The other day, my friend pointed me towards the work of ceramic artist Stephanie H. Shih. I was immediately enamored by her handiwork, ceramic sculptures of popular foods found in Asian grocery stores such as sriracha, lao gan ma, and large bags of rice. If you’re a fan of Lucy Sparrow’s felt pieces, you will surely enjoy feasting your eyes upon Stephanie Shih’s colorful handmade ceramics.
As an Asian American artist myself, I had also explored familiar ideas in my work–how everyday items can connect a diaspora of first generation Americans. The foods that Shih highlights serve as a cultural connection between Asian Americans and their immigrant parents.
Shih describes her own work as “a pantry from the ‘80s——filled with with fingerprinted surfaces and shakily painted labels——that looks at once familiar and hazy, like an old memory.” For me, running my eyes over the bumpy textures and vibrant labels of Shih’s sculptures brings a wave of nostalgia, taking me back to running through aisles of my hometown grocery store, feet stepping on dark concrete, smells of fresh fish and fried pork and candy wafting through the building. Perhaps I’ll be fortunate enough to have one of her works perched on a shelf in my living room someday.
As an art student, it is inevitable to meet people with different art practices and messages. As an art student at the U of M… this theory is further expanded because the art school is within a larger university. There is an infinite amount of opportunity here and one of my favorite parts about being a student in Ann Arbor is getting to see others use art as a form of discussion and watch them grow at the same time as myself.
One of my favorite artists I’ve had the pleasure of meeting is Ariel Friedlander. I met her in my 2D Studio course that we were both taking as a requirement. I learned that she is both an art and art history major and I grew to like Ariel not only because of her personality and artwork but also because of her innate ability to constantly challenge our assignments and professor. Her confidence with what she was creating inspired me and continues to inspire me and how I create my own work.
In class I watched Ariel make art pertaining to her Jewish, queer, and diabetic identities. I loved watching her connect these ideas and start discussions about intersectionality as well as also focusing on pushing boundaries of other topics. My favorite moments were when she made individuals in our class and our professor question what something meant and then hear her educated and organized response back.
Ariel is always churning out a multitude of work at a time and is constantly updating her social media with the work she creates. It is great to watch her build a community with her art especially when she posts about her travels.
She recently has been working on curating a portrait photography and text series, “Queer As In”. In this project, she explores, “the nuances of queer identity through collaboration with self-identified queer individuals.” Ariel had noticed banners and pickets with slogans like “Queer as in fuck you” or “Queer as in abolish ICE” from activist experiences. This inspired her to create this series and have the model she photographed “fill in the blank with a
word they feel is important to their LGBTQ identity.” The color on the portraits are chosen by the model as the color they believe connects the most with their word. The final arrangement shows the photos creating one large pride flag.
Tonight from 7-9pm in the Michigan League’s first floor lobby is the opening of her “Queer As In” art exhibition on campus. The show will be up from February 11th until March 13th and is sponsored by Spectrum Center and RC.
As a community, it is important to show up to events and art shows like this to show support and interest. The effort of trying to learn and have an open mind is what sometimes is the most important part of the shows themselves. Ariel’s work is 110% worth the time to check out and I recommend you all go either tonight or within the next month to see her stunning curation.
Hope to see you there! 🙂
P.S. Check out her cool ass earrings on her Etsy account!
I recently sat down with Yuki Obayashi, a junior pursuing a BFA in Art & Design here at Michigan, to hear what she had to say about her own work and art as a whole.
Valerie: Hi Yuki, can you tell me about yourself and how you became an artist?
Yuki: I was first introduced to art by my family. My mom was always really handy, and did every craft with a needle and thread. My sister was always painting and drawing. I used to watch drawing videos as a hobby, but in middle school I realized I really enjoyed it. People asked me to make things, and in high school, I took an art class and realized I wanted to keep [making art].
V: Wow, you come from a very artsy family. Where are you from?
Y: I was born in Novi. I lived my whole life in Michigan and I go to Traverse City every summer, so Michigan is always close to my heart. I also identify as Japanese American.
V: Cool! How do you define art and your place within it?
Y: There’s no real definition. Even though it’s cliche, anything can be art. It’s more a state of mind–it belongs to everyone, so I’m part of this larger thing. I’m not sure I have a specific place in it so I’m just happy to be there.
V: That’s an interesting point of view. I think you are definitely an artist within the sphere of art. Now, who influences your art?
Y: In the beginning, it was definitely my sister–she had a beautiful way of portraying things. I would see all of her high school paintings and artwork and it really resonated with me. I wanted to be able to say things in that kind of way. Now, I’m really influenced by designers like Paula Scher, Jessica Walsh, Michael Bierut–they are not quick to define things.
V: Yeah, I like them too! [Paula and Michael] are partners at Pentagram. I really like their work. Speaking of work, what is one of your favorite projects that you’ve done?
Y: I’m never really proud of the stuff I’ve done because I always look back and think about the other things I could have done. I like painting the murals [LiveinColor] is doing. We do so many, so I’m constantly having my mind opened because many different painters come in with what they want to put on the walls. Sometimes at first I’m narrow minded but seeing the final work makes me realize that I come out a slightly different person. So I wouldn’t say there’s one piece of work I’m most proud of
V: I hope you’re proud of your work, it’s so good! I’ve never had anyone give me an answer like that before; you’re very insightful.
V: In your work, what do you care about?
Y: I realized that within my work I care about the process itself and idea formulation. The end product can be anything, but it will only be successful if there’s a clear intention. I care about people who are willing to do things that aren’t conventionally seen as beautiful–there’s so much intelligence behind it and i really admire people who do that. I hope to pursue similar ways of thinking in my own design.
V: Everything you say is so eloquent. I think that emphasis on process is really important, and I’m trying to get better at that too. So where do you see yourself going in the future?
Y: I think my state of mind is going to be the same. I’m going to be painting or designing, but I’m still going to question myself. I always want to take risks and be more open to them.
V: Nicely said. Thank you so much for speaking with me!
Three years ago, Nike made headlines by designing the Pro Hijab, a sports scarf for Muslim women to don during sports.
Although it wasn’t the first company to do so, it certainly is the first major sporting brand to design a breathable headscarf. Many hijab wearing athletes, including Ibtihaj Muhammad, lamented on the fact that it was hard for her to find a hijab that was suitable for her to compete and train in. She realized that that Pro Hijab was better at cooling and regulating her body temperature. The Nike Hijab Pro is currently selling for $35.
Very recently, Nike released a new swim line, the “Nike Victory Swim Collection”. This collection of swimsuits were designed with modesty in mind and unlike typical swimsuits, covered the body modestly. As a swimmer myself, I was rather impressed with this because Nike dedicated a lot of research and development into making this. A lot of modest swimming suits that I have seen myself usually doesn’t last very long, isn’t suitable for doing laps and is baggy and is just not very water streamlined. This new swimwear lifts the barriers to swim for women who desire more modesty and for hijab-wearing women.
Nike certainly has stepped up, by providing sports wear for women who don the hijab and even sports wear for plus sized women, With this, I do hope more major brands take up this challenge, to provide all sorts of wear catered to different types of people, and to remove any barriers that might be hindering people to perform sports, or to express themselves.
Even the author’s name, Ocean Vuong, is quite beautiful. I came to this autofictional novel with high hopes in mind, going off all of the hype that Vuong’s first prose debut was generating. Named a best book of the year by many, I was a bit skeptical of the power of this book at first, because his previous chapbooks of poetry weren’t my style. Nonetheless, I checked out the black-and-white-covered novel and set forth.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous took me two days to finish. I was amazed, impressed, shaken a little. Knowing that Vuong is also a queer Vietnamese person, I strongly identified with his intense emotional narratives. The novel blurs the line between personal lived expreience and literary fiction, but seeing a Vietnamese immigrant gain immense praise and popularity in the literary world gives me a sense of inspiration and pride as well.
Written in the form of letters from an adult son to his illiterate single mother, Little Dog reminisces on his current life and turbulent childhood growing up as a first generation American in the back of a nail salon where his mother works. He writes of his well-meaning grandmother with schizophrenia, his first sexual experience with a farm boy, and the trauma associated with growing up in a town rife with addiction.
Most striking to me was Little Dog’s complicated relationship with his mother. Abusive at times and loving at others, the author gracefully explores how people experience unconditional love and healing. The author writes at one point, “Perhaps to lay hands on your child is to prepare him for war.” Vuong’s prose is so fluent and eloquent, yet parts of the book were so emotionally violent at times, I was left in awe of his words. Each sentence is equally beautiful and striking.
To sum it up, I absolutely loved On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.
CW&T, the art and design practice of Che-Wei Wang and Taylor Levy, are a dynamic duo based in Brooklyn. I came across their products while browsing Instagram one day, and have been thinking about it ever since. They develop all kinds of items such as electronic sculptures, pens, installations, apps, and more. The artists and designers, who have a child together, also teach in New York City.
CW&T create projects “that we want to see in the world.” Everything is thoughtfully designed and manufactured to last, and meant to improve the lives of creative people. As a designer myself, I’m allured to the elegant aesthetics and functionality of the products, such as a titanium bookmark pen or a kitchen salt vessel (that comes with matching magazine). Although the products can be quite pricey, it’s the attention to detail and perfection, not to mention the hours of development that goes into them, that makes them totally worth it. The thought and research put into each object is quite incredible (including designing a house in Tokyo 2013-15)!
An interesting part of their work is the emphasis on process – in photos they continuously share the development of a new product. It’s honest and intriguing “obsessive documentation.” Each image is accompanied by a unique naming system, which when decoded contains information about the purpose, date, quantity, material, and more. Even exploring the CW&T website or their colorful Instagram account is a treat for your eyes.
Ariel is always churning out a multitude of work at a time and is constantly updating her social media with the work she creates. It is great to watch her build a community with her art especially when she posts about her travels. 
