Love Your Asian American Artists!

December 6, 2006

finals week is full of non-stop inspiring displays of visual art, music, video, animation, drama and dance. The creative output never ceases to inspire me. Art school is amazing, and while there may be many detractors or skeptics, i think the fertile creative environment that is a hallmark of Art school is something worth being a part of and contributing to, especially if you are serious about your artform...and especially if you are Asian American. More of us need to nurture our creative talents, and think about making a professional commitment to taking our creative visions farther. While I think there is a growing acceptance in our communities for supporting our burgeoning artists, I know it could be better. For all you music/art/film spectators…have you supported your favorite rising Asian American Artist lately?

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The Roy O Disney Hall at CalArts

I am pleased to say that i see a lot of Asian American kids at CalArts across all disciplines. Our numbers are growing. Animation is huge at CalArts (Pixar recruits most of their animators from here), and there is a growing number of students who come from India, Taiwan, Korea, China, and Japan. Last year's character animation Producer's Show, which features the 25 best student animations, featured about 5 anime and Asian themed piece crafted by Asian American students. The same goes for other departments, where i see more Asian Americans pursuing careers in acting, theater, dance and music. I worked closely with Jihyun Song, an MFA Experimental Animator, last year to score a dance and visual piece and this year I got to work with my good friend and brilliant composer Qasim Naqvi to score a hand drawn animated short. The piece featured all classical north Indian music, a major first for animation at CalArts.

Coming from an undergraduate science program at UNC-Chapel Hill, where I was surrounded by Asians in all the professional disciplines (law, engineering, medicine, and science), I must say that it is refreshing to see so many brilliant Asians producing incredible creative work. Let’s face it, Asian American artists are dope.

I sit on the CalArts Diversity committee, and this week, I learned about an incredible project being produced by Hein S. Seok, a recent Fulbright Award winner who is leaving for North Korea next semester to document the testimonies of former Korean comfort women for the Japanese military during WWII. She plans to interview Koon-Ja Kim, an 81 year old survivor who was drafted by the Japenese army at age 17 to serve as as sex slave for Japanese troops stationed in China. For three years she endured unbelievable torture, and one day it all ended...suddenly, after the atomic bomb detonated in Hiroshima, she was free to go. Her story only intensifies, as she endured a harrowing 1 month journey home to Korea, and rejection by the community when she arrived in Korea. It is estimated that over 200,000 Koreans were abducted by the Japanese military.Hein is going to Korea to talk with more survivors, and to produce a multimedia to share their stories in a multi dimensional work which will eventually be shown in LA and across the country.

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Nayoman Wenten, Master Balinese musician and dancer, teaching Gamelan and drumming at CalArts

This project deserves our support, if you are interested in supporting her project, feel free to contact Hein S. Seok at hseok [at] alum.calarts.edu">hseok [at] alum.calarts.edu

Ill be reaching out to more amazing Asian American artists in the coming months…please send me links to any amazing ones that you think need to be highlighted!

Robin Sukhadia
Mr. Hyphen 2006/2007

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Awesome posting. thanks for the insight and heads up. I look forward to more of these.
Let me start by saying that I think some very powerful dialogue is happening here and I applaud you for that...I'm a hip-hop r&b singer/songwriter... looking for support from fellow Asian Americans. Check out my music at www.myspace.com/ailah and leave me feedback - let me know what you think... thanks...
Ailah, You are beautiful thats for sure. The music is good in a pop ish sort of way. I would like to see an Asian R@B singer do something ive never seen. Sing real R@B. If you can do that you will get the support beyond the Asian community
If there was a step off between Asian and Fraternities/Sororities, who would win. I see stepping as a popular artform and trend among Asian Frats, why is it never discussed, or interviewed.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkRSxvLkRgM
great blog, Mr. Hyphen. thanks! :)
Mr. Hyphen, your world is so colorful! Thanks for sharing. I'm from the techie world, so really appreciate the exposure to the other, more creative side of things.
FAR*EAST MOVEMENT & MAGNETIC NORTH
RELAX, what a coincidence that you should say so... True R&B/gospel is where my roots are and where I'd like to explore further into. I'll keep you all posted.Thanks!
Yul Kwon stepped up the plate to fix what is right for Asian-Americans and the media in this country!You know, it is so sad this in this day and age, in America, the media/printed media still talk about Blacks & White. Hey, stop that now, America is a country of immigrant. We are ignoring Asian-Americans, Hispanics, Indian-Americans, Middle-Easterners, Pacific-Islanders, etc.You turn on the TV, still seeing comedy shows about Blacks, Ophra, which she uses her show to promote Blacks in the mainstream. Man, you don't even see her bring up Hispanic, Asian, American-Indian, etc issues or faces on her show. Hardly, shame on her bias, and strategic intention to bring up her own community. Hey, shut it down, we don't need to see it.It is time Asian-Americans need to create organizations to promote Asian-Americans in this country, Asian-American male leadership, TV companies, music companies, anything to reverse and dominate this country's media lack of equal representation.We need more of Yul Kwon out there in every aspect of America's society. You got to speak out like the Blacks or else people care of it. You seek you own way like no one seeks for you. No matter who you are, even you are not Asian-Americans, you got to speak out for your own community. Otherwise others are seeking out on behalf of themselves. Shame of America!, it is not Blacks and Whites anymore, Wake up you guys!
Eatern Leader:obviously, you do not watch Oprah. Ive seen Eva Mendes on Oprahs show several times, Komora Lee Simmons and Lisa Ling are frequent guest as well. Ask yourself one question, why is America always painted white and black and all the in betweens seem irrelevant? Im interested in hearing your reply, or any other members in here feel free to respond as well. One thing, I do agree with your post to a large degree, not 100 perscent, but a lot of it.
Great blog Robin!Thanks for your words - keep on shakin'up this world.Peace, Kathy