Dumpling Diaspora

Early in 2025, I joined Dumpling Diaspora, a Denver-based AAPI artist collective. Interdisciplinary artist Sammy Lee started this group to support artists like us, installation artists who focus on transforming spaces and making site-specific art pieces. That’s our passion. Check Chinn Wang's artworks.

But the reality is… it’s hard to pay the bills that way. So the group began meeting once a month to brainstorm ideas for products we could  potentially sell.

I used to make a lot of one-of-a-kind, naturally dyed “goods.” As a botanical dye textile artist, I felt like that's what I had to do. But it takes so much time, and people rarely want to pay more than $50. After talking with the other artists, I decided to try something new.

Now I’ve started making T-shirts using scanned images of my botanically dyed fabrics. I digitally manipulate them so they can be applied to different products that I can have made.

I still have mixed feelings about it… but if it allows me to sell without actually dye and make each one of them.

What do you think? Would you buy these t-shirts?

The highlight of our final gathering for this year was a holiday party at Sammy’s studio. We invited members of the Denver AAPI Commission, curators from the Denver Art Museum, and Red Line Contemporary Art Center. I had never spoken with them before, so it was wonderful to meet and connect.

They suggested to make something together as dumpling diaspora group instead of making stuff separately.

I think that is a great idea.

I appreciate Sammy gave me the opportunity to think differently as an artist and appreciate to meet other Asian artists in Denver. Our group will keep exploring, learning, and searching for the right answers! :)