What They Left Us

Co-curated by Anna Divinagracia and me, What They Left Us ties together eight Filipino-American artists who use personal, familial, and cultural photographs to trace connections to their families and their countries: the Philippines and America. The featured work considers how art becomes a means of holding onto and reshaping what has been passed down, allowing us to honor and examine what we’ve inherited and hope to preserve.

This exhibition questions what our families and other Filipinos left for us to become in America. Whether that be leaving behind the life and home they knew, letters and photographs, or the actual labor and sacrifices they made, our focus was on bringing those sacrifices to light. As first and second generation Filipinos, we recognized how easy it is to forget that and the weight that we carry because of our families' sacrifices. We highlight the importance of a physical archive as Filipino artists, and how the work that we make actively contributes to that physical archive… for our families and for the Philippines. 

What They Left Us features work by Thea Canlas, Miguel Caba, Ashley Dequilla, Ryan Frigillana, Dhaynne Torres, Kat Navarro, along with Divina and me.

This show wouldn’t be possible without the support of our sponsors. Maryland State Arts Council, Towson University Asian Arts and Culture Center, and Off the Rox Wine & Beer. Without their support, this exhibition would be nothing more than a dream.