LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY AND LIBRARY FOUNDATION OF LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCE 2025 CREATORS IN RESIDENCE

Ashley Walker and Tien Nguyen will create new works rooted in Los Angeles history,
activating LAPL archives through the lenses of fashion and food.

Left: Ashley Walker. Right: Tien Nguyen

Los Angeles, CA – May 13, 2025 — The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) in partnership with the Library Foundation of Los Angeles (LFLA) announced today the 2025 Creators in Residence: Fashion designer and entrepreneur Ashley Walker and food writer and educator Tien Nguyen.

In its third cycle since its debut in 2022, the Creators in Residence program supports Los Angeles-based creatives in making new works inspired by and culled from LAPL’s vast archival collections and services. Selected from a pool of nearly 540 applicants, Walker and Nguyen will spend the year taking deep dives into local history, culminating in new works and a series of public engagement opportunities across the city in late 2025. Walker will create a new fashion line that embodies the city’s past. Nguyen’s work will highlight how food tells the story of Los Angeles—its neighborhoods, traditions, and migrations.

“Ashley and Tien are beautifully matched with the Creators in Residence program,” said City Librarian John F. Szabo. “Their work is grounded in community and cultural memory and will open new pathways for how our LAPL collections can engage and inspire. I can’t wait to see how their projects bring our archives to life in unexpected ways.”

Funded by LFLA through the Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund, each residency includes a $20,000 honorarium and project support. Previous creators have included interdisciplinary visual artists, experience designers, and a graphic novelist, among others.

“The Library Foundation is proud to support an initiative that highlights the powerful role libraries play in fueling imagination, inspiring innovation, and ultimately transforming lives,” said Stacy Lieberman, President and CEO of LFLA. “Ashley and Tien will bring their unique talents and expertise to developing projects that leverage the library’s resources and spark the imagination. We’re thrilled to help give these creators a broader platform to share their work with our city.”

Walker, founder of the fashion brand Leimert Park Threads, transforms cultural history into wearable art that celebrates the resilience and creativity of Black communities in Los Angeles. His work has included collaborations with Metro Art Los Angeles, Forever 21, and Savage X Fenty, and often reflects themes of migration and activism. A graduate of Howard University, Walker began his career as a visual merchandising manager for Levi’s and Nike in New York before returning to Los Angeles, where he expanded his practice into photography and creative direction. His Creators in Residence project will be derived from materials in LAPL’s historical archives of documents, manuscripts, and photographs.

Nguyen, a writer focused on the intersection of food and culture, brings a journalist’s depth and an author’s storytelling skills to her residency. She is the former senior food writer at LA Weekly and has written for the Los Angeles Times and Eater. She also co-authored L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food and The Choi of Cooking with Roy Choi and Sohn-Mat: Recipes and Flavors of Korean Home Cooking with Monica Lee. A longtime Angeleno, Nguyen is also an instructor at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Her Creators in Residence project will expand on LAPL’s renowned menu collection, exploring both iconic restaurants and those that have been lost over time while uncovering the histories of the people and communities behind them.

More information about the Creators in Residence program is available at https://www.lapl.org/creators

About the Los Angeles Public Library
A recipient of the nation’s highest honor for library service—the National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services—the Los Angeles Public Library serves the largest and most diverse urban population of any library in the nation. Its Central Library, 72 branch libraries, collection of more than eight million books, state-of-the-art technology accessible at lapl.org and thousands of public programs provide everyone with free and easy access to information and the opportunity for lifelong learning.

About the Library Foundation of Los Angeles
The Library Foundation of Los Angeles provides critical support to the Los Angeles Public Library resulting in free programs, resources, and services available to the millions of adults, children, and youth in Los Angeles. Through fundraising, advocacy, and innovative programs, the Library Foundation strengthens the Los Angeles Public Library and promotes greater awareness of its valuable resources. For more information, please visit lfla.org.