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.” September | October 2020 53