Artists At Work Addressing Anti-Asian Hate

The National Center for the Preservation of Democracy at the Japanese American National Museum (NCPD@JANM) in collaboration with Asian Americans Advancing Justice—Los Angeles (AAAJ-LA) is implementing an Artists at Work initiative developed by THE OFFICE performing arts + film in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. Artists At Work is a workforce resilience program designed to support the rebuilding of healthy communities through artistic civic engagement.

The program will focus on the overarching theme of anti-racism, asking artists to respond with art projects that address Anti-API hate. Two artists will be selected to serve as NCPD Fellows and will work with JANM and AAAJ-LA in developing new artistic work(s) addressing racism and the current rise of anti-Asian sentiment in Los Angeles and nationally. Artists will be given creative freedom to develop innovative artistic strategies to engage API communities through their residency, and will work with the organizations and their communities to develop works that address racism, anti-Asian hate, identity, and inclusion.

The fellowship is one year in duration with a salary of $37,000 and health benefits through THE OFFICE performing arts + film, starting in December 2021. Eligibility requirements include: emerging artist status (more than five years but less than 15 years of professional experience); any artistic practice (visual arts, performing arts, literary arts, cultural practitioner); Los Angeles County residency (lived in Los Angeles County for five years); experience with community engagement and/or social practice; need for a living wage; familiarity with and history of exploring issues of identity, inclusion, and racism, specifically with Asian and Pacific Islander communities; and capability of taking complex ideas of race and democracy into work to develop a compelling art piece or series for public distribution. Application materials required: artist statement (1,000 character limit), letter of interest (1-2 pages), resume (1-2 pages), and work samples (up to 5 images, audio, or video files). Optional materials include up to three letters of reference and up to three supplementary items (reviews, catalog pages, etc.) combined into a single PDF file not exceeding 15 pages and 2 MB.