Pioneers Go East Collective is thrilled to announce the six artists selected for the second cycle of its NEXT! Mentorship Program. Created to support New York City-based artists at pivotal stages in their practices, the NEXT! Program offers tailored opportunities for knowledge sharing and public presentation, platforms that are often unavailable or otherwise unaffordable to artists.

The 2026-28 artists are Rohan Bhargava/Rovaco Dance Company, Maxi Hawkeye Canion/ GUT PUNCH, Jade Manns, Marie Lloyd Paspe, Liberty Styles, and Annie MingHao Wang.

The NEXT! Mentorship Program offers support through exchange, monthly meetings, discussions, workshops, and presentations for a period of 20 months. Participants receive guidance in several areas, including production, design, grant writing, and budgeting. Artists also receive $3,000 compensation for presenting their artistic work in either Pioneers Go East’s biannual CROSSROADS series or the yearly Out-FRONT! Festival. The program also provides each artist with professional video and photo documentation of their work for their portfolios.

The Mentorship Program is a unique meeting ground for interdisciplinary artists developing distinct artistic voices and experimenting with new approaches that expand aesthetic and performance modes. The program intends to address a compelling need in the field; providing artistic, administrative, and financial support for emerging underrepresented artists who are recognized in their field for their groundbreaking work and creative process. Participants will have the opportunity to network with other artists, their communities, industry professionals, and funders as their performances are presented through Pioneers Go East Collective’s two curated series.

“As a creative incubator designed by artists for artists, we are fully invested in finding ways for artists to feel supported and thrive,” said co-curators Philip Treviño and Gian Marco Riccardo Lo Forte. “We launched the NEXT! Mentorship Program in response to the pandemic, which saw funding and many programs for artists reduced, and aimed to fill this gap by offering direct support and mentorship. We feel this program offers unique opportunities, helping artists build community and share experiences, and we want to pass on the information we learned from mentors who helped Pioneers Go East Collective succeed.”

Mentors include leading artists of Pioneers Go East Collective as well as guest artists who provide classes in specific areas. This year, Pioneers Go East received 95 applications and a guest panel of artists and curators in the field evaluated the applications and assisted in selecting the artists for the 2026-28 cycle.