Dimensions: 7 x 14 x 7.5
Media: Cast aluminum on marble base
Artist Statement : We are identified and judged by our faces. Although I was born and raised in Washington, DC, as a child I was taunted with calls of "Ching, Chong, Chinaman", "Japanese Beetle" and "Gook". When I explained that my parents were from the Philippines, I was told, "All you Oriental people look the same." Decades later, in my own hometown, I still occasionally am told "Go back to where you came from." My work in sculpture focuses on representations of concepts and qualities of humanness. Seeing my works, I wish viewers to find resonance and relevance of “being human” as I express in physical form facets, abstractions and iterations centering around the mind-body connection and human experience.

Dimensions: 7 x 4 x 5.625
Media: Soapstone
Artist Statement : This figure represents the aloneness felt from being different from others. Although I was born and raised in Washington, DC, as a child I was taunted with calls of "Ching, Chong, Chinaman", "Japanese Beetle" and "Gook". When I explained that my parents were from the Philippines, I was told, "All you Oriental people look the same." Decades later, in my own hometown, I still occasionally am told "Go back to where you came from." My work in sculpture focuses on representations of concepts and qualities of humanness. Seeing my works, I wish viewers to find resonance and relevance of “being human” as I express in physical form facets, abstractions and iterations centering around the mind-body connection and human experience.

Dimensions: 30 x 40 x 1.5
Media: Acrylic on canvas
Artist Statement : Iya Beach is on the island of Heigun, Japan. My family recently visited Heigun, where my grandparents lived before emigrating permanently to Hawai'i over a hundred years ago. Guided by a government family record, we met long-lost cousins and walked the beach and environs where my grandparents grew up. Times were hard then, and they were told to seek their fortune beyond the horizon seen from this beach.

Dimensions: 48 x 55 x 1
Media: Shuen (traditional Chinese watercolor) paper; homemade rice glue; Common and butterfly milkweed, and blue mistflower seeds; Chinese watercolor paints, graphite, ink. These carefully selected native-Maryland seeds are butterfly attractors and sustainers that benefit monarch and other butterfly species, and henceforth their/our ecosystem.
Artist Statement : Two young women/girls of mixed Korean descent are wishing for the future, theirs and for all life on Earth. A leaf dangles from a tree, representing the temporary nature of all things and the numerous permutations of continuation and integration of the tree’s energy into different phases of cycles in nature and the universe. 1,100 seeds that are native to Maryland are pasted with homemade rice glue in between sheets of Shuen paper and painted using Chinese watercolor. Visitors are encouraged to interact with the art by removing a small piece, taking it home, make a wish, rip it up, and let it “be lost with the wind”, as written by Yoko Ono’s Piece for the Wind in her book, Grapefruit). This piece is safe for the environment, demonstrates the temporary nature of everything in our universe, and illustrates the well-wishes for harmonizing with ourselves, each other, our community, nature and world. Inspired by my two daughters, artist Yoko Ono, and Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Dimensions: 20 x 20 x 0.75
Media: Acrylic, finished with oil paints on stretched cotton canvas
Artist Statement : This is a portrait of my eldest daughter, Saoirse (her name is the Gaelic word 'freedom'). She is a young woman looking apprehensively and fiercely into the future. She is the future. Her future is bright and filled with growth, abundance, and renewal. The future will not be easy but it will be enriching and fulfilling and better than the past and present. (The uploaded image/attachment is the painting 80% finished. I have yet to refine and finish with oils which will only enhance her feature and bring her to life. It will be completed within the next week. If you would like an updated version to consider, please let me know! Thank you for your consideration.)

Dimensions: 8 x 7 x 4
Media: Ceramic sculpture painted with graphite powder attached to slate stand.
Artist Statement : The role of the martyr has always been necessary for needed change in challenging authoritarian regimes. I grew up in the Philippines during the time of Marcos's martial law rule. And I have met several folks were willing to sacrifice their lives to reach their goals. Unfortunately, almost all martyrs are left with deep scars and in some cases badly tortured and even killed. My ceramic piece was built from a roughly shaped clay figure and then later textured using a piece of small hard board applied in wild strokes, deep cuts and random pokes - mostly to channel their experiences without much predetermined design. Fortunately, a semblance of a pained face emerged to my own surprise. I also liked the pose of stretching backward to symbolize their resistance despite the hardships they endure.

Dimensions: 12 x 4 x 4
Media: Ceramic sculpture painted with graphite powder
Artist Statement : I am often intrigued with idealists. They are often mistaken for optimists but actually they simply pose a stricter models (or goals) for interpretations, rules, morals, actions and judgements. Often, they learn that the realities do not match their visions. I grew up from being idealistic and slowly succumbing to cynicism. I find that the world is full of gray areas. But I still feel that some level of idealism is still needed, as long as it does not drive one to become a despot or even a fascist, because the world is just what it is - ugly and beautiful. The ceramic piece started with a normal human figure which I later stylized with smooth curves and crevices, with the head unnaturally stretched, even separating the neck from the body, to have the head look upward to signify the idealist's view. After bisque firing, a small piece broke off and exposed a rough surface in the legs -a fortunate accident that is now incorporated to symbolize that reality do leaves scars.

Dimensions: 23 x 23 x 1.5
Media: Mixed media acrylic painting on framed stretched canvas
Artist Statement : "The Bride" full of beauty; full of pride!

Dimensions: 18 x 22
Media: Mixed media acrylic painting on stretched deeply framed canvas
Artist Statement : “FROM THERE” is a unique artwork of memories by Manal, a Palestinian American artist, with an attempt to interpret the known versus the unknown of finding home, self, identity, and the challenge it presents in the creation of art. The content and narrative behind this art piece explain her origin. The artwork uses textured surfaces to convey memory’s persistence and perseverance. This artwork has been exhibited at the United Nation's headquarters in New York for three months.

Dimensions: 28 x 22 x 1.5
Media: Textile collage
Artist Statement : At this point in time, Asian American Studies isn't widely available in public or private schools. Therefore, the story surrounding the death of Vincent Chin in the 1980's has been lost even though it has been acknowledged as the start of the modern Asian American Civil Rights Movement. Mr. Chin was killed by two unemployed Detroit auto workers who felt displaced by the influx of Japanese autos into the American market. They misidentified Mr. Chin as Japanese and proceeded to vent their rage on him. The killers spent very little time in prison and were fined a few thousand dollars. Vincent Chin was killed a few days before his wedding day and was buried in his wedding suit.

Dimensions: 26 x 23 x 12
Media: Paper Mache
Artist Statement : The difficulties in the trade relationship between the US and China stretches back to the Opium wars of the 1800's. Just as Americans continue to hold onto resentments from the Civil War, the Chinese hold onto apprehension, even distrust, of Western trade partners from conflicts in the 19th century. This could translate into American distrust for its Asian American citizens, international students and foreign workers. The continued anti-Asian sentiments from the Covid area could even increase and makes many of us feel increasingly uneasy

Dimensions: 20 x 24
Media: Oil on Board
Artist Statement : I was fortunate to visit my home country, Thailand, again after 8 years. Now that I'm older, I'm much more confident with my Thai language abilities and was able to navigate around the remote village of Mae Gampong. While it's best known for it's picturesque, bustling streets and food stalls, it was the fresh air, the surprising chilliness, and especially the lush greenery that made this northern mountainous town, so memorable to me.

Dimensions: 11 x 14
Media: Graphite, Shellac, Ink & Acrylic on Paper
Artist Statement : Echos in the Storm began as a graphite drawing done from life. I wanted to challenge myself to experiment, so I shellac'd it, added washes of burnt umber acrylic paint and blue-green ink, and then used white acrylic paint for highlights. With the new atmosphere of the piece, it echoed a feeling mystery, and felt like the figure was emerging from a storm.

Dimensions: 32 x 24 x 9
Media: capiz shells, vintage carved wooden spoon and fork wall display, air dry clay, acrylic, coated iron
Artist Statement : The giant wooden spoon and fork wall decor, ubiquitous in every Filipino home, represented the central role that food played in our family and community: love, generosity, and strength in togetherness. But as a young girl, I never quite fit in; I was often told I was too outspoken and asked too many questions. I was faulted for not wanting to sing on stage, for being an introvert, and for not being whatever a young Filipina-American was supposed to be. My greatest sin was wanting to be an artist - something my parents and elders could never understand or support. "Quod Me Nutrit Me Destruit" is a Latin quote attributed to Christopher Marlowe and translates as "That which nourishes me also destroys me." The spoon cradles a heart made entirely of capiz shells, and the fork stabs straight down into it. It symbolizes that understanding that my family, community, and culture loved and shaped me, but in ways that weren't always healthy. I cannot separate the good from the bad.

Dimensions: 16 x 12
Media: Watercolor on Hot Press paper
Artist Statement : The alleys of Taiwan are call lane. While walking through these lanes, I noticed that there are dreaming qualities to them. In these dark alleys, where the sun cannot penetrate, the world beyond is beckoning you via the brightness of the sun.

Dimensions: 20 x 14
Media: Watercolor on Hot Press Paper
Artist Statement : During Lunar New Year, walking through the streets of Taiwan, I noticed that the streets are mostly deserted. But more glaring is that almost half of the signage are in English.

Dimensions: 5 x 7.5 x 7.5
Media: Ceramics
Artist Statement : My work is a composition of the narratives from generations before me and my experiences as a third culture kid in the US. These two functional pieces hold sentimental value and embody nostalgic significance as a way to share my narrative as an Asian American. My parents immigrated twice – first to Japan and then to the US. I grew up in an ethnic enclave in Texas where a majority of my peers were children of Asian immigrants. Sake sets remind me of evenings after dinner when my dad relaxed after a long day at work, sipping Chinese liquor from sake cups he brought from Japan. Clay pots remind me of the same vessels my mom braises sukiyaki and hongshaorou to make us a hearty dinner. The Bamboo Bottle and Cup is a piece tributed to my father - a message for him to rest well after decades of breadwinning toil. The Inverse Peony Donabe (clay pot) is a love letter to my mother - honoring the affection she shared with us through her cooking and elevating a traditionally utilitarian object.

Dimensions: 5.5 x 4.5 x 4.5
Media: Ceramics
Artist Statement : My work is a composition of the narratives from generations before me and my experiences as a third culture kid in the US. These two functional pieces hold sentimental value and embody nostalgic significance as a way to share my narrative as an Asian American. My parents immigrated twice – first to Japan and then to the US. I grew up in an ethnic enclave in Texas where a majority of my peers were children of Asian immigrants. Sake sets remind me of evenings after dinner when my dad relaxed after a long day at work, sipping Chinese liquor from sake cups he brought from Japan. Clay pots remind me of the same vessels my mom braises sukiyaki and hongshaorou to make us a hearty dinner. The Bamboo Bottle and Cup is a piece tributed to my father - a message for him to rest well after decades of breadwinning toil. The Inverse Peony Donabe (clay pot) is a love letter to my mother - honoring the affection she shared with us through her cooking and elevating a traditionally utilitarian object.

Dimensions: 33 x 27 x 1
Media: Acrylic on Canvas
Artist Statement : While visiting the village of Masouleh in North of Iran, I had a local volunteer brother and sister guide who took me around the mountainous village. Residents still live in conditions about a century behind. That day I saw the village through their cheerful, welcoming eyes.

Dimensions: 22 x 26 x 1
Media: Acrylic on Canvas
Artist Statement : The village of Abyaneh in Iran is a dry but somehow green patch of land with mud structures that the locals build with their own hands. Most of the youth leave their home to bigger cities to find jobs and send money to their family. So the residents that are left are the elderly and very few. I was struck by the little neighborhood morning tea under the shade. A few grandmothers with very bright colored traditional dresses were enjoying tea. They are very proud of their hometown and ancient culture.