Viet Voices Announces Open Call for San Diego’s First AAPI Emerging Artist Fellowship
Viet Voices is thrilled to announce an open call for San Diego’s first AAPI Emerging Artist Fellowship, a transformative program designed to support and nurture early-career Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) artists. This unique fellowship offers a platform for AAPI artists to engage deeply with their cultural identities and express their creative voices through a professional and developmental lens.
The fellowship aims to inspire emerging artists to explore themes of ancestral identity—such as homeland, language, mythology, healing, and cultural memory—while also interrogating the concepts of continuity, community, and the ritualization of (re/un)learning environments. We seek contemporary artists who are conceptualizing beyond the surface and experimenting with the complexity of identity in its many forms.
About the Fellowship
he AAPI Emerging Artist Fellowship is designed for early-career AAPI artists who are at a pivotal stage in their artistic journey. The program offers opportunities for professional growth, the development of new work, and community engagement, positioning fellows for long-term success in the arts.
Fellowship Opportunities:
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Fellows will showcase their work in a group exhibition in San Diego, with support in curating and installing their pieces.
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Ongoing mentorship from AAPI artists and arts professionals, including one-on-one studio visits and constructive feedback.
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Fellows will have access to workshops, wellness sessions, artist talks, and networking events with fellow artists, curators, and other art professionals.
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Each fellow will receive a $3,000 stipend (disbursed in two partial installments) to support the production of new work, materials, and living expenses during the fellowship.
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Fellows will connect with a network of AAPI artists in San Diego who are pushing the boundaries of art in their community.
Eligibility:
Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
Open to emerging artists of Asian American, Pacific Islander, and/or Native Hawaiian descent. LGBTQ2+ identifying individuals are strongly encouraged to apply.
Open to all visual art mediums, including but not limited to painting, sculpture, photography, video, installation, performance/new media, and interdisciplinary work.
Fellows must commit to attending all monthly fellowship development sessions and the weekend exhibition (all in-person).
Artists must be committed to addressing issues such as diaspora, gender, sexuality, race, social health, and social justice in their practice.
Applicants must not be students or enrolled in any degree-seeking program during the fellowship period.
Applicants must not be currently participating in another comparable fellowship, residency, or development program.
Applicants must not be current members, employees, or board members of Viet Voices.
How to Apply:
Artist Statement (max 2000 words):
Describe your artistic practice, goals for the fellowship, and reasons for applying.
Portfolio:
A selection of 5 images or video clips of recent work. Please name each file as “firstname-lastname-title-year.” Performance video URLs can be sent via a PDF (YouTube or Vimeo preferred with required passwords).
Artist CV
Proposed Project (max 2000 words):
Outline the project you intend to develop during the fellowship, and explain how it engages with socially relevant themes.
Submission Deadline
March 16, 2025, at 11:59 PM PST
Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed based on the strength of the application, the conceptualization of the artwork, the proposed project, and the potential impact on the artist’s career. Finalists will be notified by March 30, 2025. The first cohort ceremony will take place on April 26, 2025.
Important Dates
February 21st – Open Call Opens
March 16th – Open Call Closes
March 28th – Fellows Awarded
Week of April 7th – Studio Visit #1 (by appointment)
April 26th – Co-Hort Session #1
Week of May 5th – Studio Visit #2 (by appointment)
May 31st – Co-Hort Session #2
Week of June 7th – Studio Visit #3 (by appointment)
June 28th – Co-Hort Session #3 (half day)
Week of July 7th – Studio Visit #4 (by appointment)
July 26-27th – AAPI Art Festival
For more information, please visit aapiartsfellowship.squarespace.com or contact Communications Manager Carmela Prudencio at carmelajprudencio@gmail.com for media inquiries.
ABOUT VIET VOICES
Viet Voices is a San Diego-based organization dedicated to amplifying the voices of AAPI artists through cultural programming, advocacy, and community engagement. We seek to inspire and support AAPI artists in their creative journeys and foster a vibrant, inclusive art community.
ABOUT FELLOWSHIP DIRECTOR HAMSA FAE
Hamsa Fae is a curator, poet and contemporary artist whose practice blends live performance, movement, sound, and earth objects. With over a decade of research in shamanism, she reclaims cultural identities and explores diasporic themes through memory and dreamscapes. Her poetry collection Blood Frequency was shortlisted by C&R Press in 2022, and she has been published in diaCritics, Vănguard, Fruitslice, and the Yale School of Environment. hamsa’s work has been recognized for its ability to bridge commercial and experimental worlds, with collaborations including Adidas Originals, Parkwood Entertainment, and Well People.
