NOW Live from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

Hi, my name is Xiang Siow, and I am a rising third-year student at the University of Chicago majoring in art history.

As an intern at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program, I am working on a research project on Chinese American and transnational Chinese art. I am interested in how art is categorized in today’s critical discourse. What are the markers of identity in a world of complex, cultural-entangled identities? By examining the work of a few artists, I aim to explore and complicate the conventional boundaries (inclusive and exclusive) of what is even today still considered an “ethnic” type of art rooted solely in identity politics.

So far, my research has been based in books, exhibition catalogs, and other texts on Asian American art or on specific artists. I have also had very helpful conversations with staff at the Asian Pacific American Program and other Smithsonian experts. In the coming weeks, I hope to continue to take advantage of the expansive resources available to me, including the library and archives of the Freer-Sackler Galleries, American Art Museum, and the Library of Congress as I proceed with my work.

I have also assisted with various other projects at the office, including the 2010 Smithsonian Folklife Festival; the upcoming portion of the National Portrait Gallery’s series Portraiture Now focusing on Asian Americans; the unveiling of the portrait of former Cabinet Secretary Norman Mineta at NPG; a convening of various scholars, activists, and experts for an exhibition on Asian Pacific American history; and a future exhibition on Chinese food in America. I am thrilled to have had the privilege of meeting so many Asian Pacific American leaders and scholars and to be part of such a wonderful, dedicated, and fun staff.