We were pleased to welcome our inaugural Critical Southeast Asian American Studies Artist in Residence, Nyingv Jae Saechao, to UC Berkeley from October 9 -11, 2024.
Nyingv Jae Saechao(link is external) (they/them/ninh) is an interdisciplinary artist, storyteller, community educator and cultural worker. As an intergenerational bridge-builder and artist-apprentice to the ancestors, Nyingv Jae's creative work focuses on themes of belonging, culture-keeping, culture-shaping, and ancestral healing with particular emphasis on fat, queer, indigenous Khmu and Iu Mien femme and gender-expansive issues.
They are the co-founder of the Cold Rice Collaborative - an ever-evolving creative community and platform committed to uplifting the narratives and experiences of Iu Mien, Khmu, and diasporic indigenous and ethnic minority peoples of Southeast Asia.
Nyingv Jae’s practice is guided by their visions of a future that sees our collective communities safe, abundant, and free.
During their residency, Nyingv Jae hosted various workshops to connect with students, faculty, staff, and community members on the transformational power of storytelling grounded in their experience as a Indigenous Khmu and Iu Mien artist. You can watch their capstone talk online here(link is external).
This program was made possible throhgh the collaboration of Asian American Research Center, Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, Asian Pacific American Student Development, and the Asian American Political Activation Program
