by Jan Ru Wan

Over the ages, migrating artists and performers have been influenced by the countries in which they have settled.

During the 20th century, America became a magnet for many visual artists from Europe who were duly absorbed into the country's artistic life and who, in turn, both enhanced and transformed the nation's artistic horizons.

This tradition continues in the 21st century, but now artists from all over the world have settled in the United States. One such person is textile artist Jan Ru Wan, a resident of Chapel Hill and the recipient of an Orange County Grass Roots Grant and a Durham Arts Council Emerging Artists Grant for 2001.

A 10-year resident of the United States, Wan came to this country from Taiwan to study at the Chicago Art lnstitute and then at the University of Wisconsin following earlier studies in Taiwan. Last year she was a visiting protessor at N.C. State University's School of Art and Design.

Following are some of her thoughts on how living in America has affected her art.

Artist's statement

Friends often ask me, "How does the experience in the United States influence your work?" And often I would have a long pause, contemplating a good response -- for I can't seem to find a simple answer to this question.

I think this influence is complex, in that it constantly stimulates my art, gives me opportunities to re-examine myself and pushes me to search for my identity. I have used my work as the medium to question my own culture and identity.

Living in the United States has provided me with a great opportunity to look back at the environment I was brought up in -- Taiwan. During this process, I have relearned a great deal about my own culture and at the same time have been adapting to western life.

Since independence is a key aspect of this society, in art school in both Chicago and Wisconsin I was expected to explore my art on my own. Over time, by experiencing two different cultures constantly ( my own and America's), I have had the privilege of seeing things in a wider perspective and have realized that no matter what kind of system one lives in, the essential human being does not vary much.

This has become the main issue I have been focusing on in my work, but this theme would have been difficult to form had I stayed in Taiwan, as there I would likely have been led by a senior mentor. In the States, mentors only taught me certain techniques but influenced my style very little, believing that each artist should nurture his own way of making art. Thus, in the United States, through a relationship more of collaboration rather than teaching, both mentors and students grow.

In turn, students learn frorn their teachers and mentors broaden their own knowledge and artistic horizons as they encounter students from various cultures and backgrounds. This whole learning process is somewhat slow and the influences are subtle. Only after a long time did I come to realize that I was being influenced so deeply by living in the United States and that the changes to my work were becoming so drastic.

This is maybe the reason why I cannot answer quickly the question about how the American experience has influenced my work, even though it seems simple enough.

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Jan Ru Wan's encounter with her two homes and cultures is on show in an exhibition of her work, "Constant Shifting: Chinese Transtormations" at the Carrboro Branch Library in the McDougle Schools Media Center through Jan. 6, 2002. Call the library at 969-3006 for hours.