Speaker: Dr. Tiffany Hunt (American University, UMW)
Talk: Fabricated Boundaries: Filipina American Fiber and Textile Artists
Location: Monroe Hall 116
Time: Monday, October 6, 5-6pm

As of 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 4.6 million people living in America identified as Filipino, making it the third-largest Asian population in the United States. Of that total, 47% are immigrants, many of whom are Filipina women who work as nurses, service workers, and caregivers. Yet, to speak about a Filipina American diaspora and its impact on the visual arts requires a nuanced understanding of identity, culture, and complicated histories. To commemorate Filipino American History Month, this talk brings the exhibition Fabricated Boundaries: Filipina American Fiber and Textile Artists to the UMW campus. Featuring four artists—Pacita Abad, Mic Diño Boekelmann, Jeanne F. Jalandoni, and Patricia Orpilla—this intergenerational project brings women on both sides of the diaspora together: those who immigrated to the US, and the children of Philippine immigrants. At the heart of the show lies a simple question: how do artists use material histories to fabricate their agency between real, imagined, perceived, and prescribed boundaries. The exhibition was curated by Dr. Hunt and is currently on display at American University.

This event is co-sponsored by the Leidecker Center for Asian Studies, the Department of Cultural and Philosophical Inquiry, and UMW Galleries.