Tejiendo Historias: Mes de la Herencia de Americanos Asiáticos, Nativos de Hawai e Isleños del Pacífico (AANHPI)

When did you receive your calling to become an artist?

I grew up in New York City and went to school there. Art was taught in the classrooms and I always enjoyed it. I think there was an indication that I would become an artist when I was given a free Crayola box of eight crayons in either 1st or 2nd grade and I wanted more colors. I begged my parents to buy me a 24-pack of crayons and eventually saved up my allowance for a 64-pack. In 6th grade, I had a homeroom teacher who taught us many artistic projects and I loved doing them. She encouraged me to continue to do art when I graduated. In middle school, I enrolled in the art talent class. From there I went on to a high school that offered an art academic program. 

After high school, I went to Pratt Institute, a prestigious art college. I became a community artist after I graduated, when I joined the Asian American Movement and learned to use my skills to reflect my cultural experience and to benefit the lives of others. I moved to San Francisco in 1974 and joined Kearny Street Workshop, an Asian American arts organization whose focus was to serve the community through art and cultural programs.

What stories or ideas do you like to convey in your art, and what do you hope people will take away?

As a community artist I have created work that celebrates cultural events and promotes various social and political causes. My art is about instilling values—helping one another, celebrating cultures, valuing our history and elders, telling our stories, and respecting the environment and people’s rights. Whether it is through my silkscreen posters, multi-cultural children’s book illustrations, or 3-D installations, I consider my work successful if the project moves people emotionally or stirs them to think more deeply about an issue. 

My large-scale floor mandalas are educational and healing. They build community through collective art-making. By creating work together, we can learn from each other and honor our common humanity. We can see that we are all interdependent and part of something larger than ourselves.

This year’s theme for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month is “strengthening community fabric”.  What is special about San Francisco’s AANHPI community, and what is your advice for how people can help strengthen, honor and protect this community?

The beauty of San Francisco is the diversity of cultures and the unique way in which each community celebrates its heritage and contributions. We can honor the AANHPI communities by learning, appreciating, and supporting efforts to preserve their heritage and their legacy of love, strength, and resilience. 

Organizations and institutions that are in a position to fund or present AANHPI events and groups should be inclusive of the various communities and involve them at the leadership and planning level. In addition, we can highlight AANHPI experiences in our country and find common ground by acknowledging their historical injustices and protesting hate crimes. We can build trust and empathy by promoting projects that foster healing and cross-cultural dialogue. In doing so, we strengthen the community fabric of all who live in San Francisco.