The Artivism Fellowship Empowers Artist-Activists to Fuse Creativity and Advocacy for Systemic Change.
The seven-month program equips fellows with funding, mentorship, and hands-on collaboration with advocacy partners to develop impactful projects at the intersection of art, law, and community engagement. The residency culminates in the “Night of Artivism,” a public performance and gathering that showcases their transformative work.
MEET 2025 ARTIVISM FELLOW STEPHANIE PACHECO!
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Stephanie has been commissioned to write work that amplifies the core pillars of our 2025 advocacy partners - Alliance for Quality Education(AQE) and The Children’s Agenda.
Stephanie Pacheco will premiere her new play, On the Other Side, which addresses the harmful normalization of punishment in schools and how this creates a pipeline to incarceration, surveillance, and erasure.
The play will highlight the Solutions Not Suspensions Act, legislation aimed at ending harsh disciplinary measures in New York public schools by limiting suspensions and promoting restorative practices. Through a story that travels between Queensbridge and the South Bronx, On the Other Side lays bare the deep entanglement between the classroom and the carceral state — and imagines what it takes to break free.
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Stephanie Pacheco is the 2025 National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. She also served as the 2023 New York City and 2024 Inaugural New York State Youth Poet Laureate, and was a part of the 2022 New York City Youth Slam Team. She is a long-time advocate for equity in arts and education, having organized with organizations such as The Healing Centered Schools Task Force. She has been highlighted by The Today Show, NPR, and CBS for her poetry and advocacy, and has performed at The Barclays Center, Lincoln Center, The Schomburg, The Apollo Theater, The Kennedy Center, and more.
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Artivism Fellowship: Works in Progress
Monday, May 12, 2025
MMC Theater, NYC
@6:30 pm
Night of Artivism: On the Other Side
September 30th, 2025
The Tank, NYC
Doors @ 7pm
Join us Sept 30 @ 7pm at The Tank, NYC for On the Other Side — a powerful new play that lays bare the deep entanglement between the classroom and the carceral state — and imagines what it takes to break free.
A Peak Inside the Fellowship Process
“Praise,” written and voiced by Stephanie Pacheco—2025 BAC Artivism Fellow —is a meditation on survival, sacredness, and the inner wisdom that guides us. Filmed during the Fellowship’s Writing Retreat at Space on Ryder Farm, this visual poem is an offering to Black femmes and the power of creative ritual.
Fellows work directly with one of our advocacy organization partners and receive project funding, financial support, mentorship, networking opportunities, and more. The fellowship concludes with a public showcase, “Night of Artivism,” a performance and gathering that highlights the work developed during the residency.
The Artivism Fellowship is a seven-month incubation process that provides artist-activists with the tools and resources to blend artistry, law, policy, and community engagement while leveraging their creative talents to drive meaningful systemic change.
