Crossing Cultures: Belle Yang, A Story of Immigration

“As an art exhibition curator, when I opened and read Belle Yang’s books, I walked into a museum gallery each time.”

–Deborah Silguero, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at the National Steinbeck Center

“I applaud you for sharing your story of immigration…and hope that it will be heard.”

– Nancy Pelosi

“Belle’s voice is so true and pure it is capable of washing away the grimy layers of cynicism.”

– Amy Tan

Belle Yang is an author, graphic novelist, and children’s book illustrator who translates her experiences as a Chinese-American immigrant into bold, powerful artworks. The exhibition features approximately 25 paintings and 8 illustrations that embrace Yang’s Asian heritage. Born in Taiwan, Yang spent part of her childhood in Japan before immigrating to the US with her family at the age of seven. In an effort to reconnect with her parents’ mainland Chinese roots, Yang studied at the Beijing Academy of Traditional Chinese Painting, where she developed an appreciation and respect for traditional ink paintings and folk art. After experiencing the horrors of the Tiananmen Massacre, Yang returned to the US determined not to waste the gift of America: freedom of expression.

Yang—whose Chinese first name, Xuan, means “Forget Sorrow”—has found her own voice, one that advocates justice for immigrants through captivating writing and compelling images. Exhibitions of her work have been presented at museums and cultural centers such as the National Steinbeck Center, Monterey Museum of Art, San Francisco Main Public Library, Pacific Asia Museum, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, and the Boston Public Library. The exhibition is accompanied by an award-winning documentary film, My Name is Belle, in which the artist narrates her life story and shares the inspiration behind significant pieces in her oeuvre.

I try to instill the thought that no one is plain old American, even if a family has been several generations in America. We are all immigrants or have immigrant roots from far ranging places. — Belle Yang

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