curated exhibition

RaceCraft

Slow. Sustainable. DIY. Green. Local. Anti-mainstream.
These are the ideals that drive the popularity of the contemporary craft movement. But what is rendered invisible in the celebration of craft as a means of social change?
 
Where and how does race intersect with craft practices and craft discourse?
 
The artists and writers in this exhibition foreground alternative practices and genealogies. They make visible the neoliberal underpinnings of the contemporary craft movement. They reveal how craft is marked by race, heteropatriarchy and colonization, and they challenge an environmental politics founded on sustaining whiteness.
 
In RaceCraft, being “crafty” is not just aptitude and a lifestyle choice. It is artful subterfuge in the face of racial constraints.
 
Co-curated by Marie Lo and Sarita Echavez See.
 
Contributors’ works are published in staggered waves from late October to mid-November 2015, and the whole exhibition is archived permanently here on CA+T’s website.
 
Contributors include Kimberly Alidio, Aram Han, Kiam Marcelo Junio, Bovey Lee, Kang Seung Lee, Marie Lo, Tim Manalo, Alfred Marasigan, Do Ho Suh, Stephanie Syjuco, Namita Wiggers, and Kristina Wong. 
 
Special thanks to Jan Christian Bernabe for curatorial guidance; Martina Dorff and Gian Dionisio for research and clerical assistance; and the California Institute of Contemporary Arts for fiscal support.
 
Fall 2015

Imperial Floods (detail)

Tim Manalo

2015 Sculpture/installation 6 ft. x 6 ft. x 12 ft. Courtesy of Tim Manalo

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Tim Manalo

b. 1988
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Tim Manalo was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Growing up in a city rich with multiculturalism, he has always been exposed to Philippine culture through the city’s large Filipino community. A graduate of OCAD University’s sculpture and installation program, Manalo explores ideas of hybridity and identity in his works. He has an extensive background as a sculptor and fabricator for companies, catering industries focused in interior design, commercial outdoor displays, and costume and props. Currently, he continues his art practice in the heart of downtown Toronto. He is also very involved with the Filipino arts community, volunteering as an arts-based workshop facilitator for newcomer and at-risk Filipino youth.

In the piece Balut, I reflect on my position as someone who was born and raised in Canada but whose parents originated from the Philippines. This work is about my Filipino upbringing conflicting with the Westernized norm that I was confronted with during lunchtime in elementary school. Because Filipino dishes were not recognized as mainstream food, it resulted in my Filipino shame as a child as I would try to assimilate to the culture of the classroom. Balut is a hard-boiled duck fetus egg. In the Philippines it’s a popular delicacy, but in North America it’s a taboo. Balut in Tagalog also translates as “pack up” in English, which goes back to the origins of my Filipino upbringing and family migrating from the Philippines. Mimicking the light box used in harvesting balut eggs, the light inside the bag’s hole turns on only when it’s daytime in the Philippines and turns off when it’s nighttime—a daily reminder of our connection to a homeland that helped raise us, especially through food.

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  • Born: Toronto, ON, Canada
  • Based: Toronto, ON, Canada

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Urban Landscape 1

Alfred Marasigan

2015 Found objects Dimensions variable Courtesy of Alfred Marasigan

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Alfred Marasigan

b. 1992
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Alfred Marasigan is a visual artist from the Philippines. Born and raised in Lipa, Batangas, he graduated magna cum laude and Program Awardee from the Ateneo de Manila University (2013) with a BFA in Information Design, a Loyola Schools Award for the Arts (Graphic Design), and an Outstanding Scholar Award. Last June 2015, he became a First Round Winner (General Category) of Art Olympia: International Open Art Competition in Tokyo, Japan. His other artworks have also been included in various local and foreign exhibitions such as Galerie Métanoïas's Un Seul Grain de Riz: A Small format Graphic Art Competition (2014-15), Metropolitan Museum of Manila's MET Open 2014, Metrobank Art and Design Excellence (MADE) Painting Competition Exhibition (Semifinalist, 2014); and in publications like Fordham University's CURA Magazine, the San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art's Tumblr, and Ateneo de Manila University's Heights. He has been a faculty member of Ateneo's Fine Arts Program for two years, and is now an MFA student in the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines (Diliman).

The process of capturing relationships between the personal and the spatial fascinates me. Through painting, conceptual art, and installation, I often explore associations between identity, personal narratives, and myth-making, with context, landscape, and environment. In particular, I like how human subjectivity lends value to 'space' as concept, and transforms it into 'place' as experience. Just as well, I am intent on grasping the essence of placelessness. Whenever I travel via different modes of transportation, I gain valuable insights regarding myself and the world. I treat such experiences as sites of introspection. Ultimately, finding groundedness in transit motivates my art-making.

location

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  • Born: Batangas City
  • Based: Manila, Philippines

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Urban Landscape 2

Alfred Marasigan

2015 Found objects Dimensions variable Courtesy of Alfred Marasigan

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Alfred Marasigan

b. 1992
image description
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Alfred Marasigan is a visual artist from the Philippines. Born and raised in Lipa, Batangas, he graduated magna cum laude and Program Awardee from the Ateneo de Manila University (2013) with a BFA in Information Design, a Loyola Schools Award for the Arts (Graphic Design), and an Outstanding Scholar Award. Last June 2015, he became a First Round Winner (General Category) of Art Olympia: International Open Art Competition in Tokyo, Japan. His other artworks have also been included in various local and foreign exhibitions such as Galerie Métanoïas's Un Seul Grain de Riz: A Small format Graphic Art Competition (2014-15), Metropolitan Museum of Manila's MET Open 2014, Metrobank Art and Design Excellence (MADE) Painting Competition Exhibition (Semifinalist, 2014); and in publications like Fordham University's CURA Magazine, the San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art's Tumblr, and Ateneo de Manila University's Heights. He has been a faculty member of Ateneo's Fine Arts Program for two years, and is now an MFA student in the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines (Diliman).

The process of capturing relationships between the personal and the spatial fascinates me. Through painting, conceptual art, and installation, I often explore associations between identity, personal narratives, and myth-making, with context, landscape, and environment. In particular, I like how human subjectivity lends value to 'space' as concept, and transforms it into 'place' as experience. Just as well, I am intent on grasping the essence of placelessness. Whenever I travel via different modes of transportation, I gain valuable insights regarding myself and the world. I treat such experiences as sites of introspection. Ultimately, finding groundedness in transit motivates my art-making.

location

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  • Born: Batangas City
  • Based: Manila, Philippines

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Urban Landscape 3

Alfred Marasigan

2015 Found objects Dimensions variable Courtesy of Alfred Marasigan

contributor

X

Alfred Marasigan

b. 1992
image description
  • See All Works
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  • visit website

Alfred Marasigan is a visual artist from the Philippines. Born and raised in Lipa, Batangas, he graduated magna cum laude and Program Awardee from the Ateneo de Manila University (2013) with a BFA in Information Design, a Loyola Schools Award for the Arts (Graphic Design), and an Outstanding Scholar Award. Last June 2015, he became a First Round Winner (General Category) of Art Olympia: International Open Art Competition in Tokyo, Japan. His other artworks have also been included in various local and foreign exhibitions such as Galerie Métanoïas's Un Seul Grain de Riz: A Small format Graphic Art Competition (2014-15), Metropolitan Museum of Manila's MET Open 2014, Metrobank Art and Design Excellence (MADE) Painting Competition Exhibition (Semifinalist, 2014); and in publications like Fordham University's CURA Magazine, the San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art's Tumblr, and Ateneo de Manila University's Heights. He has been a faculty member of Ateneo's Fine Arts Program for two years, and is now an MFA student in the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines (Diliman).

The process of capturing relationships between the personal and the spatial fascinates me. Through painting, conceptual art, and installation, I often explore associations between identity, personal narratives, and myth-making, with context, landscape, and environment. In particular, I like how human subjectivity lends value to 'space' as concept, and transforms it into 'place' as experience. Just as well, I am intent on grasping the essence of placelessness. Whenever I travel via different modes of transportation, I gain valuable insights regarding myself and the world. I treat such experiences as sites of introspection. Ultimately, finding groundedness in transit motivates my art-making.

location

X
  • Born: Batangas City
  • Based: Manila, Philippines

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Seoul Home/Seoul Home/Kanazawa Home/Beijing Home

Do Ho Suh

2012 Silk, metal armature 575 in. x 285 in. x 156.5 in. © Do Ho Suh, Courtesy of the Artist and Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York and Hong Kong

contributor

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Do Ho Suh

b. 1962

Do Ho Suh is an internationally renowned Korean artist. Suh constructs site-specific installations and meticulously crafted sculptures that question boundaries of identity, conventional notions of scale, and space in both its physical and metaphorical manifestation.

Suh studied oriental painting at Seoul National University in the 1980s, and in 1991 he moved to the United States to study painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and sculpture at Yale University School of Art. He settled in New York in 1997, where he lived and worked until relocating to London in 2010. He currently maintains studios in London, Seoul, and New York.

Suh represented South Korea at the 49th Venice Biennale in 2001 with his iconic work Some/One, constructed of military dog tags exploring individual and collective identity. Solo exhibitions of his work have been presented internationally, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris, New York, 2001; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 2002; Serpentine Gallery, London, 2002; Artsonje Center, Seoul, 2003; the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, 2005; Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York, 2010; DAAD Galerie, Berlin, 2011; Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore, 2011; Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, 2012; Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, 2012; 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2012–13; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, 2013; The Contemporary Austin, Austin, 2014; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Ohio, 2015.

Suh’s work has been prominently featured in major group exhibitions and biennials worldwide, including the Istanbul Biennial, Turkey, 2003; Psycho Buildings, Hayward Gallery, London, 2008; Your Bright Future, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2009; Liverpool Biennial, 2010; Venice Architecture Biennale, 2010; Gwangju Biennale, 2012; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, 2013; Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2014; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, 2015; and Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2015. His work is included in numerous museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Tate Modern, London; Leeum Samsung Museum, Seoul; Artsonje Center, Seoul; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, among many others.

location

X
  • Born: Seoul, South Korea
  • Based: London, England, UK

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The Perfect Home II

Do Ho Suh

2003 Translucent nylon 110 in. x 240 in. x 516 in. © Do Ho Suh, Courtesy of the Artist and Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York and Hong Kong

contributor

X

Do Ho Suh

b. 1962

Do Ho Suh is an internationally renowned Korean artist. Suh constructs site-specific installations and meticulously crafted sculptures that question boundaries of identity, conventional notions of scale, and space in both its physical and metaphorical manifestation.

Suh studied oriental painting at Seoul National University in the 1980s, and in 1991 he moved to the United States to study painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and sculpture at Yale University School of Art. He settled in New York in 1997, where he lived and worked until relocating to London in 2010. He currently maintains studios in London, Seoul, and New York.

Suh represented South Korea at the 49th Venice Biennale in 2001 with his iconic work Some/One, constructed of military dog tags exploring individual and collective identity. Solo exhibitions of his work have been presented internationally, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris, New York, 2001; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 2002; Serpentine Gallery, London, 2002; Artsonje Center, Seoul, 2003; the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, 2005; Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York, 2010; DAAD Galerie, Berlin, 2011; Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore, 2011; Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, 2012; Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, 2012; 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2012–13; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, 2013; The Contemporary Austin, Austin, 2014; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Ohio, 2015.

Suh’s work has been prominently featured in major group exhibitions and biennials worldwide, including the Istanbul Biennial, Turkey, 2003; Psycho Buildings, Hayward Gallery, London, 2008; Your Bright Future, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2009; Liverpool Biennial, 2010; Venice Architecture Biennale, 2010; Gwangju Biennale, 2012; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, 2013; Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2014; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, 2015; and Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2015. His work is included in numerous museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Tate Modern, London; Leeum Samsung Museum, Seoul; Artsonje Center, Seoul; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, among many others.

location

X
  • Born: Seoul, South Korea
  • Based: London, England, UK

comments

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The Perfect Home II

Do Ho Suh

2003 Translucent nylon 110 in. x 240 in. x 516 in. © Do Ho Suh, Courtesy of the Artist and Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York and Hong Kong

contributor

X

Do Ho Suh

b. 1962

Do Ho Suh is an internationally renowned Korean artist. Suh constructs site-specific installations and meticulously crafted sculptures that question boundaries of identity, conventional notions of scale, and space in both its physical and metaphorical manifestation.

Suh studied oriental painting at Seoul National University in the 1980s, and in 1991 he moved to the United States to study painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and sculpture at Yale University School of Art. He settled in New York in 1997, where he lived and worked until relocating to London in 2010. He currently maintains studios in London, Seoul, and New York.

Suh represented South Korea at the 49th Venice Biennale in 2001 with his iconic work Some/One, constructed of military dog tags exploring individual and collective identity. Solo exhibitions of his work have been presented internationally, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris, New York, 2001; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 2002; Serpentine Gallery, London, 2002; Artsonje Center, Seoul, 2003; the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, 2005; Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York, 2010; DAAD Galerie, Berlin, 2011; Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore, 2011; Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, 2012; Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, 2012; 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2012–13; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, 2013; The Contemporary Austin, Austin, 2014; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Ohio, 2015.

Suh’s work has been prominently featured in major group exhibitions and biennials worldwide, including the Istanbul Biennial, Turkey, 2003; Psycho Buildings, Hayward Gallery, London, 2008; Your Bright Future, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2009; Liverpool Biennial, 2010; Venice Architecture Biennale, 2010; Gwangju Biennale, 2012; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, 2013; Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2014; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, 2015; and Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2015. His work is included in numerous museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Tate Modern, London; Leeum Samsung Museum, Seoul; Artsonje Center, Seoul; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, among many others.

location

X
  • Born: Seoul, South Korea
  • Based: London, England, UK

comments

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Fallen Star

Do Ho Suh

2012 © Do Ho Suh, Courtesy of the Artist and Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York and Hong Kong Stuart Collection, University of California, San Diego Photo credit: Philipp Scholz Rittermann

contributor

X

Do Ho Suh

b. 1962

Do Ho Suh is an internationally renowned Korean artist. Suh constructs site-specific installations and meticulously crafted sculptures that question boundaries of identity, conventional notions of scale, and space in both its physical and metaphorical manifestation.

Suh studied oriental painting at Seoul National University in the 1980s, and in 1991 he moved to the United States to study painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and sculpture at Yale University School of Art. He settled in New York in 1997, where he lived and worked until relocating to London in 2010. He currently maintains studios in London, Seoul, and New York.

Suh represented South Korea at the 49th Venice Biennale in 2001 with his iconic work Some/One, constructed of military dog tags exploring individual and collective identity. Solo exhibitions of his work have been presented internationally, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris, New York, 2001; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 2002; Serpentine Gallery, London, 2002; Artsonje Center, Seoul, 2003; the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, 2005; Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York, 2010; DAAD Galerie, Berlin, 2011; Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore, 2011; Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, 2012; Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, 2012; 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2012–13; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, 2013; The Contemporary Austin, Austin, 2014; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Ohio, 2015.

Suh’s work has been prominently featured in major group exhibitions and biennials worldwide, including the Istanbul Biennial, Turkey, 2003; Psycho Buildings, Hayward Gallery, London, 2008; Your Bright Future, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2009; Liverpool Biennial, 2010; Venice Architecture Biennale, 2010; Gwangju Biennale, 2012; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, 2013; Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2014; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, 2015; and Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2015. His work is included in numerous museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Tate Modern, London; Leeum Samsung Museum, Seoul; Artsonje Center, Seoul; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, among many others.

location

X
  • Born: Seoul, South Korea
  • Based: London, England, UK

comments

X

Fallen Star

Do Ho Suh

2012 © Do Ho Suh, Courtesy of the Artist and Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York and Hong Kong Stuart Collection, University of California, San Diego Photo credit: Philipp Scholz Rittermann

contributor

X

Do Ho Suh

b. 1962

Do Ho Suh is an internationally renowned Korean artist. Suh constructs site-specific installations and meticulously crafted sculptures that question boundaries of identity, conventional notions of scale, and space in both its physical and metaphorical manifestation.

Suh studied oriental painting at Seoul National University in the 1980s, and in 1991 he moved to the United States to study painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and sculpture at Yale University School of Art. He settled in New York in 1997, where he lived and worked until relocating to London in 2010. He currently maintains studios in London, Seoul, and New York.

Suh represented South Korea at the 49th Venice Biennale in 2001 with his iconic work Some/One, constructed of military dog tags exploring individual and collective identity. Solo exhibitions of his work have been presented internationally, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris, New York, 2001; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 2002; Serpentine Gallery, London, 2002; Artsonje Center, Seoul, 2003; the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, 2005; Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York, 2010; DAAD Galerie, Berlin, 2011; Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore, 2011; Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, 2012; Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, 2012; 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2012–13; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, 2013; The Contemporary Austin, Austin, 2014; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Ohio, 2015.

Suh’s work has been prominently featured in major group exhibitions and biennials worldwide, including the Istanbul Biennial, Turkey, 2003; Psycho Buildings, Hayward Gallery, London, 2008; Your Bright Future, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2009; Liverpool Biennial, 2010; Venice Architecture Biennale, 2010; Gwangju Biennale, 2012; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, 2013; Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, 2014; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, 2015; and Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2015. His work is included in numerous museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Tate Modern, London; Leeum Samsung Museum, Seoul; Artsonje Center, Seoul; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, among many others.

location

X
  • Born: Seoul, South Korea
  • Based: London, England, UK

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Motherhood and the Race for Sustainability

Marie Lo

2014 Criticism. 25 pages. Patti Duncan and Gina Wong (eds.), Mothering in East Asian Communities: Politics and Practices

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Marie Lo

Marie Lo is an associate professor of English at Portland State University. She received her PhD from UC Berkeley and her BA from McGill University. She has published on Asian Canadian and Asian American literature, and she is currently working on a book that examines 19th century U.S. Indian policy and immigration law. She has also been involved grassroots media and was a co-founder and co-producer of APA Compass, an Asian Pacific American public affairs program. She also likes knitting, spinning yarn and gardening, and is beginning a project on craft and U.S. racial politics.

location

X
  • Born: Chu Tung, Taiwan
  • Based: Portland, OR, USA

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