1996 – 1997

6th AAAC Annual: 12 Cicadas in the Tree of Knowledge

September 20 - November 2, 1996

Twelve artists chosen from the permanent Asian American Artists Archive. Each individual’s work was measured under their own light and selected based on an instinctive response; no consistent theme is used in this wide-ranging show. This exhibition introduces twelve individuals who are connected only by a common desire for an artistic and visual language. Artists selected by Heejung Kim, Project Manager; Helen Shin, intern; and Robert Lee. Learn more: flyer, press release.

Participating artists:

Milieu Part II

November 22, 1996 - January 11, 1997

Second in an exhibition series, Milieu: Part II brings together three Asian American artists who were active in the two decades of the post World War II era. It is based on a national research project begun in the mid 80s entitled, “Asian American Artists and Their Milieu: 1945-1965,” which documented nearly ninety artists and interviewed many. The aim is to trace the complex story of Asian American artists and the developing cultural presence of Asians in America. In this installment, we explore the participation of Asian American artists in the artistic movement of Abstract Expressionism—how they brought their own sensibility to the movement while establishing a connection to their Asian heritage. Learn more: flyer, press release.

Participating artists:

Folk Art

February 1997

Works by Tibetan thang ka painter, Kelsang Wangmo.

Participating artists:

Impressions: Contemporary Asian Artists Prints

February 1 – April 11, 1997

Publication by Brandywine Workshop in Philadelphia. Introduction by Allan Edmunds. Essay by Robert Lee, “Asian American Art: One Perspective.” This essay enabled the opportunity to write about the early years of Asian American art at AAAC. An exhibition of twenty-eight artists, either American immigrants or American-born, currently residing in the U.S. but linked by birth or ethnic heritage to Asia. The exhibition offers a survey of the artists’ diverse styles, themes, and printing techniques and a window into contemporary graphic art as infused by ethnic perspectives and cultural and global crosscurrents.

Participating artists:

Three Generations: Towards an Asian American Art History

April 3 – May 17, 1997

A mentoring relationship that spans the post WWII era to the present, from San Francisco to Oberlin to New York, links these three artists together. The style of one artist is unlike the other, each artist having different artistic goals and concerns. Furthermore, race was not the basis for one artist calling the other their mentor. We examine, then, how these artists are related to each other, as well as how they are related to other Asian American artists and how they contribute to a coherent theme of Asian American art. The Milieu theme informs this exhibition. Curated by Robert Lee. Learn more: flyer, press release.

Participating artists: