Thank you to the Pao Arts Center and curator Leslie Anne Condon for inviting me to participate in this spring exhibition along with some amazingly talented artists. The show runs until June 30, 2023.

Here are some press of the event:

• “Call and Response” Imagines a Radical Collective Future in the Midst of Isolation (Boston Art Review)
• New exhibits at Pao Arts Center create spaces for community reflection (Boston Globe)

Over the centuries, artists have created images and illustrations in response to the world around them, to tell stories or to amplify messages of protest and solidarity, especially during times of widespread crisis and upheaval. This has been especially true for AAPI artists today, as our community continues to navigate multi-pandemics, including COVID-19 and its reverberations, and the rise of anti-Asian discrimination and violence. Like other illustrators over the years, local Boston AAPI artists have responded to these tragedies with images and words of resistance and of comfort.

Call and Response: Illustration in Uncertain Times features illustrations and graphic designs by seven local AAPI artists who have used their craft to speak to this complicated moment. As with other kinds of labor, these artistic gestures offer critical support to the community by giving voice to different experiences and encouraging care.

Curated by: Leslie Anne Condon

Participating Artists: Deborah Johnson, payal kumar, Lillian Lee, Shaina Lu, Yuko Okabe, Sanika Phawde, Wen-ti Tsen