How Identity Has Influenced a Head of Exhibitions Career at UC Santa Cruz Arts and Sciences
Louise's identity as an Asian-American woman significantly shapes her career, particularly in a predominantly white field where representation matters; seeing someone like Louise "doing their thing and being professional" inspires others, and their first-generation college graduate status motivates them to build their own success and inspire similar backgrounds to do the same.
Overcoming Challenges, Leadership, Representation, Motivation, Mentorship
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Louise Leong
Head of Exhibitions
UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences
University of California Santa Cruz, 2012
N/A
Fine Arts, Music
Arts, Entertainment & Media, Education
Operations and Project Management
LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Being visible as an Asian-American woman in a predominantly white field can inspire others and make a difference.
2. It is meaningful to be in a position of leadership in a male-dominated field, demonstrating that anyone can succeed regardless of background or appearance.
3. Sharing her experiences as a first-generation college graduate who didn't have generational wealth to fall back on can inspire others with similar backgrounds.
Transcript
As an Asian-American woman, how has this impacted how you've navigated your career?
I love being here for people to see, especially for my students. In Santa Cruz, where we live, it feels very predominantly white. So, to see other Asian folks doing their thing and being professional and kicking ass feels good.
I know I would have appreciated seeing that as an emerging professional or an undergraduate student. Also, as a woman in my position, before this I was a preparator and installer, which is a very white male-dominated field.
It's meaningful for me to be in this role because I love this stuff and I'm excited about it. I love working with tools and building things. Just because I don't look a certain way or fit the typical demographic doesn't mean I do it any less well, if not better.
What's been cool is that I haven't thought too much about it. While it's meaningful, I'm just here doing my thing and being excellent. I don't need to be the poster child for that.
It's enough to be visible and have people know and be open with my experience. It's like, for people to see you thriving and embracing all parts of your identity wherever you are makes a difference to them.
I'm also a first-generation college graduate. My dad didn't finish probably middle school, and my mom was a single parent who was in community college for 12 years to get her AA degree while I was still in school.
That's meaningful for me because I don't have generational wealth to fall back on, so I'm building my own livelihood. It feels good to share what it's like and know that other people with similar backgrounds can see that you can do it.
I'm definitely excited to see other Asian-American folks in the museum field, especially right now. There's a lot of really cool things happening with Asian American contemporary art and new initiatives.
The Cantor Art Center has an Asian American artists initiative where they're actively collecting artworks of Asian American art, which is a specific political and cultural identity. I love to see that and also to see API scholars doing their thing. There's no one way to do it.
I'm happy to be here, and if people are inspired by that, I'm happy for that too.
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