Asian Arts Initiative

The Asian Arts Initiative is 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.

Asian Arts Initiative

105 N. Watts Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215)557-0455 or info@asianartsinitiative.org
www.asianartsinitiative.org

History and Mission

Created in response to community concerns about racial tension, the Asian Arts Initiative began programming in May 1993 with Philadelphia's first-ever Asian American Arts Festival, "Live Traditions/Contemporary Issues," at the Painted Bride Art Center. We have since expanded to become a community arts center that offers performances, exhibitions, workshops, and training for artists and everyday people who share our mission of community-based arts. We are grounded in the belief that all people have the right to creative expression, and that the arts can provide an important voice for Asian Americans and other groups whose lives and stories are marginalized in our society.

As one of the very few Asian American community arts centers in the country, the Asian Arts Initiative is a unique and vital meeting place where artists and everyday people can think critically and creatively about the experiences of Asian Americans.