Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture is thrilled to announce that our very own Kathy Hsieh, Cultural Partnerships and Grant Manager, was chosen to receive the esteemed 2015 Community Voice Award for the Arts from the International Examiner. Kathy is being recognized for her inspiring leadership, dedication to artistic excellence in the local Asian Pacific American theatre arena and her ceaseless efforts to increase public access to arts and cultural resources.

It is an incredible honor to have Kathy’s amazing work recognized by the International Examiner, a leading voice in the Asian/Pacific Community. The Examiner specifically lauded Kathy’s commitment to increase arts access for underserved populations to City funding and her endeavors to dismantle institutional racism through the city’s RSJI efforts. In particular they acknowledged her work on the forum Artistic Freedom & Artistic Responsibility, which addressed new and historical artistic productions in a way that is meaningful, relevant and equitable in response to the spirited conversation on this topic occurring in Seattle. The forum created an opportunity for our community to learn from one another and spurred the wider community to address next steps for creating change in how race is represented in the arts.

In her ‘spare’ time Kathy is co-founder of SIS Productions, which works to dispel Asian American stereotypes and uplifts Asian American women with new works in a creative, meaningful and entertaining way, while developing new playwrights, directors and actors in the process. She also teaches an Asian American Theatre as Social Change course for the UW School of Drama.

We couldn’t be more proud of Kathy’s selection for the 2015 Community Voice Award for the Arts. It is a well-deserved acknowledgement of her incredible accomplishments.

In 1991, the International Examiner instituted its Community Voice Awards to honor the unsung heroes of the Asian community in conjunction with the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APA) celebrations. The International Examiner recognizes outstanding API individuals and organizations in the Pacific Northwest through the Community Voice Awards. Every year, community members select nominees who have distinguished themselves by actively working towards the betterment of the community, making significant contributions to uplifting and raising awareness of local Asian Americans.

This year’s awardees are recognized because of their history for making a difference in the community. The International Examiner 41st Anniversary Benefit Gala & Auction and 23rd annual Community Voice Awards will be held on May 21, 2015 during APA Heritage Month at the New Hong Kong Restaurant, 900 S Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104.

For more information visit:  http://www.iexaminer.org/cva2015/