Persimmon Grantees 2022

June 2022 | Granted $1.8K

We created the Persimmon Grant last year, offering $500 individually to two upcoming QTAPI Bay Area-based artists. This year we were able to offer three $600 grants. Just as enjoying persimmons requires care and patience to really enjoy the sweet, ripe fruit, we're investing in these artists with the goal of our QTAPI communities reaping the rewards.

Meet Our Persimmon Grantees

Jess Jiang

Jess (any pronouns) is a lesbian Chinese American illustrator based in North Oakland. Her work is inspired by the sweet and joyful moments of everyday life, and the richness of queer love and identity. Jess is primarily a digital artist but also loves ink, collage, and gouache, and has recently begun exploring linocut as a medium. She's also passionate about love stories, history, and her cat Sesame.  Follow @8amtrain

Keana Labra

Keana Aguila Labra (they/them/she/her) is a Cebuana Tagalog Filipinx genre & genderfluid poet & writer in diaspora residing on stolen Ohlone Tamyen land. She works to provide a safe literary space for underserved & underrepresented communities as the co-Editor-in-Chief of literary magazine, @mariasatsampaguitas & the co-Founder of the BIPOC/LGBTQIA+ focused publishing press, @sampaguitapress. Follow them at: @keanalabra

Valerie Win Liu

Valerie Win Liu (They/She/He) is Burmese-Chinese-American Artist, Illustrator, and Designer based in the Bay Area. They like to work in a variety of mediums: Digital tools as well as Paint, Sculpture, and more. In their work, Liu likes to explore themes such as Joy, Humor, Curiosity, and Discovering ways to encourage self expression. Follow them at: @valerie.liu