Artists At Work

03/11/2026

Artists At Work is thrilled to invite you to our Creativity + Community Series: Celebrating AAW Artists – a series of gatherings celebrating creativity and community across six cities this year.

At the center of each gathering is a celebration of our AAW Artists, their collaborative projects, and the ways their work supports community well-being. We hope to see you there!

📍 Tucson, AZ — April 12 Art-making for resilience and community power
📍 Albuquerque, NM — April 17 Artistic civic engagement
📍 New Orleans, LA — May 15 Artists and culture bearers in health equity
📍 Indianapolis, IN — July 30 Creativity in community wellness
📍 Dearborn, MI — August 13 Artists as keepers of collective memory
📍 Los Angeles County, CA — September 27 Artists and community recovery and resilience

Learn more about the convenings through the link in our bio!

These gatherings are made possible by the generous support of the Hearthland Foundation.

03/04/2026

12/17/2025

To close out the year, we’re celebrating the 24 AAW Artists, their community partners, and the projects taking shape across the country. Today, we’re highlighting the AAW cohort in Dearborn.

In Dearborn, AAW Artists Kamelya Omayma Youssef, Layan Srour, Raphique Barakat, and Lubana Al Quntar are working with lead partner the Arab American National Museum and its parent organization, ACCESS, to explore community initiatives that address key impact areas related to community health and safety.

Hit the link in our bio to learn more about the Dearborn cohort, their community partners, and the work unfolding across the city. 

Artists At Work is an initiative of the FreshGrass Foundation and THE OFFICE performing arts + film, and is made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation.

12/16/2025

To close out the year, we’re celebrating the 24 AAW Artists, their community partners, and the projects taking shape across the country. Today, we’re highlighting the AAW cohort in Indianapolis.

In Indianapolis, AAW Artists Andre Parnell, Mariah Ivey, Ash Robinson, and Bryn Jackson are collaborating with four local social-impact organizations through regional support from the Herbert Simon Family Foundation to activate community-centered projects rooted in civic engagement and collective wellbeing.

Hit the link in our bio to learn more about the Indianapolis cohort, their community partners, and the work unfolding across the city. Stay tuned in the coming days to learn more about the AAW cohorts across the country.

The implementation of Artists At Work in Indianapolis was made possible by the support of the Herbert Simon Family Foundation.

12/15/2025

To close out the year, we’re celebrating the 24 AAW Artists, their community partners, and the projects taking shape across the country. Today, we’re highlighting the AAW cohort in New Orleans.

In New Orleans, in partnership with Ashé Cultural Arts Center, AAW Artists Cherice Harrison-Nelson,  Greer Mendy, A.J. Haynes and Donney Rose are focused on cultural preservation, neighborhood health, and Black maternal wellness through the Alliance for Cultural Equity and the I Deserve It! program.

Hit the link in our bio to learn more about the New Orleans cohort, and stay tuned in the coming days for more about the AAW cohorts across the country!

Artists At Work is an initiative of the FreshGrass Foundation and THE OFFICE performing arts + film, and is made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation

12/11/2025

To close out the year, we’re celebrating the 24 AAW Artists, their community partners, and the projects taking shape across the country. 

Today, we’re highlighting the AAW cohort in Albuquerque. AAW has partnered with the City of Albuquerque Department of Arts & Culture to engage four local AAW Artists exploring how creative practices and public spaces support dreaming forward, healing from collective and individual grief, and strengthening community connections and identity.

The four local AAW Artists are Lynn Johnson with High Desert Playback, Jade Cruz with La Plazita Institute, Ashley “Saywut?!” Moyer with La Plazita Institute, and Naomi Natale with El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos and Keshet Center for the Arts. 

Hit the link in our bio to learn more about the Albuquerque cohort, their community partners, and the work unfolding across the region. Stay tuned in the coming days to learn more about the AAW cohorts across the country.

Artists At Work is an initiative of the FreshGrass Foundation and THE OFFICE performing arts + film, and is made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation.

12/10/2025

To close out the year, we’re celebrating the 24 AAW Artists, their community partners, and the projects taking shape across the country. Today, we’re spotlighting the AAW cohort in Tucson.

The Southwest Folklife Alliance is working with AAW Artists through its Loom Market program, which connects heritage-based artists committed to strengthening their communities through traditional art. The four local AAW Artists are Harrison Preston, working with a local Tohono O’odham pottery collective; Katrina Kerstetter with Iskash*taa Refugee Network on their ongoing Refugee Garden Art Program (RGAP); Porfirio “Pilo” Mora with Regeneración, which is currently helping create a Center for Cultural Organizing in Southern Tucson; and Shane Beeshligaii with the living agricultural museum Mission Garden.

Hit the link in our bio to learn more about the Tucson cohort, and stay tuned in the coming days for more about the AAW cohorts across the country!

Artists At Work is an initiative of the FreshGrass Foundation and THE OFFICE performing arts + film, and is made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation.

12/09/2025

To close out the year, we’re celebrating the 24 AAW Artists, their community partners, and the projects taking shape across the country, beginning with a spotlight on the AAW Cohort in Los Angeles County.

The Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture identified recovery and resilience from the devastating 2025 wildfires as the area of focus for the four local AAW Artists: Natalie M. Godinez with the Los Angeles Public Library/Library Foundation of Los Angeles, Benjamin Morales with the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory, Alma Cielo with the Los Angeles Conservancy, and Alex McNab with LA Commons. These artists are working across cultural preservation, environmental sustainability, community wellbeing, and creative approaches to collective healing.

Hit the link in our bio to learn more about the AAW Los Angeles County Cohort and stay tuned in the coming days to learn more about the AAW cohorts across the country!

Artists At Work is an initiative of the FreshGrass Foundation and THE OFFICE performing arts + film, and is made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation.

11/25/2025

Earlier this month in North Adams, MA, our full national cohort of AAW Artists came together for the 2025 AAW Artist Convening, making the trip from Indianapolis, New Orleans, Dearborn, Tucson, Albuquerque, and Los Angeles County. The first in-person AAW gathering of its kind included professional development sessions, collaborative workshops, visits to MASS MoCA and peer-to-peer sharing of artistic practices. This shared space offered meaningful opportunities for collaboration and reciprocal learning and time for reflection and creative rejuvenation.

We were so glad to fold our AAW North Adams Alumni into the mix, with mentorship sessions like Luiza Folegatti’s presentation on her AAW Community Project, Mothering in Migration, and a screening with filmmaker Joe Aidonidis to showcase the short films he created with the AAW North Adams cohort followed by a group Q&A on their artistic practices and experiences in the program. A special thanks, too, to Francesca Olsen for the hand-embroidered welcome bags and Desiree Taylor for her inspiring words to root the group at our welcome dinner.

We’re thrilled to share a glimpse of this impactful gathering (produced, filmed, and edited by AAW Alum Joe Aidonidis) — and can’t wait to see the momentum from this convening unfold in AAW Artists’ community projects across the country! Updates coming soon.

The 2025 AAW Artist Convening in North Adams was made possible by the generous support of the WLS Spencer Foundation and hosted in partnership with the FreshGrass Foundation and the FreshGrass Institute. Special thanks to The Porches Inn and Studio 9 for providing such a beautiful space and for their time and energy in helping bring everyone together.

10/27/2025

AAW Program Coordinator Gabriela Yadegari and AAW Program Liaison Elias Garza have been traveling across the country, spending time with the AAW Artists in their communities. These visits have been a chance to connect directly with the artists, hear about their practices, and witness the impact of their work on the ground.

Hit the link in our bio to see highlights from their visits, and read their full reflections in our latest newsletter!

08/21/2025

This week, we had the honor of celebrating the incredible AAW Artists in Springfield along with their community partners. Highlights included the 50th anniversary of the Springfield Armory, where Tony led the design and facilitation of the children’s area and LESN101 debuted his Writer’s Block project, as well as an evening of connection and reflection over dinner with the full Springfield cohort.

Over the past year, LESN101, Tony Bass, and Delano Mills have brought their creativity and dedication to projects that engage youth and uplift community priorities in Mason Square. Together with their partners at MLK Jr. Family Services, the Springfield Armory, and the Mason Square Branch of Springfield City Library, they have been building meaningful work around identity, history, belonging, safety, and wellness. We are so grateful to bear witness to the care and vision these artists have brought to their work within their communities.

Special thanks to the Springfield Cultural Partnership for their leadership and collaborative support throughout this program. We’re also grateful for the Springfield Cultural Council and the Mason Square TDI for their partnership and all of their wonderful community work.

And if you missed it, you can watch the full Springfield video series and learn more about AAW Artists across the country on AAW’s YouTube channel.

07/29/2025

Artists at Work (AAW) and Assets for Artists (A4A) are teaming up to provide current AAW Artists with free, priority access to A4A’s online workshops during their AAW term. Through this exciting collaboration, we remain continuously responsive to the needs of artists, including the 24 AAW Artists whose terms are currently underway.

A4A, an artist services organization based in New England, offers 30-40 professional development workshops per year covering topics such as personal finances, marketing, cultural organizing, project management, and more.

Hit the link in our bio to learn more about the Assets for Artists offerings and their upcoming workshops!