The ArtCity Collaborative
Anida Yoeu Ali is an artist, educator and global agitator born in Cambodia, raised in Chicago and transplanted to Tacoma. Ali’s artistic works span performance, installation, new media, public encounters, and political agitation. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to artmaking, her installation and performance works investigate the artistic, spiritual and political collisions of a hybrid transnational identity. Ali’s works have been exhibited widely at the Haus der Kunst, Palais de Tokyo, Musée d'art Contemporain Lyon, Shangri-La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture and Design and the Seattle Asian Art Museum. She is a collaborative partner with Studio Revolt, a trans-nomadic artist-run media lab whose controversial works on social issues have agitated the White House and garnered international awards. She is a recipient of the 2024 Arts Innovator Award, the 2020 Art Matters Fellowship and the 2015 Sovereign Asian Art Prize. She received her M.F.A. from School of the Art Institute Chicago in Performance. Ali serves as a Senior Artist-in-Residence at the University of Washington Bothell and works between the Asia-Pacific region and the U.S.
Jesi Vega is a writer, editor, and facilitator of stories. Trained as a screenwriter and performer, Jesi is dedicated to nurturing and amplifying the voices of writers and nonwriters alike from historically marginalized communities. She is a proud member of One Table Show, Tacoma's only roving theater company which performs in restaurants, cafes, and bars around the city, and also hosts monthly Bar Stories' storytelling open mics and workshops. Jesi holds a BA in Film & Theater from Vassar College and a Masters Degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School where she studied the role of narrative in world religious traditions. Her multicultural perspective and passion for illuminating untold stories are rooted in her origins as a Puerto Rican-Jew raised in a Socialist Housing Cooperative in The Bronx.
Our Mission
ArtCity’s mission is to strengthen, unify, and promote the diverse creative ecosystem of Tacoma through honoring its history, commemorating its accomplishments, and nurturing its relationships with creative communities around the world.
A key aspect of our core mission is to highlight the contributions of BIPOC artists and cultural figures who might otherwise go unrecognized.
We recognize that canonical art history has traditionally skewed towards the lionization of white male artists while marginalizing or making invisible the invaluable contributions made by artists of other genders, races, and identities. In crafting a definitive map of Tacoma’s creative ecosystem that is both chronological and geographical, our goal is to rectify this imbalance by actively seeking out and celebrating the diverse voices that have shaped Tacoma's cultural landscape.
Connect With Us
Whether you have questions about our featured artists, are interested in collaboration opportunities, or simply want to share your feedback, we would love to hear from you.