Anne Ishii to Join Pew Center for Arts & Heritage as Director of Grantmaking Programs

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage (the Center) has announced the appointment of Anne Ishii as Director of Grantmaking Programs, effective July 6.

A cultural leader with more than a decade of experience in nonprofit administration, philanthropy, and creative practice, Ishii will oversee the Center's grantmaking initiatives, encompassing Project and Evolving Futures Grants awarded to Philadelphia-area arts and culture organizations, and Pew Fellowships in the Arts awarded to artists.

Ishii joins the Center following a position as Program Director at United States Artists, where she led national grantmaking efforts that support artists across disciplines through unrestricted funding and professional services. From 2018 to 2024, she was Executive Director of Asian Arts Initiative, a community-based arts center and multidisciplinary presenter located in Philadelphia's Chinatown North/Callowhill neighborhood.

“I'm thrilled to have Anne step into this role and turn her wide-ranging cultural expertise toward the Philadelphia region once again,” said Christina Vassallo, the Center's Executive Director. “Her distinctive combination of leadership, artistic practice, and deep commitment to supporting the cultural sector and creative communities will contribute to our grantmaking work in meaningful ways.”

Ishii noted her admiration for in the arts and culture ecosystem of Philadelphia, saying, “It has had a profound impact on me, so I can think of no greater expression of gratitude than to work with the Center in protecting this region's creative ecology.”

Ishii's experience in creative fields extends to music, writing, and publishing. She has worked on and produced numerous publishing projects, with over 20 books to her credit. She was also the co-executive producer of Queer Japan, a culminating documentary representing the queer community in Japan that she represented at MASSIVE GOODS, an agency and lifestyle brand she co-founded with the filmmaker Graham Kolbeins. Ishii's service to the field includes co-chairship at the Asian American Writers Workshop and National Performance Network, as well as participation in various committees and advisories serving communities, regionally and nationally. Her writing has been featured in many publications such as the Village Voice, Japan Times, the Comics Journal, Slate magazine, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Additionally, Zach Blackwood has been named Program Officer for Fellowships, a role he began in April of this year. In this position, Blackwood is stewarding the Center's long-running Fellowships in the Arts program, which supports the Philadelphia region's artists with twelve unrestricted, annual grants of $85,000 and professional development opportunities.

“Zach's people-centered approach to decision-making and his ability to energize a group and generate new ideas will serve our Fellows, and the Center, well,” said Vassallo. “I'm excited about the perspective and energy he brings to this new role within the Center's grantmaking work.”

Blackwood previously served as the Center's Program Officer for Community Connections and Audience Participation since 2022, working across multiple funding areas with a specific focus on supporting grantees' audience experience and community-building efforts. From 2017 to 2021, he worked at FringeArts, where he produced the curated slate of performances for the annual Philadelphia Fringe Festival. During his tenure, he launched three new performing arts programs for the organization: the Blue Heaven Comedy Festival, Hand to Hand Circus, and High Pressure Fire Service, an incubator for new theatrical works by Philadelphia-based artists. In 2024, Blackwood was selected to represent Pennsylvania in the National Leaders of Color Fellowship program facilitated by Creative West. He also remains involved in the city's literary community and was the co-founder of Philadelphia's only poetry cookout, Franks O'Hara.

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