Hello everyone, I’m Webson — founder and current Creative Director of Li Tang Community. From our very first initiative on April 23, 2020, when we set out to amplify the voices of Asian diaspora creatives, to the recent 5th Anniversary Celebration held May 10–30, 2025, the journey has been deeply moving and humbling. Over these years, I’ve received many thoughtful questions about Li Tang Community’s origin, mission, values, and future goals. I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of my insights.
1. Why did I create the Li Tang Community?
With a background in public art and sculpture, and as part of the Asian diaspora working in the fine arts, I’ve personally experienced the unique challenges of navigating the art world as an Asian person. These experiences — often difficult, sometimes alienating — became stories of my own, and they eventually formed the foundation for something collective.
Li Tang Community was born from a desire to build a space where Asian diaspora creatives — even those not fluent in English — could confidently share their work and creative narratives, without the fear of being judged by our accents. From the very beginning, our focus has been on visibility and support: amplifying artists’ voices through our website, social platforms, and newsletter outreach.
The onset of the pandemic only heightened the pressures faced by our community. Living in New York through those years, I, like many, felt the growing fear that came with escalating hostility — from verbal harassment to the threat of physical violence. In that tough time, it took courage to speak up for the Asian community. Li Tang Community became not just a platform, but a kind of shelter — a safe space of visibility, solidarity, and resistance. For many, it offered the first opportunity to exhibit their work, and in some cases, support in different ways to help the artists pursue their careers in the US. I believe that’s why we’ve built such long-lasting trust within the community. As the current creative director, I’ve often thought of Li Tang Community as a small but steady road light — not that bright, but enough to illuminate the path ahead.
2. What is Li Tang Community doing now?
Li Tang Community’s broader focus remains contemporary art — but our approach is rooted in community-building through artist promotion, art news sharing, and collaborative events.
What began as a platform for artist interviews and press release announcements grew, in 2021, into an online gallery initiative. Since then, we’ve organized exhibitions, launched open calls, brought in respected jurors, supported independent curators, and facilitated global participation through digital promotions and outreach. In mid-2024, we took an important step forward: building up the Li Tang Community team and receiving our U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. As we enter our next chapter, we remain committed to this dual mission — continuity and evolution — as we open space for new ideas, deeper dialogue, and more sustainable growth.
3. How has Li Tang Community sustained itself — and where do we go from here?
For the first four years, Li Tang Community operated without any form of monetization. In our fifth year, we experimented with small application fees for certain open calls — but after several tests, I still felt we needed more thoughts and solutions for this.
Since day one, we’ve grounded our work in a nonprofit setup — one that’s transparent, community-centered, and uncompromising in its integrity. But as the community grows, new questions arise: How do we sustain our work? How do we ensure that those who contribute time, effort, and care — whether through programming or administration — also find value in return? Whether financial or professional growth. And for me personally, this has been one of the more difficult, but necessary, lessons to learn as an artist leading an evolving collective.
The 5th Anniversary Celebration, while deeply rewarding, also revealed my own limitations — especially in terms of decision-making and managing details at scale. That experience made it clear to me that it may be time to rethink how leadership operates within the community. I believe that Li Tang Community now needs a structure that can distribute responsibility more effectively and reflect the collective nature of our mission. That’s why I’ve decided to pilot a new model: a Board of Directors to lead Li Tang Community into its next phase.
4. What will change?
As the current director, I will voluntarily give up my authority and relinquish all executive decision-making power. This authority will be transferred to the new Board of Directors, who will be collectively responsible for guiding the community’s activities and strategic direction. The board will be open to artists, curators, gallery or institutional staff, and other professionals who share a deep understanding of and commitment to the art world and Asian diasporic experience.
I and the current Li Tang Community team will continue to be part of the organization — not as decision-makers, but as facilitators, support staff, and collaborators. Existing Li Tang Community team members are also welcome to apply to join the board.
Ideal Board Members
- Deep understanding of or strong resonance with the Asian diasporic experience
- Passion for contemporary art and/or interest in contributing to the field
- Enthusiasm for community-building and art-world engagement
- Experience or interest in proposal review, curatorial judgment, or collective decision-making
- Ability to contribute time and respect the work of others
Collaborative Decision-Making
Board members will play an active role in shaping the direction of Li Tang Community. Through open discussion and shared input, we will collectively:
- Vote on membership application outcomes
- Decide what content is eligible for press releases and public promotion
- Help identify and welcome new community partners
- Evaluate and move forward with proposed collaborations and initiatives
- Contribute to the long-term vision and growth strategy of Li Tang Community
Contributions
- Recommend artists for opportunities or features
- Help gather relevant art news and information
- Suggest or coordinate new collaboration ideas
- Support internal operations and project management
- Maintain and update our platforms (website, social media, newsletter)
What Board Members Will Receive
- A formal invitation letter of leading role and certificate of participation
- Credit on the Li Tang Community website and all related promotion materials
- A dedicated profile section on the community website
- Opportunities to lead or support current and future Li Tang Community projects
- Access to internal discussions and potential long-term opportunities
Each board member is expected to contribute approximately 5–10 hours per week, which may be fulfilled by the board member themselves or a delegated assistant. Virtual board meetings will be held every two weeks, with daily communication happening via a shared Instagram group chat.
This structure will be piloted for six months, after which all participants will receive formal proof of participation. We’ll then assess the process internally to determine whether this model should be adopted long term.
If you’re interested in joining the board, or if you have thoughts or suggestions on the future of Li Tang Community, please feel free to share with us.
Thank you all for your ongoing support and trust in Li Tang Community!
June 20, 2025
Application Deadline: July 31, 2025
I wrote the following in my mother tongue.
大家好，我是 Webson，是礼堂社群的发起人和目前的创意指导。从 2020 年 4 月 23 日礼堂社群为艺术家首次发声，到 2025 年 5 月 10 日至 30 日的礼堂社群五周年庆典，我感慨万千。这些年我收到了很多朋友的问题，我希望借此机会做一个简短的解答。
1. 我为什么要做礼堂社群？
我自己从艺术院校毕业，学的是公共艺术和雕塑。作为纯艺术行业起步的亚裔离散群体一员，我经历了很多作为亚洲面孔所遭遇的事情，这些经历也逐渐成为了我的故事。我的初衷是希望搭建一个舞台，让哪怕英文不流利的亚裔离散艺术家也能自信地展示作品和讲述创作故事，无需担心无谓的骚扰。我们通过网站、社交媒体和 newsletter 为大家进行宣传和平台支持。
随之而来的疫情加剧了亚裔群体在西方世界的生存压力，作为全程在纽约生活的一份子，我也切实感受到从言语暴力到肢体暴力的恐惧。在这段黑暗时期为亚裔发声，是需要勇气的。礼堂社群的出现也成为许多需要支持与心灵庇护的朋友的一个港湾，我们无偿为大量亚裔离散艺术家创造了展示机会，甚至提供了他们留在美国继续深造所需的条件。这也是为什么礼堂社群拥有良好的声誉和社群黏性。作为主理人，我庆幸礼堂在这一阶段能成为一盏微弱却稳定的路灯 – 虽然模糊，却能照亮不远处的路。
2. 礼堂社群在做什么？
礼堂社群关注的大语境是当代艺术，以艺术家宣传和展览带动社群联结与拓展。
我们从艺术家采访和展讯分享开始，到 2021 年启动了线上画廊项目，举办展览、发布 open call、邀请优秀的行业评审、推动独立策展项目，并进行线上展览推广。2024 年中，我正式组建了一个工作团队，并获得了美国非盈利 501(c)(3) 的认证。接下来的五年里，我们会继续延续当前的模式，同时也将引入新的社群议题与实践。
3. 礼堂社群如何得以存在？将来会怎样发展？
礼堂社群前四年从未进行过任何付费行为。第五年在组建团队之后，我们尝试过设置艺术家报名费用，但整体而言仍需更多反思与调整。
对我个人而言，非盈利的理念从 Day 1 开始就贯穿了整个执行过程，我也很骄傲我们始终表里如一，并不做表面一套、背后一套的事情。但随着社群的壮大和团队的扩充，我开始思考如何让一同参与的成员有所获得，无论是实际的收入还是长期的发展机会。这也是我作为艺术家不擅长但不得不面对的课题。
这次五周年的活动虽然收获了很好的反响，但从前期策划到每一个执行环节的亲力亲为也让我看到了自身在决策和细节考量上的许多不足。这让我意识到，自己可能并不是能带动礼堂继续前行的最佳人选。因此，我决定试行一个新的运营结构：我希望组建一个执行董事会，由董事会共同决策礼堂的方向和事务。
4. 什么会改变？
作为目前的主理人，我将主动放弃所有特权，并将决策权力让渡给新的执行董事会（Board of Directors）。参与董事会的志愿者可以是艺术家、策展人、画廊或机构工作人员，以及任何具备艺术行业经验和理解的同行。我本人以及礼堂的现有团队成员将继续参与社群运作，承担支持、管理与协调角色，同时礼堂团队现有成员也可申请加入董事会。
理想的董事会参与者
- 对亚裔离散群体有深刻理解、认识或共鸣
- 对当代艺术热爱，或希望进一步深入行业发展
- 对建立社群联系和艺术圈社交有热情
- 对项目审核、提案评估等决策工作有经验或兴趣
- 有一定时间可以投入社群工作，并尊重他人及其劳动
董事会将拥有的决策权力
- 投票决定成员申请是否通过
- 投票决定可以对外宣传的信息内容
- 投票决定新的社群合作伙伴
- 投票决定新合作项目是否推进
- 投票决定社群未来的发展方向
工作内容
- 推荐艺术家人选
- 收集艺术资讯
- 提供潜在合作机会
- 参与社群管理工作
- 管理宣传平台（如网站、社交媒体、newsletter）
董事会成员可获得
- 领导角色（Leading Role）的官方邀请函与参与证明信
- 网站与所有项目物料中具名 credit
- 礼堂官网上的介绍板块
- 主导或协助现有项目的机会
- 对社群事务与发展拥有内部视野与潜在价值获取机会
每位董事每周预计投入 5–10 小时的工作时间，可由本人或助理执行。线上会议将每两周进行一次，日常沟通将在 Instagram 工作群内进行。本机制将试行六个月，期满后将发放正式参与证明，并由管理团队共同评估此模式是否适合长期执行。
如果你对礼堂的发展有建议，或有兴趣加入董事会，请随时联系我们。谢谢大家一路以来的支持与关注。
2025年6月20日
申请截止：2025年7月31日
