Asian Arts Initiative is a multidisciplinary arts center offering exhibitions, performances, artist residencies, youth workshops, and a community gathering space in Philadelphia, PA.
25th Anniversary Publication Launch (2018) by Louis KangAsian Arts Initiative
Asian Arts Initiative was founded and grew out of a program at the Painted Bride Art Center in 1993 in response to the growing racial tension between Black and Asian communities in the wake of the LA Uprisings following the Rodney King Verdicts.
Pearl Street Block Party (2015)Asian Arts Initiative
Located in Philadelphia’s burgeoning Chinatown North neighborhood, Asian Arts Initiative remains rooted in this initial concern and programming is centered around building community and gaining greater cross-cultural understanding through the arts.
The Beat of Resistance (2020)Asian Arts Initiative
ART — we are what we create
With intention, we provide a platform for activating the art within us. Through creative expression, we develop the awareness, knowledge and skills that prepare us for action.
Through exhibitions and programming, we provide an inclusive gathering place for conversation and exchange of ideas. Our community-based arts initiatives seek out and cultivate innovative models for artists to engage with local communities.
Asian American Artist Town Hall (2019) by Louis KangAsian Arts Initiative
SPACE — it happens here
Where we feel we belong, our hearts can be open. We create the conditions for art, expression and ideas that make things happen.
Our multi-tenant arts facility is a resource for the broader cultural community with individual artist studios and program space—including rooms for workshops, gallery and exhibition areas, and a digital broadcast studio.
Radical Children's Book Fair (2019) by Louis KangAsian Arts Initiative
LEADERSHIP — of and for the community
Greater than our differences are the shared values of our community. With experiences, trust and creative thinking, we offer action onwards equity, social justice and good governance.
Youth Arts Workshop, our longest running program, provides year-round after school and summer programming, offering a safe space, creative development, and art-making opportunities for youth.
Here at Asian Arts Initiative, all of us can view and create art that reflects our lives, and think critically, creatively about the future we want to build for our communities.
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