In the story “Driving Steel” (from Secret Identities), Fo Jim Saan, a Chinese laborer on the First Transcontinental Railroad, shatters negative stereotypes along with rail ties. (Drawn by Benton Jew.)
Credit: Jeff Yang and Benton Jew
“The Vilcek Foundation is constantly seeking new ways to highlight the diverse range of immigrant contributions to American culture,” said President and Co-Founder Dr. Jan T. Vilcek. “We couldn’t have thought of a better vehicle than Shattered, which not only brings the history of Asians in America to the forefront of pop culture, but showcases the work of Asian American artists and writers as well in its production.”
The Vilcek Foundation, dedicated to celebrating the contributions of immigrants in the arts and sciences, is supporting the production of Shattered with a grant to facilitate the editorial process. Like Secret Identities, Shattered will be created as a collaboration between artists, writers, and fans; for a limited time, editors will be accepting story pitches and evaluating artists’ portfolios.
Unlike the first volume, which viewed the Asian American experience through the lens of the superhero myth, Shattered will focus on other comic genres - from hard-boiled pulp to martial arts, adventure and science fiction - to explore stereotypes of Asians in America – both negative and positive. “In the first volume, we focused on using superheroes as a lens through which to expose and celebrate Asian American history and culture. This time, we wanted to expand our perspective to the darker side of the Secret Identities universe,” said Education Director and Editor at Large Keith Chow. “We want to use the various archetypes of the villain to upend, reimagine – to shatter – distorted images that have shadowed Asian Americans since the earliest days of our arrival in this country.”
For more information about the Vilcek Foundation, please contact Joyce Li at (212) 472-2500, or at joyce@vilcek.org. For more information on Secret Identities, please email Jeff Yang at jeff@secretidentities.org or Keith Chow at keith@secretidentities.org; for details on how to submit story pitches, visit http://secretidentities.org/Site/v2 to download Contributors' Guidelines.
The Vilcek Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness of the contributions of immigrants to the sciences, arts, and culture in the United States. The Foundation achieves its mission through hosting immigrant artists and performers at its gallery space in New York City, awarding annual prizes in the biomedical sciences and the arts and humanities, and sponsoring cultural programs such as The Santa Fe Opera and the Hawaii International Film Festival.
Contact: Joyce Li
(212) 472-2500 or joyce@vilcek.org
Image source: http://www.vilcek.org/static/newsletters/2010/summer/newsletter_summer2010.html
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