ABOUT THE ARTIST
Corky Lee is a self-taught Independent freelance photographer who has been documenting the Asian American community for the last 46 years. He is often referred to as the "Undisputed, Unofficial Asian American Photographer Laureate." An "ABC" (American Born Chinese) raised in New York City, he began chronicling the local Chinese American community in 1971 to provide the public with an in-depth look into the daily lives and struggles of the then burgeoning gateway immigrant population.
From quiet "day in the life" images to iconic photographs of the struggle for civil rights. Mr. Lee seeks to document the stories that escape the attention of mainstream society and media. He considers his images to be "acts of photographic justice" and has used them to rectify omissions in our nation's history books.
His photographs have appeared in mainstream media publications such as the Associated Press, New York Times, New York Post and The Villager. He has been an artist-in-residence at Light Work, Syracuse University, Asian American Studies Institute at NYU, as well as a Regents Scholar at UCLA. His photographs are featured in the collections of numerous museums and institutions, including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, NY Historical Society, the Chinese Historical Society of America in San Francisco, the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles, Museum of Chinese in America, NYC, and the Beijing National Museum of Overseas Chinese. He continues to change public perceptions of Asian Americans one image at a time.
The Asian Threads, American Weave exhibit can be viewed in the Jorgensen Gallery Monday through Friday, 10 am - 4 pm and prior to most events, from January 16 through March 30, 2018.
For more information, contact: Asian American Cultural Center at asacc@uconn.edu