ACC has awarded 40 fellowships to individuals pursuing research, study, exploration, and collaborative projects across Asia and the United States, and 13 grants to organizations and projects facilitating cultural exchange opportunities.
This year's grant recipients hail from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan, and the United States. They range from graduate students pursuing programs unavailable in their home countries—including curatorial studies M.A. candidates from Afghanistan and Pakistan—to artists exploring beyond their own training and traditions, such as an American pianist studying Burmese sandaya. There are arts administrators working to develop their respective fields, as well as organizations building arts networks across regions—including ACC-facilitated partnerships supporting workshops for choreographers and dancers from Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation has further enabled ACC to provide opportunities for Americans traveling to Asia and U.S.-China exchange.
We are honored take part in the transformative journeys of these exceptional ACC Fellows as they innovate and reflect on their artistic practices, create networks across regions and disciplines, and further knowledge and ways of understanding art and culture. Taken individually, the 2019 Fellows represent an exciting disciplinary and geographic range. As a group operating to serve an international arts ecosystem, they function in concert. Empowered to connect across borders, they are a movement advancing international understanding and respect in service of fostering a more harmonious world.
MEET OUR GRANTEES
Muhebullah Esmat
M.A. Candidate, Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College
A 1-year Graduate Scholarship to continue in the second and final year of an M.A. program
Pathshala South Asian Media Institute
Organization/Project Grant to enable artist/scholar Naeem Mohaiemen and photography expert Robert Pledge to travel to Dhaka for 1 week to participate in public programming for the Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography
Sa Sa Art Projects
Organization/Project Grant to support a 2-month creative and teaching residency in Phnom Penh for American artist/arts educator Tobin Rothlein
CHINA
Nikita Yingqian Cai
Chief Curator, Guangdong Times Museum, Guangzhou
A 2-month Individual Fellowship to travel and conduct research in the U.S. on a large-scale exhibition project under the working title of Neither Black/Red/Yellow nor Woman
Leo Li Chen
Independent Curator & Writer
A 6-month New York Fellowship to explore independent art practices and participate in a curation residency in New York City
Jiani Gu
Conceptual Designer & Choreographer, UNTITLED GROUP Beijing
A 6-month New York Fellowship to observe, research, and exchange with dance and physical theater artists in New York City
Birdhead (Tao Song & Weiyu Ji)
Collaborating Artists, Shanghai
A 2-month collaborative Individual Fellowship to travel thoughout and explore Hong Kong’s physical and cultural landscape through photography
Shimeng Sun
Assistant Researcher, Tsinghua University, Beijing
A 5-month Individual Fellowship to participate in the Special Program for Urban and Regional Studies (SPURS) at MIT as a visiting scholar in 2019
Yu Ji
Visual Artist & Co-Founder, am Art Space, Shanghai
A 6-month New York Fellowship to explore trends in contemporary arts in New York City
Lijiang Studio
Organization/Project Grant to support the Lijiang/Hokkaido Reciprocal Residency Program, enabling three artists from China and three from Japan to explore interdisciplinary artistic practice in two rural settings over two months
Hoi Lam Au
Part-time Lecturer, Department of Fine Arts, Chinese University of Hong Kong
A 6-month New York Fellowship to observe creative practices in contemporary arts and gain new inspiration in New York City
Enoch Cheng
Independent Artist & Curator
A 6-month New York Fellowship to research opera, performance, contemporary art practice, and natural science while undertaking an artist residency at the American Museum of Natural History in New York
Ka Yeung Hung
Student, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts
A 2-month Individual Fellowship to participate in the 2019 Aspen Music Festival and School
Hochi Lau
M.F.A. Candidate, Carnegie Mellon University
A 1-year Graduate Scholarship to continue in the second year of a three-year M.F.A. program
Mike Orange
Independent Composer & Producer
A 6-month New York Fellowship to research the music scene in New York City and observe trends in multidisciplinary collaborations and the performing arts
Wayson Poon
Independent Choreographer & Dancer
A 6-month Individual Fellowship to study Javanese traditional dance in Indonesia and explore New York City's post-modern dance landscape
Joned Suryatmoko
Ph.D. Candidate, The Graduate Center, CUNY
A 1-year Graduate Scholarship to continue in the second year of a Ph.D. program in theater and performance
Yayasan Kelola
Organization/Project Grant to support further development of the ACC-Kelola-ADF Southeast Asia Choreographers Network by facilitating the participation of four choreographers in the 2019 International Choreographers Residency program at the American Dance Festival, and organizing a weeklong workshop in Indonesia for network participants
Bridge for the Arts and Education
Organization/Project Grant to support two months of cross-cultural workshops in Jogjakarta for performing artists from Japan and Southeast Asia to create a collaborative interpretation of the Mahabharata
Tomoko Hojo
Independent Artist, Kitanagoyashi
A 6-month New York Fellowship to conduct archival research on sound art and experimental music in New York City
Dan Isomura
Independent Artist, Takamatsucho, Tachikawa
A 6-month New York Fellowship to observe trends in political and socially engaged art with a focus on LGBTQ and immigration issues in New York City
Takashi Kawachi
Independent Technical Director, Stage Manager & Production Manager, Sodegaura-shi
A 2-month Individual Fellowship to observe technical theater practice in New York City
Koyano Tetsuro
Director, Japanese Shadow Theatre, Tokyo
A supplement to a 2017 grant supporting exploratory collaboration in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Nobuyuki Sugihara
President, NPO Corporation Primitive Sense Company
A 6-month Individual Fellowship to continue research on Taiwanese aboriginal culture and connect with artists for an annual music festival in Nagano
Sangmin Chae
M.F.A. Candidate, Brooklyn College
A 1-year Graduate Scholarship to continue in the second and final year of an M.F.A. program in performance and interactive media arts
Gabriel Kuperman
Founder & Director, Luang Prabang Film Festival
A 6-month Individual Fellowship to research the contemporary film environment in Southeast Asia and build the network of independent filmmakers, producers, and distributors
Abdul Aziz Sohail
M.F.A. Candidate, University of California, Irvine
A 1-year Graduate Scholarship to continue in the second year of a three-year M.F.A. program, concentrating in critical and curatorial studies
Ballet Philippines
Organization/Project Grant to bring lighting designer Jennifer Tipton to Manila to give a two-week masterclass for lighting designers from Southeast Asia, and to support the participation of lighting designers from the region
Kevin Castelo
M.Mus. Candidate, Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, Bloomington
A 1-year Graduate Scholarship to continue in the second and final year of a master’s degree program majoring in percussion performance
Abner Delina
Artistic Director, Black Canvas Quezon City
A 6-month New York Fellowship to participate in contemporary theater workshops and train in devised theater, physical theater, and multicultural theater collaboration in New York City
King Kong Art Projects
Organization/Project Grant to support representatives from the Roberto Chabet Archive on a 2-month research trip to the U.S. to observe conservation and collections management practices
Ma. Elena Laniog
Director, Choreographer and Teacher-in-Dance, UP Dance Company, College of Music Diliman, and Center for Movement for Music
A 6-month Individual Fellowship to participate in the 2020 International Choreographers Residency Program at the American Dance Festival and engage with contemporary movement practice in New York City
Zeny May Recidoro
M.F.A. Candidate, School of Visual Arts
A 1-year Graduate Scholarship to continue in her second and final year of an M.A. program in art writing
VT Art Salon
Organization/Project Grant to support a 2-month exchange between curators from Taiwan and Singapore and artists in Okinawa for the second phase of Island Hopping—Reversing Imperialism
Absolute Space for the Arts
Organization/Project Grant to enable the artists collective to visit Lostgens Contemporary Art Space in Kuala Lumpur for two weeks as second phase of a reciprocal exchange program
Hsin Yi & Hsin Yueh Chiu
Students, National Taichung University of Science and Technology, Taichung
A 2-month Individual Fellowship to study shamisen and Satsuma Biwa technique in Japan
Huang-Sheng Su
Independent Artist, Taipei
A 5-month Individual Fellowship to investigate contemporary art practice and ink art collections in the U.S. to gain perspective on the position of traditional Chinese ink art in the 21st century
Ray Tseng
Independent Lighting Designer, Taipei
A 6-month New York Fellowship to observe trends in lighting design in New York City and develop new visual and conceptual approaches
Wen Yi Wang
Director, The Rhapsody Studio, Keelung
A 4-month Individual Fellowship to explore the philosophical, strategic, and managerial aspects of arts and educational institutions bridging the humanities and technology in the U.S.
Chien-Wei Wu
Artistic Director, Tussock Dance Theater, Taipei
A 6-month New York Fellowship to explore the contemporary dance scene of New York City and its development in reference to the other art forms
Kai (Kari) Altmann
Independent Artist
A 5-month Individual Fellowship to undertake a creative residency at Tentacles Art Space in Bangkok, followed by travel around Southeast Asia
Margarita Blush
Producing Artistic Director, Margarita Blush Productions
A 1-month Individual Fellowship to study traditional puppetry and movement practice in Japan
Florina Capistrano-Baker
Assistant Professor, City University of New York, BMCC
A 1-month Individual Fellowship to conduct fieldwork on Hindu-Buddhist monuments, sculptures, and rituals in India and Indonesia to retrace the history of the pre-colonial Philippines
Kirsten Carey
Independent Musician, Detroit
A 3-month Individual Fellowship to study shamisen in Japan
Chinese Culture Center
San Francisco
Organization/Project Grant to enable curatorial staff to undertake a 2-week research trip to visit artist residency programs in Vietnam
J'Sun Howard
Independent Dance Artist, Chicago
A 4-month Individual Fellowship to undertake a residency at Dance Box NPO in Kobe, Japan, to study traditional theater practice and plan for future exchange of dancer/choreographers between Kobe and Chicago
Hyde Park Art Center
Organization/Project Grant to support a 2-month residency at the Hyde Park Art Center for Malaysian artist Veshalini Naidu, and to support a 2-week research visit by HPAC staff to Malaysia and Vietnam
Inta, Inc
Organization/Project Grant to enable choreographer/dance artists Eiko Otake from New York and Wen Hui from Beijing to engage in a reciprocal exchange, spending one month together in China and a second month in the U.S.
Emma Jaster & Matthew Pearson
Independent Movement Director, Brooklyn
A 3-month Individual Fellowship to carry out a residency with U-Theater at their training center and performance facility in Jinguashi, Taiwan
Cathy Lu
Artist & Professor, UC Berkeley, San Francisco
A 2-month Individual Fellowship to participate in ceramics workshops in Jingdezhen and to travel in southern China to connect with local artists and observe developments in contemporary arts in China
Alex Peh
Assistant Professor, SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz
A 6-week Individual Fellowship to study the Burmese sandaya piano tradition with master teachers and musicians in Yangon
Roberto Sifuentes
Professor, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
A supplemental grant to enable Mr. Sifuente's collaborator, Aram Han Sifuentes, to join his residency at A. Farm in Ho Chi Minh City
Fiona Templeton
Artistic Director/Founder, The Relationship, New York
A 3-week Travel Grant to visit Tokyo to workshop a new collaborative project with composer Yumiko Tanaka
Triangle Arts Association
Organization/Project Grant to support two 3-month residencies for artists Ye-Eun Min (South Korea) and Paribartana Mohanty (India)
2019 JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER 3RD AWARD
Kengo Kuma
Architect, Kengo Kuma & Associates
Since 1986, the Asian Cultural Council has presented the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Award biennially to an individual from Asia or the United States who has made a significant contribution to the international understanding, practice, or study of the visual or performing arts of Asia. This award for outstanding professional achievement commemorates the deep and long-standing interest of John D. Rockefeller 3rd in Asian art and culture.
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