Asian American Resource Center Exhibits

The application opened on Monday, October 7, 2024. The deadline to apply is January 12, 2025 at 11:59pm. 

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If you have any questions or need assistance with the application, please email AARC@AustinTexas.gov. The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact (512) 974-3914 or Relay Texas 7-1-1.   

Eligibility and Guidelines

Eligibility

• Exhibiting artists or curators living and working in Texas

• At least 18 years of age at the time of application

• All proposed work must be able to exhibit in the AARC

• Artists and Curators must be able to travel to and from the Asian American Resource Center located in Austin, TX for exhibit install, de-install, and public programming. (Travel or transportation expenses will not be covered by the AARC.) 

• Complete Applications must be submitted through the specific google form. Any incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Any applications submitted through other means will not be considered. 

• All artwork or exhibit items applied with and planned for exhibition with at the AARC are original or have been properly licensed and will not constitute copyright or other infringement.

Ineligible to Apply

• Artists or Curators who have been selected to exhibit at the Asian American Resource Center from a previous Open Call for Exhibits within the last 2 years (2022 – present). 

• AI-only creators

Evaluation Criteria

• Relevance of proposed exhibit to the AARC’s Mission, Vision, and Values: to create spaces of healing and belonging for Asian/Asian American communities in Austin and beyond. 

• Consideration of the AARC as a multi-purpose cultural center and a City of Austin entity.

• Images of proposed body of work

• Quality of writing and cohesiveness between exhibit elements: Exhibit Description, Artist/Curator Statements, Bios, Image List, Resume/CV, Proposed Programming, and Short Answer Question responses.  

Schedule and Application Process

Important Dates

• Application Opens: Monday, October 7, 2024

• Application Closes: January 12, 2025 at 11:59pm (CST)

• Applicants Selected and Announced: Mid-February, 2025

To apply, you will be asked to submit the following: 

• Applicant Information: Name and Email 

• Artist/Curator Website and/or social media

• Artist/Curator statement AND bio: pdf format. Please include the artist/curator statements and bios from any other exhibitors included in your exhibit proposal.

• Artist/Curator Resume or CV: pdf format. Please include your past or upcoming exhibiting, public programming, or art/history/education related opportunities or experiences.

• Exhibit Description: Please explain what your proposed exhibit is about and what works and artists will be included.

• Exhibit proposal Artwork Images or Images of exhibit items: Please upload exactly 10 jpeg images of work planned to be in your exhibit (no larger than 1024 x 768 pixels at 300 dpi).

• List of uploaded images: Please include the following information for each uploaded image in a pdf document: title of work, medium, dimensions (height x width x depth), and date completed.

Short Answer Questions

• The AARC’s Mission is to create a space of belonging and healing for Asian/Asian American communities in Austin and beyond. Describe how your artistic/curatorial practice, work, perspective, or proposed exhibit relates or connects to the AARC’s mission, vision, and values?

• What kinds of community programs (panels, creative workshops, pop-up events, reception, etc.) would you or your team be available to put on at the AARC alongside your exhibit? Please upload a brief program proposal document in pdf format that includes: 1) What your event/program ideas are: (you may include multiple options); 2) What materials or resources are needed to put on your program ideas (please include the cost of each item and keep the total budget under $500); 3) How your proposed programming ties into your exhibit or your artist/curator practice.

• Please explain the different techniques and media processes involved the making of the artwork or historical contexts connected to the exhibit items that you have included in this exhibit proposal.

• Please describe how you will install your proposed exhibit at the AARC. Consider the following when answering this question: - Are your exhibit items framed or individually standing elements? - How fragile are your exhibit items? Are they sensitive to certain environmental factors like light or temperature? How much do your exhibit items weigh? - Will elements of your exhibit need access to electricity or need to be experienced through specific technology? - Do you have any preferences for where in the AARC your exhibit will be displayed? - How will you keep your exhibit elements secure and accessible to the public? 

Selection

An independent panel will review all submissions. The top applicants will be chosen for exhibitions at the Asian American Resource Center. The top ten percent of artists will be further considered for additional opportunities at the AARC. Confirmation emails will be sent out in mid-February 2025 when the list of artists/exhibits has been finalized. 

Exhibit Space

The AARC provides accessible, non-traditional gallery and exhibiting spaces. This includes the AARC Zen Garden Hallway, AARC South Hallway, Zen Garden Courtyard, and Display Cases. Applicants are encouraged to visit the AARC before applying to understand the exhibiting spaces the AARC provides to its exhibitors. The location of selected exhibits at the AARC will be at the discretion of AARC staff based on the center’s capacity as a multi-purpose cultural center and the nature of the artist’s work. 

Mamie Raynaud: Chinatown in Three Acts

Mamie Raynaud, known as the mad hat-tress, believes in the transformative power of hats. With a background immersed in the vibrant cultures of Los Angeles, she infuses her work with pop art, tradition, and Chinese American heritage. Millinery (hat-making), both as an art form and a craft, has allowed Mamie Raynaud to embrace the complexities of her upbringing—a Chinese American straddling two worlds, never quite fitting fully into either.  

Peelander-Yellow: Let's Play on Planet-Yellow!!!

Acknowledging diversity in society and finding solidarity beyond our differences and disagreements is an important skill to learn on Earth as well as on Planet-Yellow. I would like to invite everyone to Planet-Yellow (home to several non-human-like peoples) to explore how all these people live together. The residents of Planet Yellow look very different from humans and animals on Earth. The residents of Planet Yellow have different body parts, appendages, and colors of skin tone from what we are familiar with on Earth.

As you observe the residents of Planet Yellow closely, you may realize that multiple faces often share one body. Despite all of these differences, Planet Yellow is famous for being the friendliest planet in the Universe. Peelander-Yellow hopes that through this exhibit, visitors will be able to enjoy exploring, playing, and befriending all of the residents on Planet Yellow.  

About the Artist: Kengo Hioki, known as Peelander-Yellow, is a muralist, painter, live painter, designer, and musician based in Austin, Texas. He is originally from Hyogo, Japan. After graduating from Osaka University of Art, he joined the Art Students League of New York. While touring around the world with his band, Peelander-Z, he has put on art exhibits in the US and Japan which often includes live painting with audience participation. He also created more than 60 murals throughout the US, including ones at Facebook (Austin) and Google (Chicago). In 2019, he won the Austin Chronicle Best of Austin award for Best Visual Artist.