Chromazone Festival, Minnesota’s first & largest public mural & art festival kicks off this weekend. Over the course of the festival 12 large outdoor murals will be created in St Paul’s premier creative hub by 15 mural artists. Christina Vang is one of the Artists featured on the line up for the festival.
Christina is a member of ArtCrop, a collective of Hmong artists whose work explores and reconnects to their cultural roots. ArtCrop has created murals from downtown Saint Paul to rural farm landscapes leaving evidence to spark the next generation’s own love stories of culture and identity. Their work pushes Hmong aesthetics and cultural innovation influenced by their people across a global diaspora.
The ArtCrop artists include Christina Vang, Oskar Ly and Teeko Yang. Christina is a multi-faceted designer and artist whose work focuses on community narratives. Through her work she captures the vibrancy, curiosity, and energy of cultural communities.
We checked in with Christina ahead of the festival for a quick update.
Hi Christina, how did you get the chance to be involved with Chroma Zone Festival?
I’m a part of a Hmong artist collective called ArtCrop. My creative partners are Oskar Ly and Teeko Yang. For our last project we received an Emerging Artist grant from Forecast Public Art, one of the Chroma Zone partners. Murals are such a powerful tool for creating spaces and giving communities a voice. As soon as we heard the Chroma Zone festival was happening in our backyard, we jumped on the opportunity to represent the Twin Cities.
Do you have a theme in mind for your mural?
One of my favorite quotes is by Susan Sontag where she says, “Do stuff. be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration’s shove or society’s kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. Stay eager.”
The theme of the mural is staying curious and paying attention. It’s going to focus on the words “ask why”. Every time someone comes across the mural it will hopefully prompt self reflection. They’ll experience it differently whether it’s their first time or hundredth time seeing it.
What can you tell us a little about what you have planned?
Something we’re testing out is layering phosphorescent paint on top so that some parts glow in the dark. If it works out, it’s going to be lit!
How do you like to describe your work?
I’m a graphic designer by trade, so my work tends to be be very linear and graphic in nature. I love words and typography and incorporate those elements quite often. I also draw a lot of inspiration from Hmong textile arts which is very intricate and features bright-neon colors. With ArtCrop projects, the team and I are intentional about involving the community—their stories will always shape our work in some way.
How are you going with your preparation?
I just finished up the design and now on to selecting paints and colors.
What excites you most about participating in the festival?
I am so excited to meet the other artists! We are in such good company.
Instagram: @helloartcrop @christinavang
Websites: artcrop.co, christinavang.com, oskarlyart.com, teeko.co