In response to the increase in anti-Asian violence around the country, the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles (JANM) hosts a free community event on Saturday, Oct. 8 that launches a new, collaborative social justice art project, An American Vocabulary: Words to Action.
Created by artist and CalArts alum Audrey Chan (Art MFA 07) and jason chu, the art project consists of 21 multilingual flash cards in a set that “portray figures, events, and actions illustrating the four themes of voice, ancestor, persistence, and care to build solidarity among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities during a time of increased racist violence and hate.”
The launch event includes live music from chu, percussionist Gingee, and DJ Grace Ktown; an art demonstration; and community Asian Pacific Islander organizations. The first 300 people to RSVP will receive a free set of An American Vocabulary flashcards when they check in on the day of the event.
Chan, a visual artist and educator, and chu, a spoken word artist and rapper, are the 2022 artists of the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, a yearlong collaborative fellowship between JANM and the civil rights organization, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California.
With a portfolio of research-based projects that use drawing, painting, public art, and video to “challenge dominant historical narratives through allegories of power, place, and identity,” Chan’s work has been exhibited in galleries in Southern California and New York City, as well as in Asia and Europe. She was previously the inaugural artist-in-residence at the ACLU of Southern California (2019-20).
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