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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2022)
OPINION Page 6 n THE ASIAN REPORTER December 5, 2022 Volume 32 Number 12 December 5, 2022 ISSN: 1094-9453 The Asian Reporter is published on the first Monday each month. Please send all correspondence to: The Asian Reporter 922 N Killingsworth Street, Suite 2D, Portland, OR 97217 Phone: (503) 283-4440, Fax: (503) 283-4445 News Department e-mail: news@asianreporter.com Advertising Department e-mail: ads@asianreporter.com Website: www.asianreporter.com Please send reader feedback, Asian-related press releases, and community interest ideas/stories to the addresses listed above. Please include a contact phone number. Advertising information available upon request. Publisher Jaime Lim Contributing Editors Ronault L.S. Catalani (Polo), Jeff Wenger Correspondents Ian Blazina, Josephine Bridges, Pamela Ellgen, Maileen Hamto, Edward J. Han, A.P. Kryza, Marie Lo, Simeon Mamaril, Julie Stegeman, Toni Tabora-Roberts, Allison Voigts Illustrator Jonathan Hill News Service Associated Press/Newsfinder Copyright 2022. Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication. Member Associated Press/Newsfinder Asian American Journalists Association Better Business Bureau Pacific Northwest Minority Publishers (PNMP) Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon MY TURN n Dmae Lo Roberts Artist Alex Chiu Correspondence: The Asian Reporter welcomes reader response and participation. 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Back issues of The Asian Reporter may be ordered by mail at the following rates: First copy: $1.50 Additional copies ordered at the same time: $1.00 each Send orders to: Asian Reporter Back Issues, 922 N. Killingsworth St., Portland, OR 97217-2220 The Asian Reporter welcomes reader response and participation. If you have a comment on a story we have printed, or have an Asian-related personal or community focus idea, please contact us. Please include a contact name, address, and phone number on all correspondence. Thank you. or the last 10 years since moving to a meeting with Nick in Chinatown, they talked Portland, Chinese-American painter Alex about the meaning of a phrase on the gate. Four Chiu has created murals that are personal Oceans, One Family. “I really like that,” Chiu said. portraits of real people and communities. Readers Chiu said the “Illuminating Time” art project has may have passed by one of his murals on walls both helped him find more acceptance in Oregon. Since inside and outside of buildings. Some of his works his move a decade ago, he said he always felt a are found at the 82nd Avenue TriMet MAX Light “negative connotation” whenever he revealed he Rail Station or the Vanport moved from Southern Cali- Building on the campus of fornia. Portland State University, a “I feel like I need to prove piece that celebrates “The myself,” he said. “Or there’s Spirit of Vanport” before the always been this need to 1948 flood wiped out the city. feel like I belong here. Even Chiu is sometimes seen after being here for 10 “live painting” around his years,” Chiu says East Portland neighborhood conversations are often capturing portraits of like, “Oh, where are you subjects such as a Hmong coming from, or from where family selling flowers at the are you originally?” farmers’ market, or creating Chiu said that as murals at My Brother’s Chinese Americans opened Crawfish seafood restaurant up to him to be part of the on 82nd Avenue or works museum project, it also celebrating Asian-American “allowed” him to be an communities and busi- artist in Portland and give nesses. Pretty much any him that recognition. wall anywhere is the artist’s Chiu received his degree potential canvas. in visual arts from the Currently, Chiu is part of Artist Alex Chiu has created many murals in the Portland University of California, an art show called area, including this one at My Brother’s Crawfish sea- San Diego, and started “Illuminating Time” with food restaurant on 82nd Avenue. (Photo courtesy of working professionally by two other artists, Shu-Ju Alex Chiu) creating graphic novels Wang and Sam Roxas-Chua, at the Portland and publishing ’zines. He told me a romantic story of Chinatown Museum. The exhibit continues through how he met his wife — while taking art classes, she the first part of January 2023. The three artists walked up to him and said she recognized his art. were chosen for an eight-week residency to create “I would doodle on bus benches and after a while art inspired by Portland’s Chinatown history. The … it just became the iconography of the town,” Chiu project was created and curated by veteran public explained. “And she was like, ‘I’ve seen your work art and installation artist Horatio Law, who is the before.’” His soon-to-be wife opened up her sketch- Creative Heights award-winning resident artist at book and showed him some artwork she copied from the museum. one of his bus benches. “I mean, it ended up leading “Illuminating Time” looks at the history of Port- to a relationship and good friendship.” land’s Chinatown through a more contemporary That “friendship” led to marriage and raising kids lens. Chiu, a second-generation Chinese American, who have also been a subject of his murals and has been meeting and talking with former paintings. One of his first mural projects, funded by Chinatown residents or their descendants and then the Regional Arts & Culture Council, was at the painting portraits of them. Each time he gives them MAX Light Rail Station at 82nd Avenue. That his original sketch or smaller painting as a way to experience shaped his artistic career as a muralist. say thank you. Chiu says he became especially fond He talked with community leaders in the area and of studying the Chinatown Gate. was moved by them. “It’s really an amazing piece of artwork,” Chiu “I went up through a lot of different emotions and said. While befriending Nick Lee, the son of former a lot of different interactions with people grateful to resident Melvin Lee, Chiu found his inspiration. At Continued on page 7 F Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication.