

tianvideo.com

Carrie Wang

black and white photo of young woman with dark straight hair pulled back into a ponytail wearing a black button up short with abstract shoulder print against a light grey wall

“Whose AI?” empowered young people from underrepresented communities to co-construct a clearer understanding of Conversational AI. For more information, visit the website.

carriesijiawang.com

Rohan Zhou-Lee

Young Blaisan male presenting person with goatee, wearing red robes, silver pointed ear cuffs, and gold headband

The first Children’s Pop-Up Book Fair, in collaboration with the Chatham Public Library, distributed free children’s books from Black, Asian, and Blasian authors. At the library, children and their parents made paper flower crowns and received educational coloring pages of Black and Asian historical figures.

diaryofafirebird.com

River 瑩瑩 Dandelion

image of nonbinary person with short dark hair and wire rimmed glasses looking upward set against a brick wall roughly painted in green and cream

A community poetry reading and curated open mic space, “We Are Multitudes” centered the works of trans and non-binary Asian diasporic poets.

riverdandelion.com

Roxy Chang

an Asian woman wearing a black beret and white pearl earrings smiles and crosses her arms

A two-day language justice and community interpreting workshop open to 20 interpreters of Asian Languages including Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Bengali, etc.

Ling Chen

An Asian woman with mid-length brown hair and black glasses

A Korean and Chinese drama-inspired creative writing experience that explored the magic behind heart-fluttering moments on screen with a focus on the fun of romance.

离离草 Chinese Artists and Organizers (CAO) Collective

A green-background illustration showing a low-angle view of three smiling people looking down, with a hand making a peace sign at the top and text identifying them as members of the CAO Collective.

“Strings of Touch"explored the theme of connection and intimacy among Chinese massage parlor workers through cat-and-cradle, participatory performance, documentary, animation, and video.

caocollective.com

Jin Yong Choi

An Asian man with mustache and short buzzed hair poses against a dark background

An interactive ink wash painting workshop for older adults that explored the beauty and technique of the traditional art form.

Astrid Dong

An Asian person with short black hair, brown glasses, and a corduroy shirt

A puppeteering workshop for middle and high school students led by arts educator and performer Tau Bennett. It covered the basics of puppeteering technique and performance while inviting participants to write and perform a short scene.

astriddong.com

Chanel Matsunami Govreau

An Asian woman wearing bright pink lipstick holds a spherical fabric object

“Bloom” was a bouquet-making experience celebrating Black and Asian friendship and joy.

chanelmatsunami.art

Christina (Ja Won) Han

An Asian woman with long straight hair and a striped blue and yellow apron smiles

“Shift” included guided meditation and artmaking, inviting older adult participants to reflect on discomfort and create art with two materials: one familiar, and one less familiar.

Maggie (Mei Kei) Hui

An Asian woman wearing all black holds a hammered brass bowl in an outdoor area lined with trees

A sound bath session and artmaking activity, “Mother May I” centered on the experiences of mothers of all kinds.

Nami Kagami

An Asian woman with long black hair and wearing a gold necklace dances on a metal bridge

“A Collective Journey” was a workshop for older adults centered in movement exploration with the use of landscape imagery as means of expression and communication.

instagram.com

Jay Khendar

A South Asian man with long dark hair holds a snake

“Khendar’s Bazaar” was a pop-up shop and intimate Asian photo gallery featuring Asian models in original garments designed and made by the artist.

hausofkhendar.com

Ji Yong Kim

An Asian man with black framed glasses and a polka dotted shirt poses against a white wall

A group mural painting session promoting peace and calm through collective artmaking with older adult participants from the CPC Nan Shan Senior Center.

jiyongkim.com

Nina Kuo

An elderly Asian woman with gold glasses and wearing all black

“Expanding Borders of Chinatown” invited youth and families to create collages using photos from and of Chinatown.

mythicalmuse.com

Su Ji Lee

an Asian woman wearing a knit cardigan raises her arms above her head

“BYOB (Bring Your Own Belongings)” was a one-day photoshoot of the dedicated members of the Tai Chi group at the Queens Botanical Garden.

su-ji.me

Clae Lu

An Asian person with red face paint holds a guqing instrument vertically

A musical performance featuring queer, trans, gender-non-conforming performers of Asian diasporic identities, “Our Sonic Love” connected heritage, culture, and traditions.

clarajlu.com

Jessica LUU Pelletier with Cara Hinh & Sarah Shin

three separate images; a woman with dark curly hair and glasses, a woman with dark hair holding a red rose, and woman with curly brown hair wearing a spiked necklacelaughing

“Don’t Tell Scarlett” was a speakeasy mixer for queer and trans Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders in arts and entertainment.

Hannah Miao with Lynn Huynh

Two Asian woman with mid length black hair lean on each other in a treelined outdoor area

“Chinatown Photo Album” was a community-sourced digital archive of family photographs and included a free digitization workshop.

hannahmiao.com

Dominique Nisperos

An Asian woman with long black curly hair and blue top

A comedy show with Filipino flavor, “Banana Ketchup” featured AAPI women and nonbinary comedians.

instagram.com

Jesse Obremski

A nude man with short black hair shows his teeth

A support workshop for AAPI artists that included guidance on their portfolio, understanding their rights, and learning about other resources to help their pursuit of an artist’s Visa.

jesseobremski.com

Linda Quach

an Asian woman with blonde hair holds a yoyo that lights up in her hand

A diabolo performance and workshop event for all ages where participants came together and enjoyed the exhiliaration of the sport.

instagram.com

Vivian Sangsukwirassathien

a woman with long black hair and hoop earrings poses against a chainlink fence

A flower crown and linocut printing workshop that invited participants of all ages to create floral moments as a gesture of self-care or care toward others.

instagram.com

Harley Spiller

An elderly white man with white hair and glasses on top of his head poses next to a flowering tree

“Free Fruits for All” was a free, public event showcasing less common seasonal fruits. The event was presented in English with hand-written translations in Chinese, Hindi, Korean, and Spanish.

agentofchaos.com

Yasuyo Tanaka

an elderly Asian woman with gray hair under a knit cap and a plaid scarf

“Peace and Harmony” was an artmaking workshop in which participants dyed and folded paper into flowers and to make an origami medicine ball, wishing for a healthy future.

yasuyoart.blogspot.com

Rose Van Dyne

An Asian woman with shoulder length hair, bronze earrings, and a brown shirt leans against a brick wall

Free meals were provided to the houseless population in Flushing, Queens in collaboration with Broadway Cooks.

rosevandyne.com

Ramona Jingru Wang

An Asian woman with black hair and a white skirt kneels on a grassy field while holding a small black and brown dog

A month-long reading initiative of AAPI books in collaboration with P&T Knitwear. All proceeds from book sales were donated to Red Canary Song in Flushing.

ramonajingruwang.com

Xixi Wang

An Asian woman with black hair and a white tank top leans her elbows on her legs in a room filled with paintings of body parts

A mental health campaign, “It’s Okay to Ask” encouraged communities in Chinatown and Flushing to find available mental health resources through posters and flyers. The materials were printed in five languages including English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Tagalog.

instagram.com

Cindy Xu

An Asian woman with long black curly hair and a black tank top crosses her arms

A polaroid portrait photo booth for low income families held near Seward Park in Chinatown.

cindyxu.net

Jiemin Yang

An Asian man with short hair and muscle tee crosses his arms

An open-level dance workshop series in which participants learned a simple dance and drew inspiration from the food experiences of AAPI communities.

jieminyang.art

Cherrie Yu

An Asian person with short hair sits on a wood stool against a red background

An abstract movement performance involving elements of table tennis.

cherrieyu.cargo.site

Grace Zhao

An Asian woman with shoulder-length black hair and circular earrings

“We Make This For Us” was an AAPI artists workshop centered on how cultural identity informs artistic practices of all media.

junshuzi 俊淑姿

Two Asian women pose on a rooftop overlooking colonial era buildings

A collaboration with Undo Poverty: Flushing to design various graphics and illustrations for their upcoming documentary about poverty.

junshuzi.cargo.site

Karesia Batan

an Asian woman with long black hair smiles against a green background

A special Filipino music and dance performance featuring a live Rondalla band and Tinikling folk dance lesson.

Audrey Thao Berger

A woman with blonde hair and a knit shirt smiles and looks off to the side

A free, open-level dance workshop for the AAPI community that explored community and self-care through movement and play.

audreythao.com

Rob Chen

An Asian man with short black hair, collared white shirt, and blue tie looks off into the distance

“The Blu Room” was a one-man multi-lingual, multi-cultural theatrical act presented in a late-night talk show format on topics like the generational gap, anti-Asian hate crimes, beauty standards, mental health, and empowerment.

solo.to

Annika Cheng

A woman with blonde and black hair wears heart-shaped glasses and a floral traditional Chinese qipao

A collaboration with Alison Kuo of Sisters in Self-Defense to make garments and accessories for each of the Wing Chun students that both hold self defense weapons and band the members of the class together.

annikacheng.com

Prisca Choe

An Asian woman wearing wing tipped eyeliner and lipstick opens her mouth to speak

An installation of depictions of women from genre paintings during the Joseon Dynasty, celebrating culture despite the historical erasure of their work and influence.

priscachoe.com

Esther Choi

An Asian woman with winged black eyeliner, long wavy dark hair, wearing a black blazer

An open discussion and interactive Q&A for BIPOC students and cultural workers about addressing sexual harassment in workplace and educational settings held online and led by ACLU attorney Sandra Park.

office-hours.design

Anjali Deshmukh

A woman with graying black hair wearing a beige turtleneck sweater with gold buttons along one side

“Giving Space/Changing Space” was a participatory workshop for Queens locals, exploring how children, women, new immigrants, and life-long New Yorkers give and change space, act as part of a larger whole, and change the whole through the light of presence and participation.

anjalideshmukh.com

Carolina Do

An Asian woman with mid-length black hair and a black tank top smiles against a burgundy background

A public workshop of Buried Ruins, a full-length play with an AAPI cast, that centered on healing and processing generational trauma, as well as living in a society that fetishizes and enacts violence against women and femme bodies.

carolinado.com

Paul Jochico

an Asian man with short black hair and a white collared shirt poses against a plain gray background

“Embodying Pleasure as Resistance” was a workshop focused on nurturing the inner child through play and community care.

kapwa.yoga

Karen Kang

an Asian woman with wavy dark hair smiles against a background that includes a Chinese calligraphic ink painting

“Start with My Name” was a sewing workshop that invited participants to share their name through embroidery, where each embroidery was sewn onto a community quilt.

facebook.com

EunHea Kim

An Asian woman with long black hair wearing a white collared shirt and a red peacoat jacket

A custom quadriptych mural painted in partnership with the youth members of SAYA in Elmhurst, highlighting the diverse communities and unique qualities of Queens that SAYA calls home.

pen110.com

Alison Kuo

A woman with long black hair and red lipstick rests an elbow on her knee next to another woman wearing a shirt that reads "Sisters in Self Defense"

A six-week training in Wing Chun, a Chinese self-defense form, that provided free custom-designed training accessories to community members.

instagram.com

Dana Leong

An Asian man with a shaved head holds a beaded necklace with gold tassel pendant object in front of one eye

A virtual healing music session for AAPI community members affected by domestic and public acts of violence.

TEKTONIKmusic.org

Laura Li

A grainy black and white photograph of an Asian person with short bangs and a head covering while holding an unidentified object in their mouth

Rooted in feminist ethics of care, “The Ciba Punch Performance” subverted traditional Chinese ciba-making (food-making) process and revealed the often-hidden domestic labor performed by womxn.

lauralijingyi.com

Nancy Ma

An Asian woman with short black hair and a red tank top poses against an abstract gray background

An in-person viewing party of a short film in Hoisan and Cantonese (subtitled in English) around emotional/mental health held.

littlemoisttugboat.com

Janggo Mahmud

A woman with long dark hair tied into a bun wears sunglasses on top of their head and a cheetah print turtleneck shirt

“Chaa & Paint” invited the participants to relax, paint, drink chai, and socialize in a calming environment.

Beata Moon

An Asian woman with shoulder-length hair wears a pearl earring and smiles

An interactive piano performance and workshop for the senior community in the Lower East Side featuring Chinese folk tunes, the music of living Chinese composers, and a few Western classical pieces.

beatamoon.com

Mischelle Moy

An Asian woman with long dark hair wears a green, black, red, and white knit sweater and poses against a green background

The creation of two photo posters as a shopping incentive for participating small businesses in Chinatown including Wing on Wo & Co., KK Discount Store, and Yu & Me Books.

mischellemoy.com

Tati Nguyen

An Asian woman with long black hair and earring studs poses against a dilapidated wall

A storytelling pop-up book workshop serving youth, with the goal to help them tell their stories, express their truth, and take pride in their culture and identity.

tatinguyen.com

Philip Poon

an Asian man with short black hair and wire glasses wears a black T-shirt against a blue background

A story and zine, “Mini in Chinatown” captured the complexities of a changing Chinatown. It was printed and distributed for free to community members.

philippoon.com

Melisa Tien

An Asian woman with long dark hair wears a plaid scarf at the beach

A free workshop inviting AAPI women to share their Asian heritage and life experiences.

melisatien.com

Cindy Trinh

An Asian woman with black and pink hair wears a blue and purple robe in front of a Japanese maple tree

A zine of photographs taken from 2020–2022 that captured the joy of community members during various Chinatown events was printed and distributed for free.

instagram.com

Noah Wang

An Asian person with long orange and black hair, green earring studs, and a black thermal shirt looks directly at the camera

All That We Hold was a piece choreographed by Noah and his collaborator, Audrey Thao Berger, that explored the longing to understand ancestors through movement, narrative, and music.

noahwangdance.com

Hong-ling Wee

An Asian woman with chin-length black hair and a side part smiles against a white background

A pottery workshop that invited AAPI participants to explore the malleability of clay and the joy of making.

ceramicus.com

Ryan Wong

An Asian man with a shaved head and Mandarin collar shirt poses against a backdrop of trees

A two-part Zen meditation workshop which introduced the basics of meditation, deepened the practice, and offered participants time to reflect on how practice helped them.

ryanleewong.com

Wynton Wong

An Asian woman with wing tipped eyeliner and long black hair pulled back into a ponytail wears a white cable knit sweater

A block party for the whole family and neighborhood using music and art to reconnect diasporic communities across generations and borders at the intersection of Mott and Mosco Streets in Chinatown, Manhattan.

Xiaoyin Xie

An Asian woman with short bangs and long black hair poses against a white background

Two letter-writing gatherings that invited community members to write letters to loved ones.

xiaoyinxie.com

Jing (Ellen) Xu

An Asian person with a bowl cut and striped gray and white shirt rests their head on their hands

“Elmhurst Project” invited community members to color Halloween-themed line drawings based on the neighborhood’s street style, immigrant cultures, and backgrounds.

ellenjingxu.com

Jennifer Betit Yen

an Asian woman with long dark wavy hair and a red tank top smiles against a gray background

A multimedia project, “DiscrimiNATION” shared cross-racial experiences of anti-AAPI discriminatory acts from victims and witnesses along with ideas on how to constructively handle the situations and build understanding. To watch an edited version of the program, click here. For more information, visit the website.

jen-yen.com

Sammy Yuen

An Asian man with a low taper fade haircut and gray T-shirt looks off to the side

Drawn Together was an array of detailed line drawings depicting historical Chinatown businesses, landmarks, and community organizations exhibited at Pearl River Mart Gallery.

sammyyuen.com