Art Chowder September | October Issue No. 29 | Page 53
So, during the day, people don’t
really go to outdoor swimming pools.
If you have a community swimming
pool, they prefer to open at night.”
REGIONAL REPORT
SPOKANE ARTS
This mural also offers the graphic
designer a chance to represent her
wider body of work. For Lin and
other emerging artists, securing public
art projects can be a vital step in
establishing a long-term, sustainable
career. Highly visible murals like
this one serve as important portfolio
builders and professional calling cards.
Her previous public art has included a
pair of colorful, nature-themed murals
for two elementary school playground
walls near her home in Pullman,
Washington. But she’s also had her
work featured in smaller curated
exhibitions, such as Saturate, that
showcase a more pensive side.
“My art is both playful and serious,”
she says. “It mainly has to do with the
audience difference. For example, with
a lot of my serious art, the audience
might be people who go to gallery
shows, a fine art audience. But with
my more playful work, I intentionally
make those illustrations for children.”
And her desire for accessibility goes
beyond connecting with older or
younger audiences. Informed by her
own experience as a Chinese expat
now living and working in the United
States, Lin is also very intentional
about reflecting the lives of a broader
spectrum of individuals.
“That’s one of my goals for art making.
I really want to create a story for
children who don’t really find that
many representatives in the U.S.,
like Chinese-Americans, African-
Americans, and kids from minority
groups. I think their stories are really
important to be told.”
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