May 16 – June 29, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, May 16, 5 – 8 PM
Artists: Agnes Ma, Bala Thiagarajan, Christine Nguyen, Erin Hyunhee Kang, Jenie Gao, Joon Tajadod, Laila Vaziralli, Margaret Kasahara, Maki Teshima, Mattie Hanson, Sammy Seung-min Lee, Taiko Chandler
Guest Jurors: Rajiv Menon and Roseline Nevling
The Dairy Arts Center is proud to present Go West, a group exhibition showcasing Asian American artists whose creative stories reflect the intersection of cultural heritage, innovation, and the pursuit of new beginnings in the American West.
“Go West, young man!” is a 19th-century rallying cry that fueled the westward expansion of the U.S. The story of America’s colonial expansion has long been told in this lens of romanticized, whitewashed frontier conquest. Yet, the American West has always been a place of cultural convergence, built and shaped by a wide spectrum of communities.
For Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), migration from the global “East” to the American West has been a tale of both opportunity and struggle. From early laborers and farmers to activists and entrepreneurs, AAPI communities have played a vital role in the region’s complex and evolving identity, shaping the cultural and economic fabric of Colorado and the western states.
The Go West exhibition showcases a diverse group of AAPI artists whose experiences of diaspora and cross-cultural identity have framed their concept of home, belonging, and self-expression. With mediums ranging from metalsmithing and 3D printing to printmaking and photography, the Go West exhibition features a myriad of powerful artworks that carve out room for new narratives to emerge in the ongoing legacy of the American West.
We invite you to come with us as we Go West, on a creative journey that is both deeply personal and universally resonant—the search for home, self, and connection with the world around us.