The Asian Cultural Council welcomed its Spring Cohort of grantees: curator and art critic Mengxi Yao, musician Miyama McQueen-Tokita, theater director Pao-Chang Tsai, and dancer Ying-Chih Hana Chen. They join ­­­eleven other fellows in New York. ACC marked their arrival with a celebratory gathering of ACC Fellows, alumni, partners, New York staff, and Directors from ACC-affiliate offices in Asia.

Here’s a brief look at our newest fellows below:


Ying-Chih (Hana) Chen (Taiwan), dancer

Hana, one of Taiwan's most exciting young choreographers, is known for her powerful expression and mature technique. In New York, she hopes to expand her understanding of the body’s possibilities by engaging with artists from a cross-section of cultures, experiencing their diverse vocabularies of physical movement.


 

Pao-Chang Tsai (Taiwan), theater director

Pao-Chang is co-artistic director of Tainaner Ensemble in Taipei. With work examining themes of identity, LGBTQ rights, and cross-cultural exploration, Mr. Tsai has international experience as Cité internationale des arts artist-in-residence, Moscow Arts Theatre visiting scholar, and as a 2011 ACC alumnus. He plans to research how musical actors are trained in the musical capitals of New York and Seoul and intends to develop a musical training program for Taiwan’s next generation of performers.


 

Miyama McQueen-Tokita (Japan), musician

Miyama began studying the koto at the age of seven. Committed to ensuring the continued vitality of the koto, she attended the IMPULS Academy and Festival in Graz, Austria in 2015 and 2017. This experience expanded her network of collaborators and suggested new stylistic possibilities. She plans on engaging with musicians and composers in the new music and free improvisation scenes of New York.



Mengxi Yao (China), curator / art critic

Mengxi is an indpependent curator and art critic and the recipient of international awards for art criticism. She was chosen in 2015 to participate in Power Station of Art’s Emerging Curators’ Project and is a regular contributor to Artforum China, Artworld, Ran Dian, and LEAP. ACC has arranged for Mengxi to undertake a 6-month residency at the Triangle residency in Brooklyn during her fellowship. There she will have a chance to research group exhibitions, and meet with curators and artists to understand exhibition planning in relation to American culture.

 


Above: Miho Walsh welcomes our newest cohort, ACC grantees, and guests; Below: ACC Spring 2019 Cohort