Huang Nina
Northwest Asia Weekly
Luxurious wardrobe art in Grace Park
When Grace Park was 10 years old, she realized that art can bridge the gap between different races.
Park was born in South Korea and immigrated to the United States in the fifth grade. She is not fluent in English and feels like she does not belong to her new school.
“I remember that people would go to the playground to play and have fun, but I don’t speak this foreign language, so I just stay in it to draw and do graffiti,” she said.
However, one day, when she was painting the birdhouse, another white classmate joined her.
“Suddenly, a simple birdhouse became a super complex, intricate, and interesting birdhouse. Although my English was poor and we barely spoke while painting, I felt this sense of unity. I realized that art can unite everyone from any culture, anywhere in the world, even if you can’t communicate,” she explained.
Since then, Park Zhen has been inspired to focus her art on bridging the gap between different races because she realized that art can become a universal language.
Since she was a toddler, art has always been one of Park’s hobbies. She never takes it seriously, but this is something she has always liked to do and share with others.
Park attributes her Korean culture and the experience of growing up there to her works of art.
“Although this is the seventh year I have lived here, Korean culture is still deeply ingrained. It does determine the way I think, speak, and behave to this day. I think living longer in Korea really helps me Korean cultural and artistic works have contributed more rich details and perspectives,” she said.
Now, as a freshman at Bellevue High School, Parker is inviting others to improve their artistic level and share it with a wider audience. She is planning a three-week art exhibition called “Our Culture, Our Voice” at the Factoria Mall in Bellevue, which will be held from August 2 to 20.
“After witnessing many incidents of violence and discrimination against Asian Americans this year, I was inspired to launch this project. Through this project, local Asian American high school students like me can express and express through our own artistic expressions. Respect our ethnic identity and culture.”
She hopes that other Asian students can share their unique experiences with the local community. In addition, Park hopes that the exhibition will be an open and comfortable platform for her and her Asian American students to express their culture and narrative and respect their racial and cultural identities that are often underestimated in mainstream American society.
Park hopes to collect 20 to 30 artworks from local high school students who live in the greater Seattle area and are within a reasonable distance from the Factoria shopping center.
As the name of this art exhibition implies, she hopes to share their views and experiences through the artistic expression of Asian American high school students.
The submission of artistic works can take the form of any medium, from pencil, charcoal, acrylic, watercolor, colored pencil to mixed media. The size of the artwork cannot exceed 26 inches x 26 inches. In addition to this requirement, any form of artwork is welcome, as long as it is related to your experience or views on Asian culture. You can treat Asian or Asian American culture as a whole, specific Asian countries, or any other combination.
“In the greater Seattle area, we don’t have many opportunities to do this, especially with the recent hate crimes. I don’t think it’s safe for us Asian Americans to share our stories in public, so I hope this will provide high school students with Safe space, do this through their art.”
Are you interested in submitting your work to the exhibition? Submit before July 21 https://forms.gle/uQb5N8oeqxos6BfN9.
Nina can be at info@nwasianweekly.com.
