Native Artist Opportunity Fund — May Grant Recipient Announced

Anthony Aiu; image credit: Stefan Mreczko

Congratulations, Anthony Aiu!

Congratulations to May’s Native Artist Opportunity Fund recipient, Anthony Aiu!

Anthony, from O‘ahualua, Hawai‘i, received his MFA from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY, Purchase. While there, he created and produced eight new contemporary dance works in four, fully produced productions.

Aiu is an artist, dancer, and choreographer who creates from his vibrant, deeply rooted, and rich Polynesian ancestry. In 2008, he founded 'Avei'a to showcase his culturally-rooted movement style. As co-founder of Te Ao Mana (2016), he is dedicated to cultural expansion and giving voice to underrepresented Polynesians.

Aiu works on the Global Harmony Project which focuses on building communities through the creative process. He has presented at the Hawai’i Triennial, Judson Church, Movement Research, Battery Dance, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, BAX, Brooklyn Ballet, Dixon Place, BronxNet Television, Webster Hall, Kūkulu Art Exhibition, Indigenous Peoples Day, NYC Dance Parade, Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge, Hōkūle‘a’s Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage, and 92nd Street Y, among others. He also co-authored A Choreographic Workbook with mentor and professor, Kazuko Hirabayashi.

Anthony's grant will go towards the purchase of materials for costume construction and recording studio time.

The AIP Native Artist Opportunity Fund provides subsidies of up to $750 to assist US-based Indigenous performing artists. The program, which has a rolling monthly deadline, supports the creation of promotional and showcasing assets, networking travel, virtual presentation skills-building, and other development activities.

Learn more about the program here.