FREE
Join us for the release of An American Vocabulary: Words to Action, a collaborative art piece between JANM Artists at Work fellows Audrey Chan and jason chu. The project centers on a series of multilingual flash cards that use illustration and poetry to explore concepts in Asian American community. The unveiling of the flashcards will be accompanied by live music on the plaza by jason chu, interactive art activities by Audrey Chan, DJ sets from Gingee and Grace Ktown, and tabling by spotlighted community vendors and organizations.
Learn more about the project here.
RSVPs are strongly recommended. The first 300 attendees to RSVP will receive a full set of An American Vocabulary flashcards when they check in on the day of the event.
jason chu
Rapper/activist jason chu makes music to “speak hope and healing in a broken world,” blending introspective lyricism with high-energy live performances. chu has performed on the National Mall, shared poetry at The White House (President Barack Obama), and been featured at the Chinese American Museum. His music has been heard on Warrior (HBO/Cinemax), Snowpiercer (TNT), and Wu-Assassins (Netflix), and recognized by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. He tours extensively, serves as Communications Director at Hate Is a Virus, and is an expert on Asian American identity and hip-hop culture appearing on the BBC, NBC, and at Yale, Stanford, NYU, and beyond.
Audrey Chan
Audrey Chan is a Los Angeles-based artist, illustrator, and writer. Her research-based projects use drawing, painting, public art, and video to challenge dominant historical narratives through allegories of power, place, and identity. She received a MFA from California Institute of the Arts and a BA with Honors from Swarthmore College. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the USC Pacific Asia Museum, Chinese American Museum, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, and Self Help Graphics & Art. Chan was commissioned by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to create public artwork for the future Little Tokyo/Arts District Metro Station opening in 2022.
Gingee
Gingee is a Filipino American producer, percussionist, and vocalist. Using her dynamic percussion skills, poetic lyrics, and eclectic beats, Gingee captivates audiences with performances that combine the rhythms of Filipino kulintang gongs and other percussion instruments with genres such as hip hop, electronic, global bass, and funk. Gingee’s independently created releases have carved a niche for her unique sound and she has played at venues all over the U.S. including Grand Performances, SXSW, Levitt Pavilion, Globalquerque, Coachella, Eagle Rock Music Festival, and toured in Europe and the Philippines. She has teamed up with local communities to curate events alongside her art collective Magic Garage and collaborated with musicians she connected with on her travels. She incorporated many of those collaborations on “Solstice/Equinox,” a 4-part EP series released on every solstice and equinox throughout 2018. She was also a featured musician in the 2016 “Music on the Road” documentary series on Arte TV France. Gingee lives in Los Angeles where she was born and raised.
Grace Ktown
Grace Ktown is a multidisciplinary designer and DJ based in Los Angeles with a love for branding, marketing, and experiences.
As a DJ, she’s been immersed in LA’s vibrant music and creative scene since 2011. As a result, her live shows and mixes are a genre-bending experience that celebrates diversity of the city and her community.
She aims to bring people closer together through dancing and singing, as well as inspiring others to approach music with curiosity and discovery. Her favorite genres to play with include Hip-Hop, R&B, Future Beats, Funk, Soul, Afrobeats, House, Baile Funk, Reggaeton—just to name a few.
