Editor’s note: This article was updated 4/6 for accuracy.
Critical Asian Narratives & Engagement (CRANE) Collective, a student-led organization centered around creating a community for Asian students at NC State, held its first Asian Artist Showcase in Talley Student Union’s Coastal Ballroom on April 1.
In the showcase, Asian American artists presented a mixture of artistic mediums ranging from the visual and performance arts to tangible artistic mediums such as printmaking and sculpture building. Entry was made accessible with a “choose your own pricing” system, and revenue went to CRANE Collective directly for funding of future endeavors.
In the center of the ballroom were tables with various arts and crafts activities in which attendees could stop, relax and create something together. The showcase itself housed many booths of Asian American artists putting forth and, for some, selling their art.
Minh-Thu Dinh, a third-year studying electrical engineering and president of CRANE Collective, helped organize the event for the Asian American Showcase.
“This is really the first time Asian American artists are being featured, especially those who are students or just those who are in North Carolina,” Dinh said. “I’ve talked to a lot of… artists who will be at the event who have mentioned that this will probably be the first time that I will be in a space full of Asian and Asian American artists, which is something that I find really special.”
Dinh, along with her fellow CRANE leaders, said the event was the club’s priority this academic year. They said providing a platform for artistic Asian American students offers a unique opportunity for the University.
Jennifer Huynh, a third-year studying biology, had a booth titled “888 Jems by Jen,” showcasing beaded jewelry inspired by her experience growing up as a Buddhist. Kit Ostrea, a second-year studying art and design, displayed a booth featuring both printmaking and painting; her works showed snapshots of her familial life growing up Filipino in America.
The event also featured program breaks at three separate times throughout the night, showcasing the visual and performance art aspects of the showcase. Original choreography and music, spoken word performances, puppetry fables and short film debuts were spotlighted with varying themes like self-discovery, love and loss and coming-of-age.
Stephanie Sosa, a fourth-year studying graphic design, not only had a booth showcasing her tangible works, but was also one of eight artists with performance/visual art. Sosa’s animated short films “Our Ability to Forget” and “The Search” cast a lens on the themes of the acceptance of oneself, and the titular search for one’s true identity.
Another leader of CRANE Collective, Meera Butalia, a second-year studying environmental sciences, said the showcase could help artists foster a sense of community and to grow their creative network within an uplifting environment.
“[Though] we’re not making the artists spend time together, the hope is that through interacting with each other, they can widen their network, and in turn widen their possibilities for artmaking,” Butalia said. “This was an effort on our part to approach it in a way that is a little less formal and hopefully a little more cozy.”
For more information and updates on CRANE Collective or how you can get involved, visit its Get Involved page, Instagram or Facebook.
