From 1997-2004, Asian Working Artists (AWA) was a student-run organization at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. AWA was created to unite Tisch students of Asian and Asian American descent and to provide a supportive environment where students could share their challenges and experiences as Asian Americans pursuing a career in the arts. They organized Asian & Asian American film nights during which they screened student films and Asian American feature films; invited students and alumni to perform music, spoken word, and theater at Java House; and hosted monthly meetings and other special events with Asian American artists such as David Henry Hwang, Karen Kusama, and M. Night Shyamalan.
The AWA Records includes sign-in sheets and programs related to monthly meetings, film nights, and Java House; event promotional materials such as posters and flyers; VHS tapes of student films; certificates and plaques awarded by NYU and Tisch student government; and papers related to other non-NYU Asian film and community events (e.g. the New York Asian Film Festival and Asian American International Film Festival).
The Asian Working Artists Records are in transfer to the NYU University Archives. A finding aid for the collection is in process.