Carol Nye

$\\Commonspot\internet-site\images\bullet1$ Art Projects

Carol Nye
Chinese American Women in LA
1994

Project Area: Chinatown
Project: Metro Plaza (Temporary)
Project Location: 658 N. Spring Street
Project Type: CRA Initiated

Description:

Large banners with historic and contemporary photographs of important Chinese woman were installed temporarily on the Metro Plaza building in a high traffic location. The banners were visible for years, but have now been removed. The four photomurals varied in size, ranging between 8' to 13'h and 10'w.

Chinese women, according to Nye, traditionally stay in the background and do not talk about their accomplishments in the public. Nye wanted her installation to subvert this taboo and confront the discrimination Chinese American women face from both their own community and from the dominate culture. She also wanted to present positive role models for women and undermine stereotypic views that Asian women are either actresses or objects of desire.

This Project was funded by a grant from the Los Angeles City Cultural Affairs Department, while the CRA/LA Art Program assisted the artist in securing this site.

Artist Profile

Photographer Carol Nye received her MFA at California State University, Fullerton. Her work primarily documents the manner by which minority groups relate to the dominant culture surrounding them. In 1994, Nye received a grant from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs to create a public project entitled Chinese American Women of Los Angeles, which was on display until 2000. Recently, the artist completed a body of work entitled Flora Colentes, which depicts the encroachment and displacement of the flower growing industry in southern California. Nye continues to work as a free-lance photographer based in Fallbrook, California and serves on the CRA/LA’s Downtown Art Advisory Panel.