Organizers of the 2nd Annual Asian American and Pacific Islander Arts & Culture Summit on Nov. 15 at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston say they see the event as bigger than enhancing the arts community itself: It’s about providing hope.
“I think in times of uncertainty and crisis, people have always looked to the arts as a source of light and hope,” Danielle Kim, executive director of the Asian Community Fund, told the Sampan during the event.
Hosted by the Asian Community Fund of the Boston Foundation, the summit’s official aim was to connect AAPI arts and culture leaders across the state. The effort has brought together more than 250 people in the arts community, say the organizers. “We helped launch the new AAPI Arts and Culture Collaborative. It’s an initiative within The Asian Community Fund, and it’s been amazing to see the growth of this network,” said Kim. “This group has been working over the past couple of months to start building a strategy, a regional strategy, around AAPI narrative change.”
The number have participants has nearly doubled from the first summit in 2023, said Jobelle Mesa, the Asian Community Fund’s program and development manager.
“AAPI artists and people have been advocating and doing this work for a very long time. I just feel like now is just the time that we are building more momentum as a community and as a sector,” said Mesa, pointing out that a small number, around 0.2% of philanthropic funding, goes to the AAPI community nationally. She noted that this is a very small percentage compared to the number of AAPI folks who live in the United States.
“Last year, we came together for the first summit, largely driven by the fact that there are so many amazing pockets of work happening across the state specifically to help support and uplift Asian culture and heritage. And we also heard from many in the community that our sector is really strong. It’s growing, but it’s also somewhat fragmented,” said Kim. “And so, we heard a lot of interest from arts leaders in our region that they just were really hungry to connect and to think about ways in which we can collaborate together. I don’t think any single entity, person, or organization can kind of uplift Asian visibility or representation alone. And so, we saw some real strength in the opportunity to pull this as kind of a formal coalition and network that we can all work together.”
Kim said the Asian Community Fund provides grants to community organizations that serve the Asian community across the commonwealth, and that about 40% of the community partners predominantly do work in arts and culture.
“And so, from hearing from them and meeting with them, they really shared this interest in wanting to connect with their counterparts across the state and find ways in which we can work together,” said Kim.
Mesa said the group received 105 grant applications this year.
“This presents a real need that the fund is trying to help address,” Mesa added.
Mesa pointed out that there is also growing AAPI leadership in the state. She used Ming Min Hui from the Boston Ballet as an example as she is now the executive director. Hui moderated a panel discussion with other arts leaders at the summit about opportunities in funding for AAPI arts & culture.
“We need to look to our local community to continue driving the innovation and the good work that we want to see,” said Kim. “I think now is the time for us to be creative, courageous, to be bold, and to make sure that people know that the Asian communities here were unified and were visible. I think it’s especially important, given that in the last administration, there was a lot of rhetoric around anti-Asian hate and violence. And so, because of that, rather than just playing defensive, I think we need to help paint the picture and help uplift the stories of our Asian community and make sure that we’re seen, and we’re heard. I think that’s really important now more than ever.”
