Sustainable Ways to Preserve Legacies | AAPI Month Featured Panel Talk
In light of AAPI Heritage Month, we invite you to join a featured panel on AAPI culture and sustainable ways to preserve legacies
On Sunday, May 22, 2022, join Kepler Mission Design & Textile Arts Center for an in-person event featuring a panel discussion on Sustainable Ways to Preserve Legacies. Artists, community organizers, and brand owners are joining this conversation, sharing their knowledge and different roles in preserving culture by creating more opportunities and scenarios for the traditional arts and crafts to attract and serve the modern-day audience.
The event will start with a panel discussion from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT followed by an indigo dyeing workshop from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT. A casual cultural reception with small bites will continue after the event. We want to cultivate a community with whom we can share our love of Asian culture, design, and craftsmanship.
Speakers
- Dongsheng (Tom) Chen, Founder of Kepler Mission Design
- So Ye Oh, Artist, Marketing Coordinator, Textile Arts Center
- Tinglan Huang, Mixed-media Sculptor, TAC Artist-in-residence
- Ruoyi Jiang, Founder & Creative Director, CHOP SUEY CLUB
- Feng Ye, Founder, Sage Collective
- Sally Hong, Project Manager, Kepler Mission Design (Moderator)
Agenda
- 1:30 p.m. Event Check-in and Networking
- 2:00 p.m. Panel Discussion Begins
- 3:00 p.m. Panel Discussion Concludes, Indigo Dyeing Workshop Begins
- 4:00 p.m. Indigo Dye Workshop Concludes, Cultural Reception Begins
- 4:30 p.m. Cultural Reception Concludes, Exit Venue
Meet Our Panelists
Dongsheng (Tom) Chen is an entrepreneur, brand strategist, and active angel investor in the art and technology sectors, with extensive experience in market entry strategy, sales performance, and operational improvement. As a serial entrepreneur, Dongsheng founded Cloud Printing and Cloud Gallery in 2014. Now he runs a growing multidisciplinary design studio, Kepler Mission Design (KPM), and leads a group of designers, makers, and technologists, and continues the mission to amplify the creative voice of the API community. Among many of his creative endeavors, the exhibition Gendered was highlighted in Tribeca Art Night, and the digital art pop-up exhibition Chewing Monster was featured on media, such as the Wall Street Journal, Artnet, Yahoo, 7, etc.
So Ye Oh is an artist, making soft sculptures by using various types of fabrics. Through studies of developmental psychology from college and further research in graduate school, she focuses on themes of childhood and motherhood. She received a BA from the University of Michigan in 2016 and graduated from the MFA Fine Arts program at Pratt Institute in 2020. Starting as an intern in early 2020, she has been continuing to work for TAC, one of her big resources and inspirations for her current art practice.
Tinglan Huang is a mixed-media sculptor who was born and raised in the south of China and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. She received her MFA from the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art; and her BFA in animation at LuXun Academy of Fine Arts, China. She focuses on considering the personality’s transformation invoked by social contradictions and changes in self-being. Also, she experiments with an archetype, which can reveal an individual's sub-consciousnesses. Using lines with various materials, like steel stick, wire, hemp rope and yarn, she creates the different structure of her being, from a spot to a line, then to a surface, and finally to a complex form. Her previous work was large scale and expressed by intensive layout.
Ruoyi Jiang is the founder and creative director of CHOP SUEY CLUB. Born and raised in Beijing, she moved to New York for college when she was 18, eventually graduating from NYU in 2013 with a BFA in Photography & Imaging. Prior to her undergraduate study, she was a professional teen golfer and licensed scuba diving instructor. Since then, she has worked in the fields of photography, fashion, art collection, curation, filmmaking, architecture, graphic design, and publishing. Her interdisciplinary background has made her attuned to the needs of the creative industry and has exposed her to a network of experts and artists. Having experienced the incredible diversity of New York, Ruoyi believes the best way to dissipate xenophobia is to make your culture accessible to others. CHOP SUEY CLUB is her effort to open up contemporary Chinese culture to a larger audience.
Feng Ye is a social entrepreneur who connects the creative talents of artisans and makers from Asia to initiate cross-cultural conversations on the global stage. With a degree in Fine Art from NYU, Feng honed her skills while working for TEFAF in New York and the Venice Biennale in Italy. By founding Sage Collective, she was able to merge her love of design, wellness, and entrepreneurship. Feng believes that the power of knowledge and beauty can uplift us all. Her long-term goal is to translate and amplify Eastern wisdom as a radical force for social, cultural, and ecological transformations toward a positive future
Yijing (Sally) Hong is a seasoned non-profit administrator who ventured into the creative industry. As the project manager at the Kepler Mission Design, she managed the company’s inaugural Year of Tiger creative culture campaign, 2022 Olala NYCC. Prior to her time at KPM, she had worked at Brooklyn Museum, Smithsonian Museums of Asian Art, and ArtBridge Project, among many cultural institutions. A life-long arts and culture enthusiast, Sally has collaborated with emerging artists, community organizations, and city agencies, producing public events such as Doyers Street art mural, Chinatown Arts Week, and participatory public programs to amplify the voice of the immigrant and API community.
Indigo Dyeing Workshop
Following the panel discussion, event guests will have the opportunity to join this drop in workshop to learn about plant-derived natural indigo dye. Hosted by artist and designer, Whitney Newton, participants of all skill levels will try their hand at resist-dyeing techniques using blue indigo. Materials will be provided.
Meet Your Instructor
Whitney Newton is an artist, fashion designer, and educator based in New York. She has collaborated with many local brands, including Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Petite Studio NYC, TiA CiBANi LLC, etc. As a person of Chinese heritage, Whitney brings her background and the concept of slow fashion into her everyday work. One of her most recent ongoing projects, Hot Pot Goods, showcases sustainable pieces inspired by Chinese food with net profits donated to local Chinatown businesses that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.
About Textile Arts Center
Textile Arts Center (TAC) is a NYC-based resource facility dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of textiles through creative educational programs for children and adults. At TAC, we aspire to unite the textile community and advocate for the handmade by providing accessible, skills-based classes that reinvigorate engagement with traditional crafts. Techniques like weaving, sewing, and dyeing are practical, connective, and process-driven—common denominators around the world. They are part of our collective history and vital to our ongoing expressions of design, art, and culture.
About Kepler Mission Design
Kepler Mission Design (KPM) is a multidisciplinary design laboratory based in New York that envisions visual design systems and integrated brand strategies for today’s institutions and creative entrepreneurs in the U.S and Asia. Our services include providing design solutions, brand assessments and strategies, and incubating new products and cultural brands. By facilitating collaboration between different industries, institutions and pioneering groups, we inspire cross-cultural practice and bring valuable opportunities to our clients.
In light of AAPI Heritage Month, we invite you to join a featured panel on AAPI culture and sustainable ways to preserve legacies
On Sunday, May 22, 2022, join Kepler Mission Design & Textile Arts Center for an in-person event featuring a panel discussion on Sustainable Ways to Preserve Legacies. Artists, community organizers, and brand owners are joining this conversation, sharing their knowledge and different roles in preserving culture by creating more opportunities and scenarios for the traditional arts and crafts to attract and serve the modern-day audience.
The event will start with a panel discussion from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT followed by an indigo dyeing workshop from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT. A casual cultural reception with small bites will continue after the event. We want to cultivate a community with whom we can share our love of Asian culture, design, and craftsmanship.
Speakers
- Dongsheng (Tom) Chen, Founder of Kepler Mission Design
- So Ye Oh, Artist, Marketing Coordinator, Textile Arts Center
- Tinglan Huang, Mixed-media Sculptor, TAC Artist-in-residence
- Ruoyi Jiang, Founder & Creative Director, CHOP SUEY CLUB
- Feng Ye, Founder, Sage Collective
- Sally Hong, Project Manager, Kepler Mission Design (Moderator)
Agenda
- 1:30 p.m. Event Check-in and Networking
- 2:00 p.m. Panel Discussion Begins
- 3:00 p.m. Panel Discussion Concludes, Indigo Dyeing Workshop Begins
- 4:00 p.m. Indigo Dye Workshop Concludes, Cultural Reception Begins
- 4:30 p.m. Cultural Reception Concludes, Exit Venue
Meet Our Panelists
Dongsheng (Tom) Chen is an entrepreneur, brand strategist, and active angel investor in the art and technology sectors, with extensive experience in market entry strategy, sales performance, and operational improvement. As a serial entrepreneur, Dongsheng founded Cloud Printing and Cloud Gallery in 2014. Now he runs a growing multidisciplinary design studio, Kepler Mission Design (KPM), and leads a group of designers, makers, and technologists, and continues the mission to amplify the creative voice of the API community. Among many of his creative endeavors, the exhibition Gendered was highlighted in Tribeca Art Night, and the digital art pop-up exhibition Chewing Monster was featured on media, such as the Wall Street Journal, Artnet, Yahoo, 7, etc.
So Ye Oh is an artist, making soft sculptures by using various types of fabrics. Through studies of developmental psychology from college and further research in graduate school, she focuses on themes of childhood and motherhood. She received a BA from the University of Michigan in 2016 and graduated from the MFA Fine Arts program at Pratt Institute in 2020. Starting as an intern in early 2020, she has been continuing to work for TAC, one of her big resources and inspirations for her current art practice.
Tinglan Huang is a mixed-media sculptor who was born and raised in the south of China and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. She received her MFA from the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art; and her BFA in animation at LuXun Academy of Fine Arts, China. She focuses on considering the personality’s transformation invoked by social contradictions and changes in self-being. Also, she experiments with an archetype, which can reveal an individual's sub-consciousnesses. Using lines with various materials, like steel stick, wire, hemp rope and yarn, she creates the different structure of her being, from a spot to a line, then to a surface, and finally to a complex form. Her previous work was large scale and expressed by intensive layout.
Ruoyi Jiang is the founder and creative director of CHOP SUEY CLUB. Born and raised in Beijing, she moved to New York for college when she was 18, eventually graduating from NYU in 2013 with a BFA in Photography & Imaging. Prior to her undergraduate study, she was a professional teen golfer and licensed scuba diving instructor. Since then, she has worked in the fields of photography, fashion, art collection, curation, filmmaking, architecture, graphic design, and publishing. Her interdisciplinary background has made her attuned to the needs of the creative industry and has exposed her to a network of experts and artists. Having experienced the incredible diversity of New York, Ruoyi believes the best way to dissipate xenophobia is to make your culture accessible to others. CHOP SUEY CLUB is her effort to open up contemporary Chinese culture to a larger audience.
Feng Ye is a social entrepreneur who connects the creative talents of artisans and makers from Asia to initiate cross-cultural conversations on the global stage. With a degree in Fine Art from NYU, Feng honed her skills while working for TEFAF in New York and the Venice Biennale in Italy. By founding Sage Collective, she was able to merge her love of design, wellness, and entrepreneurship. Feng believes that the power of knowledge and beauty can uplift us all. Her long-term goal is to translate and amplify Eastern wisdom as a radical force for social, cultural, and ecological transformations toward a positive future
Yijing (Sally) Hong is a seasoned non-profit administrator who ventured into the creative industry. As the project manager at the Kepler Mission Design, she managed the company’s inaugural Year of Tiger creative culture campaign, 2022 Olala NYCC. Prior to her time at KPM, she had worked at Brooklyn Museum, Smithsonian Museums of Asian Art, and ArtBridge Project, among many cultural institutions. A life-long arts and culture enthusiast, Sally has collaborated with emerging artists, community organizations, and city agencies, producing public events such as Doyers Street art mural, Chinatown Arts Week, and participatory public programs to amplify the voice of the immigrant and API community.
Indigo Dyeing Workshop
Following the panel discussion, event guests will have the opportunity to join this drop in workshop to learn about plant-derived natural indigo dye. Hosted by artist and designer, Whitney Newton, participants of all skill levels will try their hand at resist-dyeing techniques using blue indigo. Materials will be provided.
Meet Your Instructor
Whitney Newton is an artist, fashion designer, and educator based in New York. She has collaborated with many local brands, including Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Petite Studio NYC, TiA CiBANi LLC, etc. As a person of Chinese heritage, Whitney brings her background and the concept of slow fashion into her everyday work. One of her most recent ongoing projects, Hot Pot Goods, showcases sustainable pieces inspired by Chinese food with net profits donated to local Chinatown businesses that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.
About Textile Arts Center
Textile Arts Center (TAC) is a NYC-based resource facility dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of textiles through creative educational programs for children and adults. At TAC, we aspire to unite the textile community and advocate for the handmade by providing accessible, skills-based classes that reinvigorate engagement with traditional crafts. Techniques like weaving, sewing, and dyeing are practical, connective, and process-driven—common denominators around the world. They are part of our collective history and vital to our ongoing expressions of design, art, and culture.
About Kepler Mission Design
Kepler Mission Design (KPM) is a multidisciplinary design laboratory based in New York that envisions visual design systems and integrated brand strategies for today’s institutions and creative entrepreneurs in the U.S and Asia. Our services include providing design solutions, brand assessments and strategies, and incubating new products and cultural brands. By facilitating collaboration between different industries, institutions and pioneering groups, we inspire cross-cultural practice and bring valuable opportunities to our clients.