May 17, 2026
AAPI / AANHPI Heritage Month: why it matters who makes art
May is AAPI / AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander) Heritage Month. Kwohtations is proudly an Asian- and woman-owned business (hi, it’s me!)
To be honest, I have mixed feelings about these heritage months. They can feel performative, especially now when our safety and rights are still actively under threat; the brief burst of visibility and support often disappears as soon as the month ends.
And yet, it's an opportunity to pause and celebrate the beauty, richness, complexity, and strength that come from our diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and identities.
So why does it matter who makes art?
It's not just about creating work that highlights our own traditions or communities, although that's important too. It matters because each of us brings our histories, values, and individual ways of moving through the world into everything we create.
As a Chinese American woman, I know what it's like to be the only person in the room who looks like me, and to belong to two cultures but be fully accepted by neither. It has made me more attuned to others who might also feel unseen (or too visible), in-between, or somehow other, and I hope that this awareness comes through my work.
The things I love about being Asian are also a throughline, even though most of my work is not explicitly about being Chinese or Asian American. It shows up in cards about offering food as love; to this day, "Are you hungry?" is one of my favorite ways to say "I love you."
It's in the reminders of the importance of the collective, and in the belief that family—inherited, chosen, or otherwise defined—is paramount. Because I and so many of my friends are children of immigrants, I grew up surrounded by lessons in resilience, adaptability, and the importance of building community.
Of course, every artist brings their own distinct heritage, experiences, and perspective to their work. There is no single AANHPI story. Part of the beauty of celebrating this month is honoring both what we have in common, and the plethora of distinct cultures, histories, and identities held within that term.
When a fuller range of artists get to share their work, we all get a deeper and more honest reflection of the human experience. We have more opportunities to recognize ourselves, understand each other, and create a world we want to live in.
So, here's to celebrating us this—and every—month.
xo
Janine