JADED Pittsburgh

About the 2023 individual/collective Exposure grant: This $35,000 Transformative Justice Exposure grant will support JADED as it transitions to a sustainable creative hub for catalyzing Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community arts, history and cultural practice in Pittsburgh. 

JADED is Pittsburgh’s first Asian American & Pacific Island (AAPI) artist collective. Led by women and non-binary artists, JADED creates spaces for AAPI representation and empowerment. From large, public celebrations to intimate AAPI-only gatherings, JADED addresses the trauma of racial violence, reveals the hidden history of AAPI migration in the region and offers mentorship and networking opportunities for our communities.

Founded in 2021 in response to rising anti-Asian violence, JADED creates communal spaces for healing, rest and joy. Its programming centers queer Asian femmes while connecting new groups with established organizations like the OCA (Organization of Chinese Americans.) JADED aims to create a space in a majority white city where an AAPI immigrant diaspora fragmented by interpersonal and structural racism finds power in the collective.

In 2024 and 2025, JADED will use the funds to support more intimate, community-led workshops and shows and host a residency for the Gendai Collective, a Toronto-based AAPI collective.