Talley Student Union hosted the annual Asian Art Showcase on March 29. The Critical Asian Narratives and Engagement group, known as CRANE, organized the event, deeming this year’s theme Fluorescence.
“We want everyone to come to these events,” said Surbhi Sharma, a second-year studying political science and CRANE board member. “We want everyone to be involved and to be a part of this community. Because it can feel so limiting at times, I just want to shine a light on what we’re doing and who we’re doing it for. I feel like that connects a lot with our theme, Fluorescence.”
Sharma said the yearly theme is chosen to highlight the community being built through these types of gatherings.
Thanda Kyi, a second-year studying textile management, said she enjoyed her second time attending the showcase and appreciated the opportunity the event provided.
“It’s one of those few events where you can experience a lot of diversity,” Kyi said. “And I think, just as another student who is Asian, it’s nice to see other faces, especially artists.”
Sharma said that CRANE is trying to do more than build a community through art — they’re building community through identity as well.
“We want it to be sort of an understanding that we’re not just an Asian art organization,” Sharma said. “We are dedicated to intersectionality, we’re planning on doing workshops in the future, just dedicated to anything in that space. But we want to be able to bring that energy of inclusion further on in the future.”
Sharma said CRANE reaches out to Asian artists outside of NC State as well.
“I feel like because of the community that we’ve created, it’s very possible to connect with local artists not just from NC State, but from the Triangle and in Charlotte too,” Sharma said.
Sharma says she became involved in CRANE due to the open and welcoming environment.
“It is not easy to find spaces that are so involving like that,” Sharma said. “And so I had an amazing time at this event last year, not only buying things from other people, but also connecting with artists. This gives such a good opportunity for, like, real interaction with other people, with community, with friends and family.”
With about 200 attendees this year, Sharma said they changed their advertising strategies to allow for more breathing room in the space.
“Last year, we felt as if, because we had artists and performers here, it was a bit congested,” Sharma said. “The performers weren’t getting respected in the same way. I think they should be because that is so, so important. It is not fair to the performers. It’s not fair to the time that they’ve committed to our event. And so we wanted to kind of curate that respectful environment this year.”
The time the board of CRANE has dedicated to the event is simply paying it forward, said Sharma.
“I think genuinely for all of our board members, this is a way to give back to the community that we work for. We just kind of want to let people in our community shine.”
