Hsiao-Chu (Julia)
Hsia
夏
小筑
HOMETOWN -Beyond Pacific Ocean-
2019
Collaborated with The Chinatown Collective, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Fully funded by Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Collaborated with The Chinatown Collective as an artist in residency. This is an oral history project that was full-funded by Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and was published in 2019 about stories of East Asian people in the Baltimore area, Maryland in the U.S.
Felt lonely and frustrated when first came to Baltimore for pursuing my master’s degree in fine arts, I had a period that was seriously depressed. However, people shared their similar experiences with me, to show their supports and encourage me to face the challenges. When talking with them, I realized the stories are powerful and supportive. Story-sharing is one of the ways that people share feelings, build connections and relationships.
Realizing Baltimore is a historical city, I was curious and had a passion for learning about the history of East Asian immigration and the new generation. Why did people decide to come to the U.S.? Why did people choose to stay in Baltimore? How did people overcome the tough obstacle when it appears?
After connecting with The Chinatown Collective, we decided to start this oral history project and publish a series of podcasts. We visited different people who are from East Asian countries or self-identify themselves as East Asian around the Baltimore area, to listen to their lives in Baltimore, and wherever they consider hometown. The sketches aim to memorize the moment with them and show my appreciation to all the participants. They became podcast covers and lined up with their powerful voices.
The project was eventually presented in the annual event Charm City Night Market on Sep 21, 2019, which is held by The Chinatown Collective. I shared the podcasts and talked to the visitors to share the stories and to celebrate the cultural diversity in Baltimore.
HOMETOWN -Beyond Pacific Ocean- has built a new relationship and shows the possibility of collaborating between MICA students and the local community in the art field.
After the project, the sketches were given to all the participants as gifts in order to show the appreciation of being a part of it. To listen to the full podcasts about their stories, please visit the HOMETOWN podcast Youtube playlist!
