a collection of
INTERVIEWS
featuring
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Asian American creatives
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Originally from or currently based in Michigan
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From a variety of creative fields: writing, visual arts, performing arts, & food
About the Project
Growing up in Troy, Michigan with traditional Chinese immigrant parents, I didn't think that a creative career (in my case, writing) was possible. This was partly because of parental pressure, partly because I simply didn't have role models who looked like me.
That changed when I came to the University of Michigan. My freshman year, I had a poetry instructor, Carlina Duan, who looked like me (a Chinese-American woman). She showed me that I could indeed be a writer. This experience taught me: Representation changes everything.
I created this project to provide accessible role models to other young Asian American creatives. It's a resource I would have wanted growing up. While creative representation is often concentrated in the East & West Coast, I wanted to spotlight creatives from Michigan/the Midwest to show that you can be anything you want to be, no matter where you come from.
Explore their stories
From Guggenheim-winning poets to James Beard Award -nominated chefs to Grammy-awarded musicians, each artist has their own story to tell.
Explore the interviews in each of the 4 categories:
1) writing, 2) visual arts, 3) food, & 4) performing arts
WRITING
Author & Director
Growing up in a Chinese restaurant, lack of coverage of Vincent Chin's death inspired him to be a writer.
Poet & Writer
An elementary school teacher for decades, at 41, she switched careers to be a full-time writer.
Poet & Writer
A former investment banker and consultant turned Guggenheim-winning poet.
Poet
Acclaimed poet and educator, Carlina is the U-M poetry instructor that changed my life.
VISUAL ARTS
Photographer
Now an award-winning photographer, he got his start in photography due to an unexpected phone call with his ex-girlfriend's grandma.
Painter & Sculptor
She balances a full-time job as a Bengali interpreter and being a mom on top of her painting practice.
Fashion Designer
A former accountant, he now dresses Hollywood stars for the red carpet with his haute-couture designs.
Potter
A NYT-featured ceramic artist who's gone viral multiple times, she tried a few careers before realizing pottery was her calling.
FOOD
Baker
She left the corporate engineering job she hated to pursue her dream: opening an Asian-American bakery.
Chef
She never thought she'd be a chef. Now, she's a 5X James Beard Award nominee and one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs 2021.
Chef
Having lived in 6 countries, he studied pre-med at Yale and went to seminary before becoming a chef.
PERFORMING ARTS
Musician & Filmmaker
An interdisciplinary artist (musician, record label owner, designer, and photographer) and community organizer, he's creating more spaces for AA&PI creatives in MI.
Dancer & Actress
A classically trained ballerina turned Broadway dancer, she's been on every national tour of Hamilton and currently understudies for the role of Peggy.
Opera Singer
A Grammy-award winning tenor who started his career not seeing much representation, now he's pushing for more inclusive representation as a leader of his industry.
Filmmaker
As an Indian-American filmmaker, she changed her cautious parents' minds about going into film when she asked: "If we don't tell our stories, who will?"