Palmarin Merges

The Art of Learning New Things

In Japan, Palmarin Pimentel Merges has taken to going for walks around Tokyo, and creating patterns for her art work from things she sees.  

Karen Weliky

Using Identity to Live Out Loud

In elementary school Osvaldo Gonzalez felt sure that he was destined to be an outsider. “I felt like it was not OK to be me,” he remembers. “I would sit […]

Sankar Raman

I was a child of revolution

Sara Houranpay describes herself as a child of the revolution. She grew up during the Iranian Revolution. Her family fled to the United States,  

Sankar Raman

Artist Invites Viewers To Think

What’s the ideal training for a conceptual artist? Roberta Wong credits the time she spent chopping vegetables, washing dishes, and making dim sum pastries  

Mirifoto

Portland Ukrainians’ Plea

Fighting back tears at a rally she organized a few days after the Feb. 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Tatiana Terdal still managed to draw laughs from the 300

Sankar Raman

Opera Was Never on the Radar

When Priti Gandhi was six years old, her mother noticed that she liked to hum along with the radio. She also observed that her daughter

Karen Weliky

Evading Stigmas and Stereotypes

“One day, I looked around, and everyone looked the same,” says Emery Thanathiti, describing her reaction to moving to Hong Kong as a teenager. “But I wanted to

Karen Weliky

Pushing Boundaries Through Music

Raúl Gómez Rojas spent his youth learning the violin. Almost every day, he practiced the instrument in his hometown in Costa Rica. Then, at age 24, he found himself

Sankar Raman

Embracing and exploring identity

When Qasim Syed arrived in the United States in 2001, he didn’t realize that a simple decision to reorder his name would one day define his immigrant experience.

Karen Weliky

After Many Moves, The Music Still Plays

Ainur Zabenova vividly remembers her first violin audition at 7 years old: “The window was open and it was a beautiful sunny day with a little breeze.  

Karen Weliky

Becoming and Never Looking Back

“I always knew I was a hands-on person. I liked taking things apart and putting them back together,” says Fiaindratovo Manavihare, explaining  

Sankar Raman

He Came by Stork, I Came by Plane

The first time Liani Reeves realized that other people saw her as Asian was in the fifth grade.  “Everybody decided that Michael Lee and I should  

Karen Weliky

I Am My Mother’s Daughter

To this day, Bandana Shrestha feels a sense of gratitude for the example her mother, Indira, set for her as she grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Sankar Raman

From the Old, Comes Something New

Some of Yumi Torimaru’s earliest memories are of flying through the streets of Nara, Japan, on her bicycle, focused more on how fast she could go than

Sankar Raman

Even the Angels Could Be Capricious

Shahryar Houranpay’s name translates to “the angels are with you.” “Shay,” the American moniker of this Iranian restaurateur, has needed all the angelic