As of yesterday I’m fully vaccinated! First
thing I did? Went to my P.O. box for the first time since March 2020! (And afterwards
I went to buy socks with more support. Really wildin’ out here.) And what a
pleasant surprise to see so many Dreams of a City postcards!
Which means: even though I left these postcards throughout Chicago before
the pandemic (I stopped once it was time to lock down), all of these
dreams were mailed during the pandemic.
Fitting that my first activity was gathering hope. After
I scan these, I’ll be sharing them daily to @dreamsofacity. Follow
along!
(For those of you who aren’t familiar with my labor of
love: From 2008-2009 in Manhattan, and then from 2012-early 2020 in Chicago, I made
thousands of pre-stamped self-addressed postcards, each with the prompt,
“Tell me one thing you dream of doing before you die. Use this card as your
canvas,” and each—this is the most important part—with a different code on the
bottom. I left these postcards in public places all over the city, using the
codes to record where I left each one. So, when a card returned to me, I was
able to match its code with its location and was able to tell where each one
was found, and have been gradually creating a map of the city from all your
dreams. It’s a 13-year-old love letter and a message of hope.
View all 100 mapped Manhattan dreams 2008-2009 on Flickr,
all 600+ mapped Chicago dreams 2012-2020 on Instagram, and more information
on this page.)
Another momentous occasion: On this day 10 years ago, I
thought of the concept for the first art show I independently curated, Exquisite Corpse!
I assigned artists who didn’t know each other
beforehand into pairs/groups and had them collaborate on creating new artwork
for the exhibition. The late great Paul Klein came to preview it, and he
gave me my first real review. It was glorious.
Next up / 10 years later / virtually opening this June:
DECAHEDRON!
P.S. In case you missed the previous post, PetaPixel
interviewed me about my new online gallery for my iPhone 5s photography.
Check it out!
I got my 2nd dose of the Moderna vaccine!
I was prepared for the side effects, which is why I made
not one but two art announcements beforehand. Take a look if you
missed ‘em.
Speaking of of vaccines: As of one week ago, my parents
are now fully vaccinated. On Friday, for the first time since April 2020,
my mom went inside the grocery store instead of getting curbside pickup! (Like I’ve said, we’ve been strict—me most of all.)
And: Thank you for including me and SLAYSIAN
(still on view since March 2020!) in this wonderful collection of
recommendations for Chicago’s AAPI businesses and makers, One Design Company!
Via One Design:“Local AAPI businesses, makers, cultural
centers, and more deserve celebration and support, always—but right now, that’s
especially true. In collaboration with our Asian American colleagues, you’ll
find a studio-curated collection of 67 Chicago-area businesses, organizations,
and makers across 8 different categories. Join us in supporting them now and well
into the future.”
Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Month,
everyone.
It’s not the tool; it’s the artist. From 2014–2021, I captured
photos around the world using only my iPhone 5s. (And before I finally joined
you all in the 21st Century and got the aforementioned phone, I had been using
a point-and-shoot.) You don’t need fancy equipment—not even a tripod—to take
beautiful photos.
 |
| Look up. Chicago 2015. |
I’m also nothing if not stubborn, planned obsolescence
be damned. It took until last week—right after Apple rolled out iOS 14.5 for
newer phones and my 5s crashed whenever I tried to open my Instagram—for
me to finally retire my beloved 5s. RIP, Jenny’s first smartphone, March 17,
2014 – April 28, 2021.
 |
| Goodnight, sweet prince. |
Now, for the first time, these photos can be viewed in
one place. (I’d been sharing them on channels such as Instagram, but not
everyone is on social media, and on those platforms I also share old non-phone photos
as throwbacks, as well as non-photographic artwork, so viewers would have to scroll
through years of images.) I’ve launched a new online gallery exclusively for my
iPhone 5s photos, from El Fin del Mundo at the southernmost tip of South America
to the towering sand dunes of the Taklamakan Desert along the ancient Silk Road
in Western China, from crackling glaciers and floating markets to quiet moments
of everyday beauty in my hometown.
View the new photo gallery here.
(And, if one individual’s phone photos aren’t your cup
of tea, head over to the previous post for the announcement about DECAHEDRON,
which features over 70(!) local and international artists working across all mediums.)
As you know,
this June is the 10th anniversary of Artists on the Lam, and as part of the celebration,
I’m curating an international exhibition called DECAHEDRON. Today, I’m thrilled
to announce the show’s participating artists! Hailing from all over Chicago,
the country, and the world, they include:
Adrienne
L. Glover, Adrienne Powers, Agnieszka Ligendza, Alba Margarita, Alex Kostiw, Alix
Anne Shaw, Allen Vandever, Angie Redmond, Brianna Lynn Hernández Baurichter, Bruce
Riley, Caroline Walser, Carrie McGath, Céline Browning, Chad Kouri, Charlene
Moy, CHema Skandal!, Chris Silva, Christine Nicklos, Claire Ashley, Clarisse
Perrette, Corinne Halbert, Cristy Corso, Czr Prz, Dan Castranova, Danielle
Pontarelli, Diane Ponder, Emily Calvo, English Prevo, Glenn Wexler, Hazel R.
Magnolia, Heidi Jensen, InsomniaBird, James Gu, James Jankowiak, James Mosher, Juliann
Wang, Julius Dizon-Cruz Bautista, Justin Suico, Karen I. Hirsch, Kathy Halper, KC
Winter, Keelan McMorrow, Kristin Cass, Kurt Kreissl, Laura Catherwood, Lee Eun
Young, Lisa Goesling, Mac Blackout, Mairin Hartt, Mark Pol, Mary Porterfield, Mazon,
Megan M. Rivera, Melissa Wang, MelonJames, My Linh Mac, Nancy Bechtol, Nathan
Stanton, Nik Burkhart, Olivia Shih, Patricia Biesen, Patrick Earl Hammie, Peyton
Rack, Priscilla Huang, Ramiro Silva-Cortés, Rialin José, Richard Gessert, Robert
Apolinar, Robin Monique Rios, Sam Riesmeyer, Stafford Hiroshi Smith, Tiffany Gholar, Toby
zur Loye, Yuqing Zhu, and you.
What an amazing group, right? And, yes, massive;
knowing from the start that this would be virtual, I wanted to involve more
artists than I would for any physical show, as a way to truly take advantage of
having an online platform (when getting interviewed about SLAYSIAN
last year, one point that kept coming up was the silver lining of being able to
exhibit bonus pieces as digital exclusives), and to truly fit a milestone anniversary.
Go big at home.
This is a guest
blog post written by My Linh Mac. To pitch Artists on the Lam, contact us here.
People from all over the world, especially
Asian communities, are still suffering as Covid blows its first-year candle. As
an artist and a member of the Chicago art community, I believe there is no
better time than now to share inspiring Asian artist stories. I want to be a
part of the celebration for cultural inclusion and share a slice of life of Chicago’s
Southeast Asian artists, much like Raya and the Last Dragon, the
most recent Disney Princess film.
My Linh Mac (Millie), a Vietnamese artist
based in Chicago, recently released her children’s illustration book about the
origins of her country called The First King. My Linh is a SLAYSIAN
artist with an exceptional multidisciplinary experience as a painter, graphic
designer, art educator, and emerging artistic entrepreneur. She’s a true
colorist when it comes to her dynamic and vibrant abstract paintings, and she’s
made a name for herself through her remarkable ability to create art in one
medium that seems to have been produced in another. Mac’s paintings range from
mystical to abstract to figurative to industrial, but her multimedia and
graphic design work is strictly commercial with
high-end visual effects. With her “full package” skillset and innovative mind,
My Linh’s presence extends beyond Chicago cultures, as she has exhibited her
work in over 8 countries and served on the jury of several global/international
artistic awards. The Creative Communication Award (C2A) in Los Angeles, the
Brightness Illustration Award in Iran, the Lorenzo Il Magnifico Award, and the
Leonardo Da Vinci Award in Italy are just a few examples.
The First King
is based on the story of “Con Rong Chau Tien,” one of Vietnam’s most well-known
fairy tales and folktales about the country’s magical origins. My Linh wants to
express and pass on her heritage pride to other multi-racial children as an
educator and artist who embraces cultural diversity. The book’s unlimited
e-copies and hard copies are currently available on Amazon Kindle and currently
a part of the Urban Legends: From Playground Lore To Cultural Norms
exhibition at Columbia College of Chicago’s Library.
What inspired you to start this project?
Many causes, the most important of which
is that I haven't been home in Vietnam in 6 years to pursue education and art
making in the States, and the pandemic has exacerbated my homesickness. We
never know what will happen next, and because art brings out the best in me, I
decided to take advantage of this opportunity to reconnect with my roots while
also pushing myself into new territories in children's book publishing.
The other reason is because of the current
racial discrimination toward the Asian communities. Asian artists deserve to be
in the spotlight, not as victims but as inspirations for the community. Even
though I haven’t lived in Asia since 2009, I still embrace my root cultural
value of “it’s not about what you do because of circumstances of hardship, but
more about what you do despite the circumstances of hardship.” We, as Asians in
general and Vietnamese in particular, are proud of our hard work and compassion
for one another, and these great qualities, rather than outdated stereotypes,
should be the common perception of Asians. I’ve always felt fortunate to be
born with a gift of creativity because there are so many things (like those
values above) that can be expressed simply by the use of words.
Instead of specializing in one field, you
basically specialize in everything. Do you consider one medium to be your true
calling?
I still return to basics with drawing and
painting, which is where it all began for me. Only when I’m messing around with
the colorful paste with palette knives and totally at ease with making mistakes
and fully feel like myself. Recently, painting has been more of a
self-discovery/communicative tool for me than an expressive medium for
interacting with others. It’s the opposite with other creative mediums that I
work with. For example, when it comes to design, it’s not so much about what I
want as it is about what the client wants, so knowing his or her style
preferences allows me to learn more about their personalities and backgrounds.
How do you find balance among all your
roles?
It hasn’t been easy by any means. From the
“tip of the iceberg,” it seems that I am a multi-tasking specialist or a crazy
planner, but from the “under the water portion of the iceberg,” it isn’t that
complicated. Goal alignment is the key, and I’m a sucker for the phrase “hit
two birds with one stone.” When I’m working on a company’s branding, for
example, I take the time to learn about the company’s history, as well as
behind-the-scenes information such as obstacles to conquer, goals/mission, and
core value, among other things. This allows me to gain not only business
experience but also a better understanding of my design assignment in order to
bring out the best of it. I have learned the hard way not to try to do all at
once and exhaust myself. “Less is more” isn’t just a style concept; it also
applies in real life.
How has your Vietnamese background
influenced your art?
I’m not biologically bi-racial or
tri-racial, but since I moved to Singapore at the age of 13, then to
South-Australia in my late teens, and finally to the United States in my early
twenties, it’s difficult to pinpoint the cultural factors that have influenced
my works throughout the years. One thing is certain: The First King isn’t
the first initiative dedicated to honoring my Vietnamese heritage.
In addition to The First King, is
there anything else we can look forward to from you?
Children book number 2 is coming soon. I’m
also considering starting a company/business that focuses on cultural bridging,
education, art, and entertainment. I can’t say anything more than that, but I’m
hoping that all of the hard work I’ve put in so far will be rewarded in the
near future.
Read more about My Linh here, and view more about The First King here.
