CCA faculty Marcel Pardo Ariza and Taraneh Hemami receive 2026 Creative Power Awards

October 27, 2026

Photography Assistant Professor Marcel Pardo Ariza and Critical Ethnic Studies Associate Professor Taraneh Hemami (MFA Painting 1991) are among nine Bay Area artists honored by the Walter & Elise Haas Fund.

Side-by-side portraits of Marcel Pardo Ariza, with short bleached hair and a dark jacket, against a warm backdrop, and Taraneh Hemami, with short silver hair, smiling slightly.

Taraneh Hemami and Marcel Pardo Ariza.

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The Walter & Elise Haas Fund named Pardo Ariza and Hemami among the nine recipients of its 2026 Creative Power Awards, which recognize Bay Area artists who put community well-being at the center of their creative practice. Each artist receives a one-year unrestricted award and directs a one-year general operating grant to an arts or cultural organization of their choosing. Pardo Ariza selected Art Handlxrs*, the organization they cofounded to support BIPOC, women, queer, trans, and gender nonconforming people working in the professional arts industry. Hemami selected Makaan Arts, which she founded as a communal hub for Central and West Asian and North African artists. The awards are presented in partnership with the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Fund’s total 2026 investment exceeds $1.5 million.

Read the full announcement at Walter & Elise Haas Fund

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