[CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — Nov 11, 2024] This Armistice Day, the DEMIL Art Fund is pleased to announce the Fall 2024 cohort.
The group includes William Chan, Ruth Kaneko (Kanaka Wahine) and Meranda Roberts (Yerington Paiute).
William Chan is a mutual aid organizer, activist, and lecturer based in New York. In his community work, Will advocates for the rights of asylum seekers. He plans to use the award to scale up assistance and advocacy in his community.
“Peace and justice are central to my concerns as a human and artist,” said Chan. “The U.S. invasion of Iraq and the subsequent 20 years of terror and incompetence were war crimes. One I actively participated in as a deployed soldier and as a voting citizen of a democracy. My country and I still haven’t been held accountable for our war crimes. Until the universe takes me, it’s my obligation to continue to evolve and help others. Sustain and true peace can only come after justice has been achieved.
From 2020 to 2023, Chan rented a window gallery in the lower east side of Manhattan at the center of many established art market galleries. It allowed him to platform artists in an area where works are typically art fair centric.
Untitled. Anonymous. Home Gallery window in Manhattan organized by William Chan. 2023.
Ruth Kaneko is an artist who works in photography, mixed media and fiber art.
“As a Kanaka wahine (native Hawaiian woman) and a U.S. Army veteran, I navigate the intricate intersection of being both an American and a Native Hawaiian residing in an occupied territory,” said Kaneko. “My personal genealogy is inextricably sutured to the genealogy of the lāhui (Hawaiian people), yet my experience is connected with my time in service as a combat medic. These conflicting identities and divided loyalties create ambivalence. Through my art practice, I strive to honor the complexity of my existence by weaving together the strands of trauma and resilience.”
Kaneko is using the DEMIL funds to lead papermaking workshops for fellow veterans in Hawaiʻi. The DEMIL Art Fund grant will be used to facilitate the workshop, co-facilitated by Allison Roscoe, at the Mānoa Heritage Center in Honolulu. Participants will engage creatively with materials drawn from their own life stories, culminating in the creation of their unique pieces.
Kaneko by Ruth Kaneko, silver gelatin print, 2021.
Meranda Roberts is a curator who addresses problematic institutional practices in museums. Roberts plans to use this award to write about her experiences and curation projects.
“I firmly believe that the only way we can ‘decolonize the museum’ is by directly addressing problematic institutional practices and crafting narratives of Indigeneity that offer visitors a different perspective from what they have been taught,” said Roberts. “In my practice, this involves writing action-oriented labels that challenge readers with histories or realities the institution may prefer to ignore or overlook in conventional circumstances. I also strive to leverage my privileges to change how institutions engage with the Native communities they seek to collaborate with in the long term.”
Continuity: Cahuilla Basket Weavers and their Legacies, Benton Museum of Art, 2024. Curated by Meranda Roberts.