Meet ACI’s artist leaders, aka social justice warriors, who are using their art for social change and human rights across the globe and nationally.

Chanel Matsunami Govreau
Artist Leader | 2016 - 2017 Artist-in-Residence

Chanel Matsunami Govreau identifies as a queer Asian American woman, as well as an educator, performance artist, dancer and photographer. Their particular lens on inclusion focuses on a dance style called Waacking that originated in the gay Black and Latino community in 1970's California and its current re-emergence in the urban dance scene of Seoul, South Korea. Their work strives to create new ways to confront cultural appropriation and improve intercultural education as the urban dance scene grows increasingly global. Further, Chanel looks towards supporting a greater awareness and respect for Queer People of Color in dance history and South Korean innovation and fierceness in contemporary urban dance. As an ACI Artist-in-Residence from Aug 2016 - July 2017, Chanel will travel from her home base in Brooklyn, NY to Seoul, South Korea to study, learn, and collaborate with South Korean Waackers. Chanel received their BFA degree and certificate in Asian American Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Follow Chanel on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.

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Hyppolite Ntigurirwa
Artist Leader | 2016 - 2017 Artist-in-Residence

Hyppolite Ntigurirwa identifies as an everyday-peace artist. His work focuses on using theatre for reconciliation, peace and resilience. He uses theatre as an advocacy, healing, education and uniting tool for post-conflict generations and oppressed communities. As an ACI Artist-in-Residence, Hyppolite will travel from Kigali, Rwanda to Boston, USA to explore theatre techniques to support displaced young people in refugee communities, restoring hope for the future. He will study, learn and collaborate with Jessica Litwak of the H.E.A.T Collective. Hyppolite received his BA in Sociology from the National University of Rwanda, and his MSc in Sociology from the University of Bristol.

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Andrea Gordillo
Artist Leader | 2016 - 2017 Artist-in-Residence

Andrea Alejandra Gordillo Marquina identifies as a queer mestiza artist-educator-bridge-immigrant from Perú. Their particular lens on inclusion focuses on the link between representation of self and power in the public arena for migrants and displaced people, with a particular focus on adolescents, women, and LGBTQ communities. Their work strives to build bridges between communities they belong to and platforms for those communities to share stories to combat the "dominant narrative." As a 2016-2017 ACI Artist-in-Residence, Andrea traveled to Oaxaca, México to study, learn, and collaborate with the staff and migrants at Hermanos en el Camino, a shelter for Central American migrants. This year, they will focus on showing the work created to international audiences. Andrea received their BA in Theatre Studies from Emerson College, and Ed.M. in the Arts in Education from The Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

Follow Andrea on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

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Stephen Hamilton
Artist Leader Alumni | 2015 - 2016 Artist-in-Residence

Stephen Hamilton identifies as a a painter and illustrator. His particular lens on inclusion focuses on exploration of African diaspora identity, with a deep interest in Yoruba philosophy. His work strives to create a dialogue between contemporary black cultures and the ancient African world, while empowering youth to explore his/her cultural and social heritage. As an ACI Artist-in-Residence from Sept 2015 - Aug 2016, Stephen will travel to Osogbo, Nigeria, to study, learn, and collaborate with the Nike Centre for Art and Culture. Stephen received his BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, with a concentration in illustration.  

Follow Stephen on Instagram.

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Basil Kincaid
Artist Leader Alumni | 2014 - 2015 Artist-in-Residence

Basil Kincaid identifies as a reclamation artist. His work focuses on valuing community, diversity and heritage through creatively recycling trash into art; bringing conscious voice to how environmentalism shapes identity and community. Making all of the art from found material, the transformation and glorification of these abandoned materials comes to exemplify the potential for our transformation as humans evolving toward greater liberation. While on residency with ACI from Sept 2014 - Aug 2015, Basil traveled to Accra, Ghana, to study the traditions, geography, and diverse cultural heritage of the area, collaborating with local artists and artisans. Basil received his BA in Studio Art from Colorado College.

Follow Basil on Instagram.

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André Mestre
Artist Leader Alumni | 2015-2016 Rising Artist

André Mestre identifies as a composer, educator, and performing arts management professional. He believes art to be an exercise in both individual freedom and radical alterity—a tool of becoming, of self-discovery and self-abandonment. André is a passionate advocate for groundbreaking artists and equitable arts education. He is the director of Curto-Circuito, an educational program and concert series that champions the music of young Brazilian composers through collaboration, professional development and horizontal dialogue. Andre received his BMus in Composition from the State University of Campinas, his MMus from the University of Alberta, and is currently pursuing his DMA from Boston University.

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Alia Ali
Artist Leader Alumni | 2015-2016 Rising Artist

Alia Ali (born Austria, 1985) is a Yemeni-Bosnian-American multi-media artist and visual storyteller. Having traveled to fifty-three countries, lived in seven and grown up among five languages, her most comfortable mode of communication is through image and multi-sensory mediums. She beckons viewers to question the language with which they originated, and the adoption of language for understanding, exploring communication and miscommunication simultaneously. Alia is a graduate of the United World College of the Atlantic (UWCAC) and holds a BA in Studio Art and Middle Eastern Studies from Wellesley College. Her recent work has been featured at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art as part of PhotoNOLA, the Marrakech Biennale as part of the Swiss-Moroccan KE’CH Collective, at PhotoLondon as part of the LensCulture Exposure Awards, and most recently the Kuala Lumpur International Photo Awards in Malaysia. Most recently, she was awarded the Alice C. Cole '42 Alumnae Award of Wellesley College, LensCulture's Emerging Talent Awards 2016 and the Gold for Fine Art Category of the Tokyo International Foto Awards.

Follow Alia on Vimeo.

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Bes Young
Artist Leader Alumni | 2015 - 2016 Rising Artist

Bes Young identifies as a photographer. Her work focuses on ageism; studying and questioning what the aging process, and community inclusion (and exclusion) surrounding aging. Her ephemeral and intimate work brings a cross-cultural lens to the process of aging. Bes received her MA from Amherst College, her MFA from Belfast School of Art, and is currently pursuing her PhD/MD in a joint program between UC Berkley and UCSF. 

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Alva Mooses
Artist Leader Alumni | 2014 - 2015 Rising Artist

Alva Mooses identifies as a multidisciplinary artist. She uses her art to examine relationships between objects, people, and geographies as a means to explore cultural understanding and political structures. Alva has co-founded and collaborated with community art initiatives in Latin America for many years and these projects created a platform for over forty New York City-based artists to make their work and teach art in low-income communities. Alva received her BFA from The Cooper Union School of art, and her MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University. 

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Miho Tsujii
Artist Leader Alumni / 2014 - 2015 Rising Artist

Miho Tsujii identifies as a performer and creative producer. She is the founder and producer of Stand Up Sisters, a feminist art collective in Tokyo, and joint producer of Feminist Active Documentary Film Festa in Japan. For over a decade, she has worked with women survivors of conflicts around the world, particularly "˜comfort women' survivors throughout Asia, closely supporting their strides on dignity and justice. Her performances intersect story telling, movement and contemporary visual art. Miho received her BA in Sociology from Swathmore College and her MA in Arts Politics from Tish School of the Arts at New York University.