Editor / Mona L
Proposal
We are proposing an organization named Chinese Artists in America Network. This organization is dedicated to promoting the voices and expressions of the Chinese expat artists in America and connect them to form an effective network for opportunities and equality. Many organizations and non-profits have spent a substantial amount of time and resources in building similar networks, for example, Transcultural Exchange in Boston and more. While the majority of these programs focus on communication and community building, they often neglect the practical demands of a certain demographic group, especially a diasporic one, and in our case, the Chinese artists in America.
Although Chinese international students have become the main body of the international students in America in the recent years, and their number been increasing at an accelerated rate, Chinese studio/theoretical art students and artists remain relatively few and marginalized. In a milieu where the political climate is almost hostile to allocate necessary resources to these personnel and their fields, we are establishing a student/artist-run organization to support these young artists and their unique talents.
The four parts constituting our programs are communication groups, thematical workshops including employment support and mental health, social media operation to share our members’ works and opinions in visual and textual forms, and eventually, off-line meetings to form several local assemblies and subgroups for more interactions and cooperation. In this fashion, we aim to tackle the neglected aspects of many existing organizations and offer a quality platform to represent, expand and connect the Chinese expat artists in America in multiple formats.
In the end, we would love to see a stronger alliance among our community and more support and understanding from the society, because we believe art matters, and community also matters. In such an unprecedented time, Chinese artists are the unique voices to challenge the hegemonizing discourses of aesthetics and politics, and our platform should speak these voices of independence and love.
What's our Mission?
Art Councelor Jiahe Lv who came to America in the 80s once said: “Staying in America has somehow undermined the identity of 'Chinese artist'. The pressure they are facing here is the pressure of living.”
“Native culture is further and further away but we cannot completely cut off the connection. At the same time, western culture dominated by American culture also has many things to criticize. Chinese artists in The United States are facing double anxiety.”said by Lianjie Li, one of the earliest avant-garde artists in China.
We want to build an international community that belongs to the Chinese young artists in America. We aspire to provide an equal and earnest communication platform for the artists who have been valued by the art world in neither China nor America, so that the artists can have their own voice and make a visible impact. We would also seek / provide opportunities for the artists that are under financial pressure. We hope to offer a place of belonging to the Chinese expat artists in America.