Third Pine Collective co-founders Xiao Faria da Cunha (right) and Chaneryna Thach with products by Third Pine Collective members at a recent Jingle & Mingle Small Business Saturday in Englewood Plaza, Independence. (photo by Xiao Faria deCuunha)
Third Pine Collective, under the leadership of Kansas City-based artist, writer and curator Xiao Faria daCunha and digital and illustration artist Chaneryna Thach, states its mission as “amplifying the voices of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Asian diaspora (AANHPI) voices in and beyond KC.”
Launched in early 2025 as a floating gallery concept, Third Pine Collective was restructured in September 2025 as the first labor-sharing artist collective for AANHPI artists in Kansas City.
What is meant by “labor-sharing,” in the context of an artist collective? Simply put, members connect with other artists at all different stages of their careers. Those connections allow them to put forth needs, ideas and opportunities as they arise, and then pool labor, expertise and resources in response. As Executive Director Xiao Faria DaCunha puts it, “The point is: The collective works together.”
Thus, artists with experience organizing exhibits or applying for grants can help others new to those projects. Artists with writing practices can assist others unaccustomed to or uncomfortable with writing artist statements or artist bios. And artists familiar with vending, tabling and other public interactions (or simply willing to show up and do the work) may perform those functions in exchange for other tasks such as website building or graphic design.
Third Pine also endows the value of a collective identity, one that can often be more powerful than individuals working separately. Says DaCunha: “We can reach out to galleries and spaces as a collective.” There are already three group shows scheduled for 2026:
- February Third Friday – Creative Spark Gallery at Englewood Arts in Independence
- April 2026 – The Shape of Us at The Waiting Room in the West Bottoms
- June 2026 – Summer Solstice: Yearning for the Light at Gallery Athanor
Third Pine’s public programming is just as ambitious, with an AANHPI film series and AANHPI book club in the works, as well as pop-up “Arts & Crafts Mingles.” Visit their robust website to learn more and to sign up for the email list: www.thirdpinecollective.com.
In addition, the collective is actively seeking community partners and AANHPI artist members. Early members include renowned artists like Hùng Lê, KCAI graduate and 2025 Charlotte Street Visual Art Fellow. However, DaCunha emphasizes that artists with non-traditional backgrounds or without formal artistic education are especially welcome.
Third Pine joins other affinity creative communities like the 10-year-old African American Artists Collective and Cherry Pit Collective, a communal studio space for female and non-binary artists launched in 2016. In sharing resources, experiences, support and encouragement, the artists in such groups nourish and elevate not only each other, but the larger creative spirit of Kansas City.
