Fading memories of the Midwest
This series explores my experience growing up biracial in the Midwest, where cultural connections often felt distant and difficult to grasp. The nearest Indian grocery store was hours away from my hometown, and I had to teach myself what it meant to be biracial, piecing together fragments of culture from the details my father shared with me and my siblings. As a child, I was often seen as a white kid who could handle spicy food and ate “weird” snacks that seemed out of place in a predominantly white community, and didn't fully understand what it meant to be “white-washed.” I was caught between two worlds, neither of which fully embraced me, and it took years for me to begin to make sense of my identity.
This work includes three hand-built, coil-formed pots, each made from stoneware and designed to visually represent the gradual erosion of cultural connection. As the pots progress, their color fades and becomes increasingly more faded, symbolizing how my understanding of my cultural roots has blurred over time. I used Mod Podge photo transfers to incorporate images that reflect aspects of my upbringing and adulthood in the Midwest—moments that shaped my identity but also left me feeling fragmented. The images represent fleeting memories, fragmented cultural experiences, and the tension between belonging and not fully fitting in.
The fading colors of the pots serve as how, over time, elements of my cultural background have faded or become less tangible. This erosion represents not only a personal loss but also the complex process of reclaiming what was left behind. As I grew older, I began to understand how my identity was shaped by both my heritage and the environment in which I was raised. I became more aware of the cultural gaps I had to navigate, as well as the ways I sought to reconnect with my roots.
The Midwest will always be my home, and while I am deeply grateful for the experiences and lessons, I gained from growing up there, I can't help but feel a sense of longing for the cultural richness I lacked. Had I had more resources, more tools, more access to a community that could support my dual identity, I wonder how different my relationship with my heritage might have been. These pots reflect that search—of trying to find, reclaim, and redefine who I am through the pieces of my past.
