From a pool of qualified applicants, AFI has selected six early-to-mid-career artists from Burma, Iran, Turkey, Uganda, and Lebanon to participate in the initial ACN cohort. The application process assessed artists’ positionality, duration of stay in the United States, involvement in respective arts communities, commitment to community building, and proof of artistic excellence.

Now in various stages of resettlement in New York City, these AFI artists form a cohort. Rooted in their respective creative practices and shared experiences with displacement, artists will be supported for one year with a monthly living stipend and continued pro bono immigration and resettlement support from AFI. The cohort is split into two discipline-specific “pods” of three artists each, one for Visual Artists and one for Writers.