ABOUT

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) will implement an Artists at Work initiative developed by THE OFFICE performing arts + film in partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. Inspired by FDR’s Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) and its Federal Project Number One, THE OFFICE conceived AAW early in the COVID-19 pandemic, as artistic communities were ravaged, careers were halted, and dire financial struggles ensued. AAW addresses an urgent need to reimagine the culture sector and how we value artists’ role in society—a need that the pandemic has starkly revealed, and that will continue after the public health crisis abates. 

Artists At Work is a workforce resilience program designed to support the rebuilding of healthy communities through artistic civic engagement. The program pays artists to keep making art; gives support to cultural organizations (called Culture Hubs) and arts workers in that community to host and work with those artists; and connects both artists and cultural organizations to local social impact initiatives. Participating artists receive a salary, calculated using the MIT Living Wage Calculator for their respective region, for a period of one year, as well as healthcare benefits. Artists working in any artistic discipline qualify for the program; they must be local to the region, and actively interested in a social practice. 
 

Artists At Work

Duration: One year fellowship with a salary of $37,000 and health benefits through THE OFFICE performing arts + film, starting in December 2021.

Purpose

With the recent increase in violence against Asians and Pacific Islanders, the program will focus on the overarching theme of anti-racism. JANM and AAAJ-LA are asking artists to respond with art projects that address Anti-API hate. The artists will be asked to consider NCPD@JANM themes and how art and democracy are used to combat racism. Artists will be given creative freedom to develop innovative artistic strategies to engage API communities through their residency. 

Selection

NCPD@JANM and AAAJ-LA will select two artists to serve as NCPD Fellows who will work with JANM and AAAJ-LA in developing a new artistic work(s) addressing racism and the current rise of anti-Asian sentiment in Los Angeles and nationally. The artists will work with the organizations and their communities to develop works that address racism, anti-Asian hate, identity, and inclusion.

With the recent increase in violence against Asians and Pacific Islanders, the project will focus on the overarching theme of Antiracism. JANM and AAAJ are asking artists to respond with project ideas that address Anti-API hate specifically through an art and democracy lens. The artists will be asked to consider programming through NCPD@JANM and how art and democracy are used to address identity and combat racism. With this broad thematic parameter, artists will be strongly encouraged to work with JANM and AAAJ community stakeholders and will be given creative freedom to develop innovative artistic strategies to engage API communities through their year-long Artists At Work project.

Application Requirements

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• Artist statement (1,000 character limit)
• Description of artistic practice; experience working in collaborative projects and community and social engagement; work with Asian and Pacific Islanders communities and/or issues; experience that has helped you to better understand prejudice, discrimination, and racism; and financial impact that receiving a living wage will have on your professional development as an artist.
• Letter of interest (1-2 pages)
• Resume (1-2 pages)
• Work samples—can be any combination of images, audio, or video. Maximum 5 images/samples.
• Optional: You may upload up to three (3) letters of reference(s). If more than one, must be combined into a single PDF file.
• Optional: you may upload up to three (3) supplementary material items, such as reviews, catalog pages, etc. Must be combined into a single PDF file, max 15 pages. File should be no larger than 2 MB.

Eligibility Criteria

ELIGIBILITY

• Emerging artist (more than five years of professional experience but less than 15 years).
• Any artistic practice—visual arts, performing arts, literary arts, cultural practitioner.
• Los Angeles County based (lived in Los Angeles County for five years).
• Experience with community engagement and/or social practice.
• Need for a living wage.
• Familiar with, and has a history of, exploring issues of identity, inclusion, and racism. specifically with Asian and Pacific Islander communities in their aesthetic.
• Capable of taking complex ideas of race and democracy into their work to develop a compelling art piece, or series, for public distribution intended to increase visibility and inclusion of Asian and Pacific Islanders as important members of society.