This is just a REMINDER that the deadline for art submissions for ImaginAsian end February 28th! Kate Agathon, a grad school instructor at Purdue University and producer for photographer William L. Snyder, is spearheading this big art project and she wants all of you to help out. This art exhibition is intended to raise awareness and an understanding of the Asian American community as articulated through a variety of art including photography, visual, and literary. During the time the exhibit is displayed, people will be able to bid on pieces in a silent auction.  Their artwork will be publicly displayed at the Tippecanoe Arts Federation in West Lafayette, IN this Spring.  The art will be curated by Kate Agathon and the executive director of the Tippecanoe Arts Federation, Tetia Lee. All proceeds go towards the Indiana University and Purdue libraries to purchase Asian American materials. You can check out some of the submissions at Secret Identities. FYI, you don’t need to be Asian to participate in this art exhibition!

ImaginAsian: Identity and Experience in Contemporary Asian Pacific America

Fundraising Exhibition April 2- May 9, 2010

In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2010 and to generate funding for materials and sources for Asian American Studies collections at the Purdue University and Indiana University libraries, Kate Agathon, the Council on Asian American Studies, the Tippecanoe Arts Federation, and the Asian American Network of Indiana (AANI) are sponsoring a fundraising installation/exhibition of donated art addressing identity and experience within contemporary Asian Pacific America. The exhibition is intended to raise awareness and understanding of the Asian American community as articulated through a variety of art including photography, visual, and literary.

Open to everyone, submissions are being solicited nation-wide. Celebrity contributors include writer Maxine Hong Kingston, director Michael Kang, actor Parry Shen, hip hop group Far East Movement, Congressman Mike Honda, artist Stella Lai, illustrator/graphic designer Jerry Ma, poet Bao Phi, writer Tao Lin, comic legend Larry Hama, and many other prominent stakeholders within the Asian American community. Contributors do not need to be of Asian descent to participate!

For a donation of $5 or more, contributors are asked to fill an 8.5 x 11” space with creative art, writing, photography or any other artistic medium that addresses contemporary Asian Pacific American identity or the Asian Pacific American experience. Each submission will be vetted by a team for common themes and appropriateness.

Inspired by the Greater Lafayette Art Museum’s Mosaic, ImaginAsian will comprise of a display of 8.5 x 11” creative gifts celebrating the contemporary Asian Pacific American experience. The exhibit will be displayed April 2- May 9, 2010 at the Tippecanoe Arts Federation located at 638 North Street, Lafayette, IN 47901.

Bidders can bid on their favorite pieces of work by taking part in a silent auction that will take place throughout the duration of the exhibit. Submissions must be received by February 28, 2010 and can be sent to:

Kate Agathon
1809 Bengal Place
Lafayette, IN 47909

Checks made payable to the Asian American Network of Indiana are welcome. The Asian American Network of Indiana is a not-for- profit organization. All gifts are tax exempt. For more information, contact Kate Agathon at kate.agathon@gmail.com.