Grantee Database

Yuuki AOKI

• 2026
• Dance
• Japan to Malaysia

To immerse himself in Malaysia’s Penan community, experiencing their hunter-gatherer practices firsthand. With the support of a cultural anthropologist closely connected to the Penan community, Aoki will participate in daily activities such as gathering, moving, and preparing meals, exploring cultural exchange through nonverbal collaboration in which shared values and bodily awareness can emerge. By experiencing the Penan community’s hunter-gatherer practices firsthand, he will explore new forms of expression that connect urban and hunter-gatherer embodiment and develop his understanding of Penan’s communal and cyclical worldview, which offers important insights for contemporary society. Respecting the community’s perspectives, he aims to gain embodied knowledge of humans in connection with nature, which he will integrate into his creative practice and workshops.

Riki BENEDICTO

Country / Region:
• Philippines

• 2026
• Theater
• Philippines to United States

To investigate process-led and collaborative practices among independent, conceptual, and experimental theater-makers. Benedicto will immerse himself in artist-run spaces and collectives whose work expands authorship, reimagines performance-making, and develops new work. Through rehearsals, classes, and conversations with directors, performers, designers, and artistic leaders, he will observe how ideas, collaborative methods, and emerging concepts take form within an evolving creative relationship. Following the fellowship, Benedicto plans to contribute to a more connected and critically engaged network across the regions where he is actively working.

• 2026
• Theater
• Philippines to United States

To investigate process-led and collaborative practices among independent, conceptual, and experimental theater-makers. Benedicto will immerse himself in artist-run spaces and collectives whose work expands authorship, reimagines performance-making, and develops new work. Through rehearsals, classes, and conversations with directors, performers, designers, and artistic leaders, he will observe how ideas, collaborative methods, and emerging concepts take form within an evolving creative relationship. Following the fellowship, Benedicto plans to contribute to a more connected and critically engaged network across the regions where he is actively working.

Brian BERINO

• 2026
• Music
• Philippines to United States

To commence the Master of Music in Piano Performance program at James Madison University. Immersing himself in the United States’ classical music scene, Berino aims to further develop his artistry and career as a pianist and gain insights and experiences that he can bring back to support the growth of classical music in the Philippines. Berino obtained a Bachelor of Music majoring in Piano at the University of the Philippines's College of Music. Upon graduation, Berino was presented the Dean’s Award for distinguished service for his efforts in representing the Philippines in music competitions abroad. He is currently active as a performer, having been regularly featured on the Double Pentagon concert series in both solo recitals and ensemble performances.

Dr. Gargi BHARADWAJ

• 2026
• Theater
• India to United States

To study the work of independent women theater makers in New York engaged in solo theater productions. Baradwaj will identify and engage with women solo performers, including those from the Indian diasporic community, to understand performance practices that facilitate experimental and intuitive play as well as the economics of solo work, its affective and labor dimensions, and the shifting networks through which this form circulates. In addition to these conversations, Baradwaj will observe performances, visit venues, and conduct archival research into curatorial practices and models of patronage. As a performance scholar whose work is informed by cultural policy, she hopes to articulate an alternate cross-cultural genealogy of women solo performers whose work responds to today’s ecological, financial, political and democratic crises.

Nut Brother

• 2026
• Visual Art
• China to Bangladesh

To visit climate-conflict zones, examine the impact of climate-related disasters, and advance connections and knowledge sharing, focused on environmental challenges. Nut Brother will visit displaced residents, artists, and NGOs in Dhaka and other climate-conflict zones in Bangladesh, a country facing some of the most severe effects from the global climate crisis. He hopes to learn responsive aid initiatives and artistic practices through these communities’ stories and discuss the concrete manifestations and impact of the climate crisis. Building genuine connections and exchanging practical knowledge and gaining insights on these environmental challenges will inform Nut Brother’s eventual goal of launching a “Climate Creativity Alliance” – a cross-disciplinary platform connecting artists, NGOs, and experts to conduct climate research, organize workshops, explore creative approaches, and mobilize public participation.

Josephine CHAN

• 2026
• Crafts
• Hong Kong to Taiwan

To deepen and sharpen craftsmanship through apprenticeships with masters of conservation, framing, and mounting for traditional Chinese paintings. Through observation, interviews, and visits to museums and collections, Chan seeks to advance her practice in Chinese-style mounting for hanging scrolls and hand scrolls. Parallel to this, she will develop an approach that is personally sustainable and critically informed in balancing traditional aesthetic principles with contemporary artwork conservation thinking. Building on over 10 years of experience in Western archival framing and mount-making, and established proficiency in Chinese lining, Chan seeks to deepen both the technical and conceptual dimensions of her work and broaden her understanding of how historical models, regional variations, and conservation ethics converge in the contemporary presentation and care of Chinese works on paper.

LEE King-chi & Kong CHAN

• 2026
• Music
• Hong Kong to Korea

To research the teaching of traditional music in Korea, focusing on pedagogical fundamentals. In line with their long-term goal of developing training methods for contemporary learners of traditional Chinese theater music, Lee and Chan aim to experience the fundamentals of learning classic Korean music. The duo will undergo individualized instruction on various traditional Korean instruments with a focus on technical skills, ear-training, and music theory, interviewing musicians across generations about their own learning journeys, observing classes, and attending performances. For Lee and Chan, going “back to the basics” is essential to advancing their skills and creativity for future works and developing their own way of passing down and explaining traditional music to local and international audiences.

Yen Tzu CHANG

• 2026
• Visual Art
• Taiwan to United States

To explore advanced sound synthesis techniques, AI applications in sound creation, and connections between ecology and sound art. Chang’s fellowship will focus on exchanges with peer professionals, immersion in New York’s sound art scene, and fieldwork documenting urban soundscapes. She aims to meet with sound artists, curators, and art and technology institutions to better understand how New York’s artists create in such a diverse, urbanized environment, the issues they address, and how sound artists intervene in public spaces. Engaging with biologists and environmental researchers and documenting local soundscapes, Chang seeks to explore urban animal conditions and sound as ecological documentation. She hopes the fellowship will yield new perspectives for her practice, bring Taiwanese ecological concerns and sonic aesthetics into global dialogue, and foster cross-border connections.

Kaichun CHIANG

• 2026
• Visual Art
• Taiwan to Korea

To explore how prehistoric ritual landscapes can inspire contemporary art through comparative research of Taiwan’s Bei-nan site with South Korea’s Dolmen heritage. Through on-site visits, archival study, and interviews with local scholars and cultural practitioners, Chiang will explore how these prehistoric religious and ceremonial structures can inform contemporary artistic revitalization. Chiang seeks to understand how prehistoric people in both places built their worldviews, honored their ancestors, and shaped their communities. By reinterpreting these ancient stone monuments through a creative practice, Chiang’s fellowship will foster cultural exchange while generating new perspectives on Taiwan’s prehistoric and Austronesian heritage within a broader Asia-Pacific context.

Chien-Wei WU

Country / Region:
• Taiwan

• 2026
• Dance
• Taiwan to Hong Kong

To research the lives and artistic practices of choreographers Lai Hoi Ning and Mui Cheuk-yin (ACC 1989) and related temporal shifts in the ecology of Hong Kong’s performing arts sector. Wu’s research will focus on Lai Hoi Ning and Mui Cheuk-yin (ACC 1989) whose creations and artistic practices are deeply intertwined with Hong Kong’s history, reflect the essence of contemporary Hong Kong, and probe existential conditions faced by individuals and communities in response to their social environments. Through interviews, observations, and research into their works, Wu hopes to gain insights into how these artists perceive Hong Kong through their memories and creations.

• 2019
• Dance
• Taiwan to United States

to explore the contemporary dance scene of New York City and its development in reference to the other art forms

Khwanchira (Nual) CHINDAMANEE

• 2026
• Visual Art
• United States to Taiwan

To research and contribute to the preservation of hup taem murals in Isan, Thailand. Over a six-month period, Chindamanee will interview and collaborate with scholars and artisans with expertise in mural preservation, survey murals at local temples to understand and document the historical and methodological aspects of hup taem, and engage with local communities to understand and document the cultural significance of these artworks. Chindamanee hopes to synthesize her findings to develop a community workshop that can raise awareness of the significance of these murals and help preserve the community's cultural heritage.

CHAN Ching Wei Trevor

• 2026
• Music
• Hong Kong to United States

To travel to Colorado to attend workshops at the Aspen Music Festival and School in Summer 2026. Chan was selected for the Lady Fung Music Fellowship to attend workshops at the internationally acclaimed Aspen Music Festival and School. Chan is a final-year student and principal cellist of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts’ Symphony Orchestra. He also performs with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Opera Hong Kong. Chan’s participation in the Aspen program offers opportunities to learn from fellow cellists, develop his international network, and further improve his performance practice, as well as expand his ability to collaborate with other talents.