OUR MISSION
We are an artist-driven, national cross-cultural community network rooted in social justice and equity. Since our inception in 1987, we continue to advance and sustain artists creating innovative works representing the Asian / Asian American experience as vital voices in the BIPOC movement for collective liberation.
HISTORY
Our story begins long before Asian Improv aRts was founded, which was heavily shaped and influenced by the cultural and historical milestones of our time. Learn more about our history below.
Photo Credit: Johnny Nguyen (left) and Lynn Huang (right) by Robbie Sweeny
OUR VALUES
We recognize the exclusion of BIPOC communities from traditional performing spaces and work towards creating systemic change in the arts field on all levels
EQUITY
We are inextricably connected to the Black Liberation Movement of the 1960s and 70s with longstanding relationships to BIPOC artist communities nationally
SOLIDARITY
We believe in the power of arts activism to impact the national conversation for equity and justice in the face of anti-Asian sentiment and discrimination against communities of color
ACTIVISM
We value our legacy as part of the historic Asian American movement, rooted in the experiences of the Asian and Pacific Islander diasporas
LEGACY
We make visible our history of community-based culture
and the arts through
place-based work
COMMUNITY
We embrace improvisation and research as creative methodologies necessary for community-based work
INNOVATION
We document, share, and advance the legacy of the generations before us to nurture the generations
to come
GENERATIONS
We cultivate artistic excellence as a creative spiritual practice grounded in mentorship, mutual support, and solidarity economies
RELATIONSHIPS
PARTNERS