About
Creative Catalyst is an annual fellowship program that supports individual artist proposals that engage the public on critical issues impacting Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) across the country that can serve as a catalyst for civic participation.
Selected artists are part of a cohort that convenes for peer sharing and learning opportunities and receive access to communications consultation and promotion of their final art product.
2027 Creative Catalyst Fellowship
Applications coming soon.
2025 – 2026 Creative Catalyst Fellows
The 2025 Creative Catalyst Fellowship awarded $30,000 to eight artists to produce interdisciplinary art projects that will focus on the theme of “Belonging” in mediums both eclectic and traditional, which include a museum book, nonfiction comic, animated oral history, zine-like video game, and portrait series; as well as poetry, hip hop, and documentary. This past July, the Creative Catalyst Retreat was held in Philadelphia, PA, where the fellows gathered with the local Chinatown community to learn about the power of narrative in change-making with local grassroot organizations, Asian American United, and the Asian American Community Fund of PA. Learn about the 2025-2026 fellows here.
Past Fellows
Poster by Lehuauakea, 2024-2025 Fellow
Drawing series by Safwat Saleem, 2024-2025 Fellow
Click here to view past projects
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