From the desk of Yurika Isoe, Grants and Services Manager of AFTSA
Yurika Isoe
As-salaamu Alaikum, Peace be upon you.
My name is Yurika, my pronouns are she/her. I am an Asian person, my ethnicity is Japanese, and my mother comes from a long line of indigenous Ryukyu people of Okinawa. I was born and raised in Tucson, bilingual in Japanese, and a graduate of The University of Arizona Eller School of Management. My primary creative practice is exploring the intersection of design and waste to promote a more circular model of consumption of textiles as it relates to the current climate crisis.
I began my work with AFTSA as a board member in 2020 and transitioned to supporting operations through consulting on the re-granting of $1.75M CARES Funds to the creative workforce for individuals and arts and culture organizations. In this time, AFTSA demonstrated that we are in a position to systematically meet needs and take decisive action for the creative workforce.
What is special about the Arts Foundation and why I joined the organization is that AFTSA has the strength to finance the transformative investment to uplift and energize movements that are happening right now. We are beholden to strengthen the creative workforce in all communities South of the Gila River. In the settler colonial framework- that consists of 7 Arizona counties and 7 Native Sovereign Nations with diverse geo-political boundaries.
In 2021, the main priority will be to catalyze the economic recovery and community healing with our current grant program. We will leverage the synergies between our funding partners much more consistently. By further optimizing our overall grant strategy, we will ensure that ATFSA establishes tangible return on investments in the creative sector even more efficiently.
There is much to be done. Our industry is changing radically. I look forward to your continued support on this journey.
Sincerely,
Yurika
