Naming Me 自己取名字

Collaborative project with Mandarin immersion students of Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School
King School Museum of Contemporary Art 
Portland, Oregon, USA
​2017

Non-native learners of Mandarin are usually named by their teacher based on a phonetic translation of their English name. Naming Me (自己取名字) gives third-graders of the Mandarin immersion program at MLK Jr. School an opportunity to pick their own Mandarin names based on qualities they possess or aspire towards, and things they like. Through a self-reflection process and Chinese calligraphy classes by guest artist Maihwa Frances Li, each child’s writing of their name is finally made into a unique t-shirt with English explanations to serve as conversation starters in everyday life. This project is part of King School Museum of Contemporary Art, an art museum within a public school started by Harrell Fletcher and Lisa Jarrett.