Participating Artists
As a major component of research, I contacted and questioned 6 cross- culture or adult TCK artists, in order to better understand their struggles, motivations, and resolve of their life as a TCK or global nomad. The resulting ISSUU document highlights their artwork, and how it can be used in the art classroom as a foundation for studying the resulting themes within my research. I am grateful to all of the artists who volunteered their time to be a part of my project, and I want to encourage everyone to visit their website, as I have only been able to give a glimpse of their work in my project.
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Christine Rasmussen is a second generation Third Culture Kid and American citizen, but only spent three years in the United States before she turned 18. Rasmussen grew up and spent most of her childhood and teenage years in Pakistan and Vietnam. Rasmussen currently has family living in five countries, and states, "I feel like no one in my family identifies really strongly with one nationality or another, but rather moves across borders fluidly." Additionally, Rasmussen states that even within countries, she moved quite often, never living in one house more than 2.5 years, and expresses a unique connection to those who share a similar background. Rasmussen's artwork explores ideas of culture, place, and identity, and "reflects a sort of psychological jumping around, which in turn reflects the geographical jumping around that I've done my whole life."
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Joo Yeon Woo considers herself a culturally displaced artist, immigrating to the United States from her passport country as a young adult. Woo's interest lies in investigating the "experiences of dislocation and rootlessness" in her life, and how this shapes identity. Woo also explores the idea of how her own Korean cultural heritage effects and shapes her life as a global nomad, and how to express her"Korean regionality in a global community." Joo Yeon Woo's artwork symbolically reveals the displaced artist within, and how Woo constantly redefines a sense of place in today's contemporary nomadic world. Although Woo's project is housed in the United States, her exploration and investigation of the concepts of cultural identity and its relationship to cultural displacement are far reaching, and Woo's own experiences tell a story of embrace and understanding of the Third Culture nomadic community.
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Joo Yeon Woo“The question I have in the project is how second-generation children inform their cultural identity in their multiple cultural influences?”
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“I always return to portraying my place within the big picture rather than documenting the external.”
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Alec Von Bargen lived in five different countries before he was 18, and spoke five different languages by the time he was 15, making him a true global nomad to this day. Von Bargen's life as a TCK has greatly influenced his adult life, and spends most of his time traveling as an artist in adulthood. Von Bargen states, "I love to live within a 'culture', discover first-hand that which makes it tick, and because of my past as a Third Culture Kid, am passionate about people." noting a unique connection with culture and the realities that cultivate within it. Von Bargen's artwork has significant ties to people, culture, and the lands in which they inhabit. He states, "My process stems from my fascination for people, places and the why, where and when of their existence." In his connection to the Third Culture, he accepts that "we are all on a constant search for acceptance and a slow walk in directions unknown. Our walk is eternal and uncertain.”
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Cathleen Hadley grew up three countries including Venezuela, Argentina, and the United States. As an adult, Hadley continued her nomadic lifestyle, living in Argentina and Indonesia before settling in the US. Hadley states, "My travels broadened my worldviews" but she also recognizes a constant feeling of being in between cultures. She explains, "This affected my identity, decision-making processes, and relationships." Although American by passport, Hadley considered herself fundamentally different because of her third culture upbringing, and therefore felt rootless. Hadley reveals that as she accepted rootlessness as part of who she was, she could "become settled in who I am." Hadley's artwork reflects the attempt to become grounded physically and emotionally to her surroundings. She notes the importance of her sketchbook as a form of visual journaling, recording and collecting her surroundings as "a way to analyze the environment to find a way through the bustle of civilizations." ” Hadley’s work makes unique connections between place, identity, and culture, and the interplay among these from within. "
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Cathleen Hadley"I am very much in character when I combine all the patterns that are parts of my changing history. I do so with the intention to avoid conveying a particular period, border or boundary, to create some other."
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Yoomee Ko"Growing up, finding my identity was one of the most difficult things and I attempted to find a solution by taking a closer look at myself"
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Yoomee Ko grew up in Indonesia, Korea, Poland and Vietnam. Having moved almost every four years, Ko states, "I strongly believe that we are the results of people and things we have come across, whether by chance or choice." Ko expresses that while growing up, finding her sense of identity was difficult, and belonging to a particular place was hard to relate to. She states, "I saw myself as a puzzle made up of the places I've lived in" and embraced artmaking throughout high school as a way to explore her identity. Ko expresses comfort in self- portraits, and how concentrating on oneself seemed to bring understanding to what was happening around them.
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Throughout her life, Grace Kim has spent more time living nomadically than in her passport country of South Korea. Kim lived in six different countries growing up, on three different continents. While Kim lived in places long enough to feel accustomed, she also feels a disconnection with her passport country stating, "I truly feel as though I have no sense of 'home,' much like nomads would." While Kim has struggled with her Third Culture identity, she also recognizes the vast and numerous ways she has embraced her upbringing, stating "It has taught me to be open-minded and made me aware of the world, rather than just myself." Through her work, Kim recognizes the qualities that all humans share, but also how her experience has been affected by her third culture story. Although Kim recognizes the struggles of her experience, she also feels a sense of ownership to the TCK experience, and understands that while uniqueness can be challenging, it is also a gift, and it is necessary to consider both when considering the Third Culture.
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"As nomads are uprooted, they lose some sense of self, and must re-find their place and identity in a new surrounding."
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