top of page
wix main page header.jpg

    Portrait

    sian

    look at portraits of Asian Americans

    watch or listen to our latest interviews

    participate in all our events

    About

    We're an organization aiming to spread awareness about the contributions of Asian Americans in American society. 

    WeChat Image_20220904162614.jpg
    WeChat Image_20220904164233.jpg

    To finally recognize our own invisibility is to finally be on the path toward visibility. Invisibility is not a natural state for anyone.

    Mitsuye Yamada

    Our Mission

    We intend to shine a light on the Asian community in the U.S., ameliorating racial profiling and racism against Asian Americans, by telling their life stories and painting their portraits to immortalize their contributions with art.

    WeChat Image_20220904164102.jpg
    WeChat Image_20220904155016.jpg

    Our Vision

    Our goal is to feature a minimum of 100 portraits of Asian Americans in our art gallery by 2024. We then aim to compile these portraits into a coloring book, so children from kindergarten to middle school can explore the rich tapestry of diversity within our society.

    As featured in The Dallas Morning News

    Dallas Morning News feature.jpg

    Founder's Statement

    Melody Tian

    I started A-Portrait as a way to shed light on the contributions of significant Asian Americans. A-Portrait is short for Asian Portrait, and I came up with the name because I wanted to combine my love for art and passion for Asian American advocacy into this project. Being of Chinese American heritage, I often longed for an encompassing understanding of Asian American history during my schooling years. Uncovering the disheartening reality that AAPI history constitutes less than 1% of the curriculum was the catalyst for A-Portrait's inception. Initially, my aim was simple: to encourage students to draw portraits of Asian American figures and to construct an online art gallery on my website. 

     

    Over the past few years, not only have I been able to achieve my goal, but this project has also expanded in ways I’ve never expected. After some messaging, I was able to connect with the relatives of some of the people I drew and create a podcast where I interview trailblazers in the Asian American community. Despite our generational gap, we share the same passion for Asian American advocacy. Through my discussions with them, I have realized that though discrimination will never cease to exist, we all have the shared responsibility to educate others and help uplift our communities. 

    ​

    My primary objective may have been to educate others, but the unexpected outcome has been a deeper appreciation for my own cultural heritage. Through A-Portrait, I've discovered that fostering appreciation for diverse histories, including my own, ignites a profound sense of purpose and connection.

    WeChat Image_20231015145806.jpg

    Join Us

    bottom of page