Awardees Revealed For the 2024 What Can We Do? Artist Grant

The Asian American Arts Alliance has announced the participants of What Can We Do? (WCWD?), an artist grant program offering $1,500 stipends to artists who use their creative skills to offer community care to Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) New Yorkers. Over 25 artists will present a total of 18 projects in an array of disciplines to bring joy, care, and cultural pride to AAPI communities in Chinatown, Manhattan; Flushing, Queens; and Sunset Park, Brooklyn, now through early June 2024.

The selected artists for 2024 include:

Huiyi Chen with Yuanya Feng • Claire Choi • Caroline Chou with Angeli Magdaraog and Sally Kong • River 瑩瑩 Dandelion • Jody Doo in collaboration with Spellbound Theatre • Wesley Han • Banyi Huang • Anna Huang of Mott Street Girls • Cindy Hwang of Art Against Displacement • Dena Igusti • Nami Kagami • Linda Kuo • Cathleen Luo • Kathleen Ma with Alice Wang, Julie Chen, and Reb Ngu • Philip Poon • Tian Tang • Carrie Wang • Rohan Zhou-Lee

“We are thrilled that we could increase the award amount from previous years and expand to Sunset Park. This third cohort of WCWD? awardees will bring an exciting array of projects to their communities,” says Lisa Gold, executive director of A4. “We received nearly 100 applications this year, and these 18 stood out for their creativity and potential impact.”

The WCWD? program was created in 2022 in response to the alarming increase in anti-Asian hate and violence during the pandemic that has caused many people to experience grief, anxiety, and fear. WCWD? not only empowers artists who may themselves feel helpless against the swelling tide of anti-Asian sentiment against the AAPI community, but also gives them a chance to find their place in the ecosystem of care through their talents and community connections while creating a circle of resilience.

The artists’ projects range widely in scope, discipline, and location. Examples include:

• An interactive website that explores the communal vibrancy of spiritual and somatic practices to create intergenerational dialogue in Sunset Park by Banyi Huang
• A poetry series mixing interviews with Southeast Asian locals throughout New York City with Dena Igusti
• An architectural walking tour of Manhattan’s Chinatown with Philip Poon highlighting the history of gentrification in the neighborhood

For a complete list of projects with dates and locations, or to learn more about the artists and the WCWD? program, visit A4’s website.

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.