In August 2019, I nurtured two cotton seeds to sprout and began a journey of care that changed my understanding of global history, textile production and trade, and expanded my relationship with Philippine weaving and fiber practices. This collection of images is a self-portrait of our collaborative existence which isn’t new – our ancestral spiritualities, cultures, and economies were based on deep care for and understanding of our plant relations. In reconnecting with cotton, I have found that she shares her wisdom of patience, resilience, and great possibility for growth both within ourselves and in relationship with others.

Shown in Sowing Agency: Seeding the Future for Environmental Justice exhibition presented by the Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA) and Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC) at SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco, California, April 30, 2021 – May 23, 2021. Visit the Virtual Gallery here.

Sowing Agency is inspired by the fight for environmental justice, activating our Asian Pacific Islander communities to engage in the issues of today’s climate crisis. With a number of artistic disciplines represented, the pieces featured in the show work to realign our relationships with the Earth through introspection and collective leadership. The exhibition’s broad coalition of community partners amplifies calls for increased action to challenge extractive industries, monocultures, corporate greed and colonization. Weaving local and global climate resistance into our cultural consciousness, Sowing Agency is a visual and poetic address to the grief and resiliency rooted in “seeding the future.”