Profiles - Artists, Organizations, and Projects

In my artwork and in my life’s work, I am most inspired by the beauty of everyday people. I try to represent us in ways that are honest, in ways that we want to be seen, with honor and respect. I’m interested in stories, songs, families, histories, travels, traditions, dreams, resourcefulness during hard times and everyone’s expertise in their own life. I’m interested in making obvious both our humanity and our divinity, as well as the fact that we are all related. My artist books, prints, mixed-media drawings and fiber pieces are often made in collaboration with the people they depict.

Founded in 1990, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) is a national membership and philanthropic advocacy organization dedicated to advancing philanthropy and Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

At the Asian Arts Initiative, we are artists and performers, youth and parents, poets and writers, directors and actors, and musicians and dancers. We all believe in the following mission: We are grounded in the belief that the arts can provide an important political and cultural voice for the Asian American community in Philadelphia. We serve as a community arts center where artists and everyday people are developing means to express our diverse experiences as Asian Americans. This profile courtesy of Arts & Democracy.

The Asian Arts Initiative hosts a series of ongoing yearly youth workshops. By providing art-making opportunities and a safe space for Asian American teens, we hope that teens will have a chance to explore and express their experiences and connect with others in their community. Projects over the years have included theater, spoken word, poetry, writing, documentary video, narrative film, short video, drawing/painting, mural making, hip-hop dance, DJ techniques, and many more.

Assessing the full impact of public scholarship necessitates involving non-higher education partners along with students, faculty, and the college or university itself. Imagining America calls this integrated assessment, recognizing that too often assessment rests solely in the hands of the academic partners: students evaluating courses and tenure and promotion committees evaluating participating faculty. Integrated assessment considers the civic, social, and academic goals involved in public scholarship projects and all the stakeholders who make such work possible.

The Association of Performing Arts Presenters (Arts Presenters) is a national service and advocacy organization with more than 1,600 members worldwide dedicated to bringing artists and audiences together. Arts Presenters is committed to increasing community participation, promoting global cultural exchange and fostering an environment for the performing arts to thrive. A leader in the field, Arts Presenters works to effect change through professional development, resource sharing and civic engagement. This profile courtesy of Arts & Democracy.

The musical voice of Arab America in the Bay Area is ASWAT, the Arabic Music Ensemble sponsored by Zawaya. True to Zawaya’s commitment to pluralism and inclusion, Aswat is a multi-ethnic and multi-racial music ensemble that reaches out to the diverse Bay Area community with folkloric, classical, and contemporary Middle Eastern music. Now on its 11th year anniversary, Aswat has grown from an informal community choir to a professional performing group with sold-out concerts.

Axis of Justice links musicians and music fans with local political organizations to effectively organize around issues of peace, human rights, and economic justice. Axis of Justice's web site includes a database of local activist organizations organized by state and nine national organizations. The Organizing Story Project is a series of essays and interviews describing successful organizing efforts to inspire and guide people interested in activism.

As distinctive and dynamic as the city it calls home, Ballet Austin welcomes people near and far to participate in its "classically innovative" vision for the democratization of dance. From their bustling, urban headquarters at the Butler Dance Education Center and Community School in downtown Austin, Ballet Austin and artistic director Stephen Mills actively engage the community, dancers, and audiences alike.