color magazine - edition 17
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Color Magazine celebrates Asian Pacific Heritage Month.TRANSCRIPT
Edition
17M
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ay 31th
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in a city rich in shades, here is a cOLOr that incLudes aLL...
diversityManagement:
Know Your Employees,
Know Yourself
nAAAP Boston:MAKing LEAdErs
Kevin sO:Boston’s
BLuEs MAn
acdc:Breaking
Ground
thEindEfinABLE
MAEdA
eco-chic at Miniluxe
John
Building a diverse workplace is not just an ideal, it’s a commitment. Applicants from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. EOE.
Refreshments will be served. Free parking is available in Wentworth’s West lot. Directions can be found on www.wit.edu Co-sponsored by the Colleges of the Fenway and Professional Staffing Group
Creativity. Diversity. Excellence.
SEARCHING FOR EMPLOYMENT IN A CHALLENGING ECONOMY
Come and join us for an interactive discussion with one of Boston’s leaders in employment placement, Aaron Green, President, Professional Staffing Group.
TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2009 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM5:30 pm - 6:30 pm networking/information gatheringWentworth Institute of TechnologyWatson Auditorium550 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Learn more about the current job market.Receive expert advice on the most effective ways to find a job.Representatives from the six colleges,as well as PSG,will be available to answer any questions.
The Colleges of the Fenway presents its 2ND ANNUAL DIVERSITY NETWORKING RECEPTION:
www.colleges-fenway.org www.psgsta�ng.com
Advanced registration is required. RSVP by May 5, 2009 at:http://searching-cof.eventbrite.com
3www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2009
6Business
Better Diversity Management:
Know Your Em-ployees, Know
Yourself
9Benchmarks
NAAAP Boston: Making Leaders
10Benchmarks
ACDC: Break-ing Ground
12Feature
John Maeda: Master
Mind
17Entertainment
Kevin So: Boston’s
Blues Man
19Style
Eco-Chic at Miniluxe
May 1st – May 31th 2009
Contents
4 MAY 2009
christopher sabatini is a new York-based publishing and graphic design consultant who helped launch and redesign several newspapers and magazines including; amnewYork, druMhEAd Magazine and Boston-noW. he is currently working as the design director at amnewYork as well as numerous freelance design projects.
In a city rich in shades here is a color that includes all…
Color Magazine is the premier all-inclu-sive monthly magazine that highlights and
promotes professionals of color.
4 Copley Place | suite 120 Boston, MA 02116
(617) 266.6961 [email protected]
editor in chief/ Managing director
Josefina Bonilla [email protected]
associate editor Michael Chin
vice President Of Marketing and sales
Lisette garcia [email protected]
advisory committee ferdinand Alvaro, Jr.
daren Bascome Mark Conrad
Kim dukes-rivers Beverly Edgehill
Yvonne garcia digna gerena
Kimberly Y. Jones samson Lee
Juan Carlos Morales oswald Mondejar
William Moran russel Pergament
Carol sanchez John sims
Eduardo tobon Leverett Wing
Publisher Color Media group, LLC
distribution gatehouse Media
robert amelio is the Vice President of diversity and talent Management at dana-farber Cancer institute in Boston. he has been involved with diversity work for close to 20 years.
ada Gonzalez is a Jungian Analyst in training at the C.g. Jung institute. the focus of her work is on cross-cultural issues and psychological trauma for individu-als, couples and fami-lies. she has a private practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Beverly edgehill is the President and CEo of the Partnership, inc., the premier talent management service for profes-sionals of color in the region. Previously, Beverly was the Vice President organiza-tional Effectiveness, at fidelity invest-ments in Boston and is a sought after speaker for several national conferences on women and leader-ship.
eduardo tobon serves as director of sovereign Bank’s international Cash Management and strategic Alliances. As a senior Vice Presi-dent, he currently oversees some large and complex busi-nesses as well as some startups for sovereign including health savings Accounts.
ContRIBUtInG WRIteRs
WelCome
dear friends,Everyday, when I walk into our office, I appreciate how truly beautiful Boston is, the people, the
landscapes and the wealth of resources.In celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month, we feature John Maeda, the new president of
the Rhode Island School of Design. He is a creative leader who epitomizes depth and openness in thought.
I am also excited to feature some other outstanding people and organizations in our commu-nity – the Asian Community Development Corporation for their ‘Human Development’ approach, NAAAP Boston for turning young professionals into conscientious leaders and Boston rocker Kevin So. Like Maeda, our Asian community is vibrant, diverse and impactful.
I look forward to receiving your feedback, suggestions for improvement, people we should highlight and topics that engage you.
See you around Boston! Josefina
5www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2009
BUsIness
Publication:Run Date(s)Ad req./IO#:Client Generic:Ad size:Acct. Rep:
COLORSNW MAGAZINE 3/1/2009, 4/1/2009, 5/1/20093155715-BO28444RAYCOM4.12” x 5.12”Gillian Lynch v.2
Innovation. Driven by Diversity.
© 2009 Raytheon Company. All rights reserved. “Customer Success Is Our Mission” is a registered trademark of Raytheon Company. Raytheon is an equal opportunity, affi rmative action employer and welcomes a wide diversity of applicants. U.S. citizenship and security clearance may be required.
As one of the world’s foremost technology leaders, Raytheon takes on some of the most diffi cult challenges imaginable. Meeting those challenges requires a diversity of talent, ideas, background, opinions and beliefs. Diversity helps our teams make better decisions, build stronger customer relationships and feel more inspired, supported and empowered. It is both a catalyst and an essential advantage to everything we do.
We’re proud to feature Raytheon employees in our ads. To join them in a rewarding career, visit
www.rayjobs.com/idscareers
People on a Mission
By BEvErly EDgEhill
In my role as president and CEO of The Partnership, I meet many young professionals who are just starting out in their careers. Their bright-eyed enthusiasm and optimism is contagious. However, I’ve also noticed that something happens to them as they advance along the career pipeline. Something changes; their real selves begin to get buried behind what they be-lieve are the best ways to succeed in their respective organization. It’s ironic because its ones real self that serves them best in advancing their career!
What is ones real self, and how can it help your career? The term real self is used to describe being true to your personal and particular way of dealing with the external world and being faith-ful to internal, rather than external, ideas. For example, ones real
self may believe career success to be to the way to accomplish their goals, being promoted, assuming greater responsibility and moving up the organization. Or, ones real self may believe career success means learning new things, growing and facing new challenges, having close friendships with others, and spending time with people you like and trust. Whatever the case may be, the key to using ones real self to advance ones career is to make sure that there is a match between your work and your real self ideals. This sounds simple, but think of at least one person you know who has what appears to be a great job, and yet they complain bitterly about it. It is very likely that their work or
career choice is out of sync with their real self. Organizations have learned much about the value of having
employees bring their real selves to work everyday. In a recent report published by Blessing White called “The State of Employee Engagement,” one of the most common factors contributing to job satisfaction are opportunities to use ones talents (a.k.a. – real self ) at work everyday. This factor was found true for employees at all organizational levels, job titles and generations! Organizations have learned that employees, whose real selves match their work responsibilities, expend more discretionary effort and are more highly engaged. They make higher levels of contribution to the organization. Consequently, the organization is more likely to reward and advance the person that brings their real self to work versus the person that does not.
So how can a person turn their situation around and reclaim their real self ? The first thing is to know that their organization
Bring your real self to Work
wants them to be real; it is better for everyone. Secondly, they should find a trusted advisor mentor to help them uncover their internal ideals and de-termine the best way to express them. Finally, they should acknowledge that
the process of bringing ones real self to work every day is just that – a process – and that over time they will develop the confidence to sustain their real self even in the midst of very challenging circumstances.
Organizations have learned
that employees, whose real
selves match their work
responsibilities, expend more discretionary effort and are
more highly engaged.
6 MAY 2009
By rOBErt AMEliO
It is often said that employees leave managers, not organizations. And, research shows that people tend to leave their jobs due to poor management at the individual level rather than discontent with the entire organization. We all know of managers who are too pushy, or never give positive feedback, and how demoralizing this can be in a work setting. Managers today need to know how to work with a wide array of diverse individuals and be continually enhancing their management skills to create work environments where people can thrive as both individuals and team members.
Each manager has a prime responsibility in creating an atmosphere that seeks out, encour-ages, and praises diversity in all its dimensions. Diversity is more than just hiring people who are different from you and others in the workplace. The real commitment to diversity comes when the manager works hard to include all opinions, ideas and styles of staff into the success of the organization.
Positive management behaviors:There are many lists that could be created on effective management behavior, gleaned from the hundreds of management books and confer-ences that abound. The following are some of the most important behaviors for managers to be aware of and develop:
Understanding diversity encompasses many dimensions of being human, not only the inter-nal dimension.
Do your homework on yourself: de-velop your own awareness of your biases and hot buttons and how these come out at work. We all have them. A truly effective manager
BUsIness
Better diversity Management: Know Your employees, Know Yourself
BREDDICK
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Asian and Pacific IslanderAmerican Heritage
JWBBMC03021
TMP PRODUCTION
Be exceptionalin all you do.
Boston Medical Center proudly honors
Asian Pacific AmericanHeritage Month
You belong with the best. At BostonMedical Center (BMC), you can join a team of individuals who don’t simplystrive for excellence — they set thestandard for it.
Boston Medical Center is unique in a city knownfor world-class healthcare. We offer the advancedcare and progressive services you would expectfrom a 625-bed academic medical center, but whatsets us apart is our powerful mission to provideExceptional Care Without Exception to our patients.As the busiest safety-net hospital in New England,we take great pride in delivering high quality,compassionate care to an extraordinarily diversepatient population. If you share our philosophy of doing more for those in need, as well as anenthusiasm for creating change, find your placeat BMC.
Visit our website to discover opportunities and enjoy an exceptional career at BMC – The Exceptional Choice: www.bmc.org/hr/taleo
True diversity knows no exceptions: EOE.
knows what makes her angry, who he gravi-tates toward in hiring and is willing to change this behavior if it is not productive.
Stretch yourself. Put yourself in situations that take you out of your comfort zone. Attend meetings and conferences that focus on people different from yourself: if you are a white man, attend career fairs targeting diverse workers. If you are a Ph.D. researcher, take time to have lunch with administrative staff members and ask them questions about themselves.
Ask questions and then listen. This is one of the most difficult behaviors for many managers. We tend to learn unconsciously that once we become managers we have the answers, and need to tell others what to do all the time. Individual growth and inclusion of others rarely comes from talking. We learn about others by asking questions, and then listening.
Accept that you are a role model 100 percent of the time. Staff members watch who managers laugh with, what jokes they tell, the language they use, who they go to lunch with and who they send to conferences. In the workplace, the manager is always “on.”
Encourage time to discuss process, not just content. Ask staff members ques-tions such as, “What am I doing that helps you do your best work?” and “What am I doing that prevents you from doing your best work?”
Read. Look for articles or books on diverse subjects such as class differences, race or gen-der identity.
Assess your management of staff meetings. Do you call on everyone who wants to speak? How do you respond to com-ments of lower-level staff members versus those from more senior employees? Let everyone have a turn at leading staff meetings.
Stand up for others. When you hear some-one, especially at your own level, berate others publicly, follow up with that person and state your concerns about his behavior.
Diversity requires work. The greater the di-versity among workers, the more likely there is the possibility of misunderstandings or tension. When diversifying your workforce along any of the dimensions above, it is important to actively acknowledge differences, build your team, and help your staff members learn the value of each other’s strengths and differences.
8 MAY 2009
career.
Three questions directed at the issue of building strong support networks within the context of this article are:
How many social networks outside of work are you part of?
Do you have easy access to people that can help you identify career/business op-portunities?
Have you considered what steps and connec-tions might be required in a career change?
social networks: are you truly connected?There are literally hundreds of ways to connect with friends, coworkers and colleagues. The use of the internet has accelerated our ability to stay connected. By now, we all know of websites like Facebook. There are pros and cons for these social networking websites, but they allow you to bridge geographic boundaries and even time zone differ-ences. For example, one of my favorite websites for professional and social networking is Linke-dIn (www.linkedin.com). In my experience, many companies block access to personal networking, but they allow some form of professional network-ing. The reason is simple. The company can benefit if you have as many professional connections as possible. My advice is this: take advantage of it and aim to connect with as many people as pos-sible since they can help you in keeping your job or finding one (if you ever have the need). Building a strong support network requires a sizeable pool of connections and broad access.
accessing mentors and other business leaders via networkingBy using tools like Linkedin, you can gain access to dozens of potential mentors and business leaders both inside and outside of your current industry or area of specialization. It is extremely useful to have access to these people, so start building connections now before you have an urgent need. Recently, I have personally seen many of my con-nections leverage this online access to enhance their careers, switch to other professions and even find a new job. You might not need the advice or the tools, but perhaps can use this knowledge to help others that do – it is not only about receiving, but also about giving.
Please feel free to add your own comments to this subject by visiting the online version of this article at www.colormagazineusa.com. Your opinion is valuable.
By EDuArDO tOBON
First, let me reiterate that the probability of losing a job has substantially increased; our economy will continue to experience job losses even after the start of a recovery. Since I began this series, the national unemployment rate has increased from 7.2 to 8.5 percent and it is already in the double digits in many states (by the time that you read this article the figure might be much higher). Having a strong support network may make the difference between being employed or not. Thus, whether you end up looking for a job or just want to keep your job, building a solid support network is paramount to your
BUsIness
How strong is your support network?
By using tools like linkedin, you can gain access to dozens of potential mentors and business leaders both inside and outside of your current industry or area of specialization.
By KAtElyN hArDiNg
Samson Lee, president of The National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) Boston Chapter, exemplifies the vision of the non-profit organization, creating leaders. By becoming involved and taking active roles within the group, members can sharpen their leadership skills, which will serve them in the rest of their life – the same path Lee took to get where he is today.
“My fellow members and leaders challenged and pushed me to take more active roles to step up and become a leader,” Lee said.
Lee started with the organization in 1997 as a member. He has since worked his way to becoming a member on the board of directors, worked on eight committees and finally became
president of NAAAP Boston in 2006.
“I’d definitely say it takes a while to grow into the position,” Lee said. “I really enjoy running the orga-nization. It’s a great network of profession-als. It has wonderful programming – a pro-fessional development
committee, training, workshops, mixers, and there’s a lot geared toward community service and giving back to the community.
“What really drives me as a member or presi-dent is really the relationships built and created and helping people grow,” Lee said. “Part of the joy I get out of running this organization is the impact within the community, team building and people coming out and learning about other people.”
NAAAP is an all-volunteer organization with 25 chapters and 400 members in the Boston branch alone, and Lee said they are always looking for more.
Ming Hui, treasurer of NAAAP Boston and one of 10 members of the board of directors, ex-plained that they have several different commit-
BenCHmaRKs
naaaP Boston: Making Leaders
tees to help their members and the community. Professional Development is one of their
core committees, dedicated to helping members strengthen professional skills through a series of functions, such as seminars or workshops tailored to their needs.
“We also have a community service commit-tee and an events committee that plans a lot of social networking events,” Hui said. The student outreach committee, which is a career resource for members, last year awarded $15,000 to three high school students seeking higher education.
Hui said when members sign up, NAAAP Boston – which hosts roughly seven events a month – will get to know them on a personal level to cater to their specific needs.
For example, people new to the community may be more interested in the networking events simply to meet people. If you are looking for pro-fessional development or a new career, NAAAP Boston will help by connecting you to the right people and providing valuable seminars.
“We want to help members on a professional level. We find out what field they want to be in, future opportunities and how we can ben-efit them on a professional, personal level,” Hui said. “It’s very important for us to get members involved and have them become a future part of our leadership.”
“What really drives me as a member or president is really the relationships built and created and helping people grow,”
Project3:ALPFA Half Page Ad 3/26/09 11:26 AM Page 1
nAAAP Boston President samson Lee PhOtO: henry LeOnG
10 MAY 2009
By MiChEllE MCKENziE
For more than 20 years the Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) has been building a better Boston, both literally and figuratively, for one of the city’s largest ethnic populations.
Originally a grassroots organization founded in 1987 by community members to develop af-fordable housing in the city for the first time in two decades, it has since grown to include a number of leadership and community outreach programs designed to bridge societal, cultural and generational gaps as well.
“When we were originally founded, the mis-sion was to be a bridge for the Greater Boston Asian community, which meant a lot of Chinese-Americans,” said Jeremy Liu, who has been with ACDC for more than a decade and executive director since 2005. “Not only has that popula-tion continued growing, but the entire Asian population has become much more diverse.”
In the 1990s, Boston’s Asian population, including more than a dozen ethnic subgroups, exploded, growing by 70 percent over the decade to nearly a quarter-million people, ac-cording to a study done by UMass-Boston’s In-stitute for Asian American Studies. The growth has continued into the 21st Century, Liu said, noting many immigrants are coming to Mas-sachusetts from Cambodia, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.
And ACDC has grown and changed as well. It continues to emphasize affordable housing and homeownership, as well as community planning and organizing, mentoring commu-nity leaders, bridging language barriers and a youth development program.
ACDC is working with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to develop one of four national pilot sites for a Human Development Overlay District (HD-OD) in Chinatown.
Centered around what is referred to as Parcel 24 at Hudson and Kneeland streets at the end of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, “the goal is to help residents who are vulnerable to displace-ment from development plan for their future … (and) seeks to understand the potential benefits of providing social services, small-business resources and housing assistance in a focused ‘human development district,’ ” according to
Above, ACdC Youth development group, between oak terrace and Metropolitan buildings. Below, Parcel 24 at hudson and Kneeland street
acdc Breaking Ground with ‘Human Development’ approach
BenCHmaRKs
the ACDC website. The project is supported by a Ford Founda-
tion grant. Liu and ACDC also just received a $170,000 award from the MacArthur Founda-tion for “Participatory Chinatown,” a virtual learning tool to allow residents to take part in the collaborative design and development of their neighborhood’s public spaces.
Over the next five to 10 years, Liu sees ACDC’s work spanning beyond greater Boston, noting its first proposed real estate project outside the city: Fort Street in Quincy, where it purchased two buildings at the end of 2008.
“There’s more diversity now in more places. There are more Asian Americans living in more places across the state,” Liu said. “That’s one reason we’re out in Quincy – we want to be a bridge for all the Asian communities. No community is a static community. We’ve really adapted and grown with the changing popula-tion.”
Participatory chinatown Jeremy Liu won MacArthur-Funded Competi-tion on Digital Media and Learning to help realize his vision of a Participatory Chinatown. He seeks to transform the planning practices shaping Boston’s Chinatown from disjointed transactions between developers and com-munities to a persistent conversation shaped by participatory learning. Marrying physical deliberation, virtual interaction and web-input, Participatory Chinatown encourages residents of all ages without prior urban planning experi-ence to participate in the collaborative design and development of their own public spaces. Participants sit side-by-side in physical space and simultaneously co-inhabit a 3D virtual space where they engage in rapid prototyping and testing of urban design proposals. Par-ticipatory Chinatown enables communities to articulate their vision and strengthen their internal and external bonds to produce better neighborhoods. Participatory Chinatown is a collaborative effort of the ACDC, Emerson College New Media faculty and the Boston Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
acdc inspiration GalaThe ACDC will celebrate the start of its 22nd year of service at the end of the month with its annual benefit. “People will tell stories about those in their lives who have inspired them,” Liu said. “For us or for those at any nonprofit, we find inspiration around us all the time and going into each day, that’s what sustains us.”
The first ACDC Inspiration Award and the annual Caroline Chang Leadership Award will be presented during the Inspiration Gala on May 28. For more information visit www.asiancdc.org.
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MGH – Rich with Diversity and OpportunityAt the Massachusetts General Hospital, we offer our employees the best opportunities for dynamic and fulfilling careers by cultivating a diverse workplace committed to excellence.
The MGH is the largest private employer in Boston and offers career opportunities in all areas of patient care, research, hospital administration and operations in a fast-paced, challenging and supportive environment where every employee plays a critical role in our ongoing success.
Guided by the needs of our patients and their families, we aim to deliver the very best health care in a safe, compassionate environment; to advance that care through innovative research and education; and, to improve the health and well-being of the diverse communities we serve.
To see a complete list of our current opportunities and
to learn more about the full range of our employee benefits
and resources, please visit our website.
www.mghcareers.org
By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead: EOE.
workexcellencelife
12 MAY 2009
John Maeda
His art – which is in the permanent collection at Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Cartier Foundation in Paris – reveals the oft-
obscured humanity inherent in technology. He has written groundbreaking computer programs, including one to teach coding to visual artists – so instead of learning Photoshop, they can write their own photo-editing software. His latest book, The Laws of Simplicity, is a guide to finding the essence of design, and life, in the digital age.
A former professor of media arts and sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Maeda recently became the president of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), bringing his unique brand of creative leadership to the renowned art institute.
John Maeda is both indefinable and understandable. he holds a master of electrical engineering and computer
science, a doctorate in design sciences, a master of business administration, has written four books and
earned several design awards, but it’s his ability to make sense of it all that makes him one of the most
important minds of the 21st century.
By MiChAEl ChiN • PhOtOS : riSD
H
13www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2009
flatter, our nation is becoming more diverse, a true melting pot is occurring – art is going to change as well.
CM: is the education world changing?JM: I think education is quite slow to change; it’s like a Brita water filter. It takes a while for the water to get through the filter, sometimes decades. I think that the shifts that are happening in the world take longer to come into education. I know at MIT, when I was chair of the culture and race committee, I noticed that you can bring a student with a diverse background to a school, but if you don’t have a culture that actually makes them feel comfortable they are going to leave.
CM: Do you have that culture at riSD?JM: I’m working on it. I worked on it so much as a professor, and now I don’t have a problem lobbying the president with these issues – now I’m the president. It’s very dif-ferent, I actually care about this stuff, and I can actually do something about it.
CM: how are you applying the laws of simplicity to being the president of riSD?
Color Magazine: how has your Japanese background shaped your career?John Maeda: I grew up in a Chinatown area of Seattle later named the international district. I grew up making tofu, so from a young age I understood the importance of making things by hand, making things in this older way. All of our friends were Asian at the time, it was this small enclave, and then I went to school! And school wasn’t like that, it was different, it was real America. It was there that I began to realize I had this cultural side, and also this other kind of side. It was always difficult to reconcile the two together, but difficulty creates opportunity to learn.
CM: What did you learn from studying in Japan?JM: It was difficult because I look Japanese, and people would come up to me speak-ing Japanese and I kind of understood, but not really. It was there I realized in Japan I wasn’t Japanese and in America I wasn’t seen as American sometimes. It was the ‘un huh’ moment, what side am I allowed to be? And its very simple I’m American, easy as that.
CM: When did you know you wanted to become an artist?JM: I’m not done choosing actually. I went to MIT, did computer science and electrical engineering, I went to Art School, I did fine art, industrial design, graphic design, then I went to MIT as a professor of media arts and sciences, got my M.B.A., and now I’m president. I’m open to learning new things.
CM: you’ve said that you will put any piece of art up on your wall for at least a day. Why is it important to keep an open mind?JM: Oh yea, I’ll try stuff out. I’m very flexible. I think the whole key to survival in this world right now is openness and trust in what you believe, risk taking. So I am very flexible on most things, how I appreciate things. I don’t feel you have to go to a museum to see art. Anywhere you go in the world, anywhere you sit in a restaurant, anything you see has an artistic moment in it.
CM: in the business world there is a need for more diversity and for everyone to keep an open mind. is there that same need in the art world?JM: Well we might say the art world reflects our world culture. And because our world culture is changing – the world is becoming
JM: I think many of the laws are used everyday. The one law that comes to mind is the second law of organization. I think that keeping organized isn’t about you but it’s about the people you work with. I have some incredible people around me. They are all very organized people, very good.
The other one is to keep trust alive, be-cause trust is key to building community. I like how community and communication are from the same Latin root. I am a very over communicative president. I was just in the cafeteria today hanging out, because I like to ask students how they are doing. It’s kind of like truckers say, ‘How’s my driving?’ As president I ask, ‘How am I doing, how am I presidenting?’
CM: you have a unique way of communicating with your students and you really understand how to utilize technology to do so. JM: By some freak accident, I am the I.T. guy that became president. Because of that, I can blog, I can photograph, I can upload. I have no boundaries. I actually post on the blog, it’s actually me typing things, it’s actu-ally me resizing the image. It doesn’t take much time of course, because it’s a practiced effort.
14 MAY 2009
to become just like you sir.’ And he was very angry with me that day. He called me a horse’s behind, which is really bad in Japanese. And he said, ‘When you’re young, do something young with yourself. Because when you’re old the classics will always be there.’ I like that perspective.
CM: But you also take from the classics and bring them into this new medium of computers.JM: Yes I do. I’m a mixture, a mixture of the classics and the modern. I’m also a mix-ture of the childish and the very adult, the cultured and the non-cultured, the Japanese and the non-Japanese.
I’m also interested in leadership. Leaders
Also, inside RISD, we are the only univer-sity that has a blog where everyone can talk with me. And on Tuesdays you can become anonymous, which recently has been a little spicy. I talk to anonymous voices, like in ‘The Sixth Sense.’
People ask me, ‘Why don’t you make it so people have to stick up with their name?’ When I first came here, it was all real names. Blogs are mostly anonymous right? Like, bigbluebag says or yellowscreamer says whatever. Then my friend, a professor at Harvard Business School, suggested we have a hybrid blog. So ours is the only one of its type. It’s kind of exciting.
CM: you also go jogging and invite people to join.JM: Yea, it’s with local business people in Providence and students as well. I gave a talk to some providence business people and at the end someone got up and said, ‘Is this the last time we’re going to see you? Because every time I see a president show up they like go away somewhere on an airplane and we never see them again.’ I said, ‘No, no. I’m going to be here.’ The guy in the front row suggested we start running. So me and Steve Cronin, who is the CEO of a printing company, began running. It’s called Jogging with John. You should come along and jog!
CM: Seems like you use a good balance of face-to-face conversation and communication through technology.JM: Yea, we do both. If you Google ‘do both’ I think I’m the first link. It’s because I believe in doing both. Maybe that’s what you were asking in the beginning, ‘How do you feel being both?’ I’ve gone though the things everyone else has in my situation. You get in a taxi and the driver asks, ‘Where are you from?’ and I say, ‘I’m from Seattle and they say, ‘Where are you really from?’ not quite getting it. I’ve had bottles thrown at me in Texas. I’ve gone through all that, and at the same time, I do notice that we are in a different era. We have a president of color. And it’s like ‘Oh how interesting, now everything seems, OK.’ I’m the president of RISD and I’m of color and it seems, OK. So that norm is shifting.
CM: you wanted to study the classic mediums but were discouraged by a professor. Can you talk about that shift?JM: I was so in love with the classics and my professor of the classics asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I said, ‘I want
will come from the arts and design. I believe in what I call a creative leader. I just bought creativeleadership.com. My point is that a traditional leader is concerned with being right. The creative leader is more concerned with being real; people who are creative are comfortable being themselves.
CM: What is the role for these leaders in the future?JM: It’s fantastic! I’m thinking gov-ernment, running companies, better ways to run not-for-profits, magazines. Magazines were already places where creative leaders existed, because of editorial, flow, creativity and I think that expertise is transferable. I don’t
see it as impossible for an editor in chief to become the president of a college, because it’s a similar kind of thing.
CM: how do you see yourself as a creative leader who is different from past presidents?JM: Well, most people are very yes or no. I’m very comfortable being maybe, some-times great people can be maybe. Like when you take a photograph, it’s maybe. It isn’t like exactly 100 percent correct. So for me it can be maybe or maybe not.
CM: Does that cause any problems for you?JM: Tons. But also a creative leader is com-
15www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2009
fortable being wrong. If you are never wrong you never get something right. The best way to never be wrong is to do absolutely nothing. Guaranteed. That’s called zero risk. That’s why I think that the people who are creative are the bravest people around. Nancy (the photographer) has that camera and is taking a picture. And someone’s going to look at it. And someone could say, “Nancy that’s a terrible photo.” But then you say, “I took that photo, I’ll stand behind it.” That takes courage. I believe in that.
CM: you have a background in technology and science as well as art and design, but you also have a passion for language. how do you communicate and connect these fields that most people see as unrelated. JM: Well that’s a good question because I’ve been trying to figure that out. I was the shyest kid in class. I could never stand in front of an audience and talk to people. I hated writing. I was good at math, the classical math/science. Somewhere along the way I realized I loved words, and how words connect. How people are moved or not moved by words. Then it became inter-esting. And not just that, drawings I would make, people would respond or not respond. I saw the power of communication versus making something. See, if you’re just mak-ing this, than you end up just making this. If you don’t consider the audience it should just stay in your brain! Once it leaves your brain it becomes alive, and to see that living thing happen is a kind of real time state of art.
CM: Does it take people like you to help others see this real time art? JM: Well, I don’t have to explain it often. I get so many Facebook messages that say ‘Oh I really like your work. I’m trying to do it myself.’ Because I’m doing it, it becomes OK. I think that being a leader means making
it OK. I gave an MLK day speech in Rhode Island, it was in a church, and there were Af-rican American kids in front. I could just tell that when Barack Obama became president this whole thing got lifted. It just requires a person to step forward.
CM: Are you trying to teach riSD students to be that person?JM: I guess I’m trying to be that person. I’m trying to be the president I never had. That’s my only goal right now. Lead by example, that’s all there is.
I’m not perfect I make a ton of mistakes,
but at the same time I’m willing to make them in public. It counts for something. It’s like taking a photograph, same thing.
CM: When did you realize you liked to write?JM: When I realized how bad I was at it. So I just began to write.
CM: i feel like you’ve never met a medium you didn’t want to explore. JM: Oh yea, exactly. This time last year, I was planning on becoming a lawyer. I took the LSAT and was going to go to law school. Then I got this offer out of the blue (to become president of RISD). Do I want to become president or become a lawyer? Hmm, interesting choice. I think I will do this; I’ve never done it before.
CM: What appealed to you about becoming a lawyer?JM: I think that law is so basic to the fab-ric of society. It’s the invisible handcuffs. It’s the invisible slide and windmill that controls every single part of our being and it’s composed of words. I couldn’t read law texts. So I wanted to decode that, so some day I will spend more time on deciphering that code.
CM: in the laws of Simplicity you added a story about an insightful conversation you had with a former professor that seemed unrelated to the rest of the book. Why did you add it?JM: The whole point of that one page is that I believe that every moment you are alive you can learn something very deep. Whether you’re in a cab, or in a locker room, or your getting your tea, there’s something that’s always there that can move you. But you will never know it unless you’re listen-ing. So the point of that page was to say that I was listening that day.
“Every moment you are alive you can learn something
very deep, but you will never know
it unless you are listening.”
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Staples is proud to have supported Beth and her father along the way. And to make their dream a part of our Soul.
Visit staples.com/soul to learn more about our corporate responsibility commitment.
canopy. I got lost imagining these guys swing-ing from the treetops like Spiderman,” Chin said. “It occurred to me that it might make for an interesting children’s book. It’s a place a kid would never get a chance to explore, and the researchers were finding amazing things like trees, growing on top of redwood trees, that never saw the ground.”
Out of that seed grew REDWOODS, an imaginative blend of fiction and non-fiction. “The response has been great so far. I think there is a real market for a children’s book that will
By MACK lEE
Jason Chin’s REDWOODS (Roaring Brook) is a stunning exploration into the ancient forests of Northern California, where the world’s tall-est trees reside. The story begins when a boy picks up a book about redwoods on the subway and he is transported on a journey through the majestic forests – the same way Chin embarked on his own journey of writing and illustrating his first book.
“I was on the subway reading a magazine article about scientists studying the redwood
engage your imagination and teach you about the world we live in,” Chin said. REDWOODS is a 2009 Junior Library Guild Selection, and has received starred reviews from Booklist, Horn Book and Publisher’s Weekly.
While Chin has illustrated several books, this was his first attempt at writing. “I really liked the process of writing and illustrating and paging out the story. I liked to control the timing and pace of what is revealed on each page, instead of being locked into someone else’s story.”
He is taking a similar approaching to his next book, which is about the coral reefs. “It’s not just redwoods underwater. I am approach-ing it differently but keeping the theme of being swept away into a new world,” Chin said. “My inspiration is the child who may never get to see these places.”
To research REDWOODS, Chin visited the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park to stand next to the tallest living things on earth, “It’s a memoire in a way. I am trying to help kids connect to a subject by showing them how I connected with it. I’m really writing as my seven-year-old self visiting the redwood forest.”For more information visit www.redwoodsthebook.com.
enteRtaInment
Redwoods Comes to life With a Blend of Fact and Fantasy
17www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2009
By JOhN BlACK
Kevin So is a musical chameleon.Over the past decade, the Boston native has re-
corded nine CDs, none of which sounds like the one that came before. He plays funk, soul, folk, blues and rock with the ease – and passion – of one who grew up living and breathing each musical style, never like somebody looking to cash in on the latest trend.
And he makes each style his own.“To me, it’s all American music rooted in the great
American music traditions of blues, jazz and coun-try,” so said. “Music is very instinctual to me. I hear a melody in my head and I follow it. I don’t stop to
think whether it’s blues or country. I don’t try to force it into becoming something it’s not. On the other hand, I’m always looking to do the unexpected. If I’ve just done a song with a lot of soul, the next one is prob-ably going to be as country as you can imagine.”
While the music he plays may swing from one extreme to the other – at least to those who insist on labeling all the music they listen to – So’s lyrics all
share an emotional honesty based on his experiences growing up as an Asian American.
“I’ve written all kinds of songs, but when my dad died in 2000 I realized I had to make the songs I write more personal,” he said. “Some of what I write is still universal and about the feelings we all have, and some of it is very specific. Leaving the Lights On, the double CD which I released in 2003, is my Asian American Ziggy Stardust where I created an alter-ego named Victor Woo to explore a lot of the issues about identity, family and racism that are directly part of the Asian American experience.”
Sharing his feelings and insights about that expe-rience hasn’t always been easy, So admits, partly be-cause of the extremely personal nature of the stories he’s trying to tell, and partly because of the prejudice he faces when he brings his music to audiences who don’t necessarily share the same background.
“I’ve had people come up to me after hearing me perform and say, ‘I never saw you as Asian.’ And they think it’s a compliment. It’s not. It’s racist. What if I turn it around and said, I never saw you as White,” So said. “Like my favorite musicians, I sing about my personal experiences and that means making music about being a Bostonian and being an earthling as much as what I write about being Asian American. My goal as an artist is to create music honestly enough that it will mean something to you no matter what your cultural background.”For more information, visit www.kevinso.com
enteRtaInment
“i’ve written all kinds of songs, but when my dad died in 2000 i realized i had to make the songs i write more personal,”
Boston’sBlues
Man
18 MAY 2009
By JOhN BlACK
There are a number of ways to enjoy Mah-jong: Contemporary Chinese Art from the Sigg Collection on exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) through May 17.
You can enjoy the sheer beauty of the work.You can view it in its context as a reflection
of the Cultural Revolution in China.And you can sit back to ponder the idea that
all the art you are looking at was collected by an outsider to the culture it came from, a Swiss businessman named Uli Sigg who saw the revolution taking place among Chinese artists
firsthand while serving as Swiss Ambassador to China, Mongolia and North Korea form 1995-1998. (Sigg, who has acquired more than 2,500 works by more than 200 contemporary artists since his first purchase in the 1990s, plans to ultimately return the works to China for perma-nent installation in an as-yet-to-be determined institution.)
“The Sigg Collection is enormously important because it is the first attempt to coalesce the ex-traordinary artistic developments that have tak-en place in China over the last forty years,” said Trevor Smith, PEM Curator for Contemporary Art. “While the collection includes significant
and early examples of many artists’ works, it also promotes understanding of the complexity of Chinese culture and the coun-try’s emergence as a global powerhouse.”
The Mahjong exhibit explores the social, political and economic transforma-tion that forged a generation of Chinese artists unlike any who came before them. For years, Chinese artists were not only forced to work within strict state requirements – many of the artists
had their shows shut down by the government, often before they opened to the public – but had to work isolated from many of the artistic devel-opments happening in the world around them. The show not only explores how artists handled the freedom they gained as government control waned, but looks at how they reacted to the on-rush of influences they faced when once-closed cultural doorways were thrown open to them.
Many of the artists captured the anxiety in-herent in such monumental change. In Untitled by Fang Lijun, the artist, one of the leaders of the Cynical Realism movement in China, gives us an image of conformity on the edge in his painting of a gathering of people looking up at a blue sky all wearing the same worried look on their faces. The concept of conformity is also ex-plored in the strange life-size polyester figures created by Yue Minjun that line the hallways of the museum.
Some of the artists in the exhibition use their art to reinterpret the traditional styles that came before them. Liu Wei, for example, uses black and white digital photographs of human bodies to suggest the traditional landscape style of painting called shanshui (mountains/water). From a distance, the image he creates looks like mountains in the mist; up close, you realize it’s a group of people that look like they’re touching their toes in the nude.
Perhaps most fascinating of all the works in the exhibition is a stunning series of color photographs by Zhang Huan called Family Tree. The photographs document a three-day performance during which calligraphers wrote the artist’s family history on his head and face. By the final photograph, the artist is completely covered in his history, his piercing eyes look-ing out at you as if to challenge you to tell him, what’s next?
enteRtaInment
‘Mahjong’ at the Peabody essex:
the Artwork of China’s Cultural revolution
Above, untitled, acrylic on canvas by fang Lijun. Left, A photograph from ‘family tree’ By Zhang huan
19www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2009
eco-chic: miniluxe offers the first organic manicure and PedicureBy rOSANNA Ortiz SiNEl
These days you can find a nail salon on every corner. They are as accessible to us as our local Dunkin Donuts. However, they never seem to be the glorious and extravagant experience we desire. When I go and get a manicure there are three things I look for, cleanliness, plenty of products and friendly people who actually speak with me. MiniLuxe is that place. It is a state of the nail and beauty lounge that focuses on hygiene, a gratifying experience and luxuri-ous décor. Finally!
Since May 2008, MiniLuxe has been provid-ing clients with the most sterile and sanitary body care available (you can actually witness how they sterilize their instruments through the “Window to Hygiene”). With advisors such as Dr. Mehmet C. Oz (Yes, Oprah’s Dr. Oz) and more than 50 nail products, this is not your aver-age nail and beauty salon, this is a place where you can enjoy the welcoming and relaxing atmo-sphere while getting extraordinary treatment.
The “Organi Mani & Pedi” is MiniLuxe’s ode to Mother Earth and launched on Earth Day, April 22. However it is only available for a limited time and ends on May 11. So if you
Beauty BuysLa Mer recently launched two beauty products that caught our attention.
the Sun ScreenWhat do you get when you com-bine Hollow Photonic Spheres and Algae Bio-Fermented with Rosemary and Green tea? La Mer’s SPF uv Protecting Fluid of course. At $65 per bottle, it’s pricey but worth it. It protected well and didn’t leave any greasy feeling. Our old, non-light-transforming lotions don’t seem as appealing anymore.
the ExfoliatorWith 1.75 carats of pure diamond dust and electrically-charged tourmaline and sea quartz, La Mer’s Body refiner came with high expectations and a $110 sug-gested retail price. It left the skin soft, moisturized and revitalized without feeling stripped. As if we needed another reason to love diamonds.
don’t have a present for mom just yet, this is the perfect gift. This treat-ment involves an array of delicious concoctions that make your skin ultra smooth. Your feet are soaked in a jet-free tub consisting of skin softening, vitamin rich elix-irs – all organic. MiniLuxe uses polish which is “3 free” of harsh chemicals so if you are ex-pecting, you can feel safe in knowing that you are not getting chemicals on your body-this is a pure, natural experience. The Organi-Mani is 30 minutes of bliss at only $24 and the Organi-Pedi is 45 minutes at $42.
MiniLuxe has many other services that
will make you want to pitch a tent in their cool, architectural space. They do full waxing, facials and neck and shoulder massages. They have two accommodating locations, one at 296 Newbury Street and another in Newton at 792 Beacon Street. Make an appointment or walk in, this is the place to get your organic and relaxing mani-pedi fix. For more information visit www.miniluxe.com.
MiniLuxe Back Bay at 296 newbury st.
the “Organi Mani & Pedi” is Miniluxe’s ode to Mother Earth and launched on Earth
Day, April 22. however it is only available for a limited time and ends on May 11.
stYle
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Image: Colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a lung cancer cell.
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soCIetY
roxcomp Gala 2009roxbury Comprehensive Community health Center (roxComp) held their annual
“We take Your health to heart” gala at the Boston four seasons on April 11. oscar and grammy award winner Jennifer hudson was the featured performer.
1: sabrina Williams, AJ Williams, Mikko nissinen
2: nadia Chamblin-foster, Jennifer hudson
3: thomas Menino, Angela Menino
4: terrance gomes, dianne gomes, diane Patrick, deval Patrick
PhOtOs: sandy MiddLeBrOOKs
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o: P
aul K
olni
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© 2009 MSG Entertainment. All Rights Reservedspectrumboston.org
21www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2009
aaLaM reception for hawaii senate Presidentthe Asian American Lawyers of Massachusetts (AALAM) sponsored a special reception for hawaii senate President Colleen hanabusa, who was in town to receive the spirit of Excellence Award from the American Bar Association. the event was held at Myers and Chang restaurant in Boston.
1: renee inomata, Colleen hanabusa, ingrid, Joel Buenaventura, trevor ozawa
2: sam Yoon, Leverett Wing
3: sam Yoon, Colleen hana-busa, ingrid schroffner, diana hwang
uLeM 17th annual Galaurban League of Eastern Massachusetts celebrated its 17th Annual gala at the seaport World trade Center on April 4. the event gathered 900 corporate business leaders, non-profit partners and residents to raise $500,000 to support uLEM’s workforce development programs.
1: Cleve Killingsworth, isaura Mendes, Leonard Broderick, tina Cherry, darnell Williams
2: Alberto Vasallo
3: Lisa strack, darnell Williams
PhOtOs (c) dOn West
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Wednesday, May 27, 20097:30 — 9:00 AM
Westin Copley Place, Boston
For sponsorship information or to RSVP, contact:Amanda Wilander, Associate Director of Major Giving at
(617) 274-5242 or [email protected] visit
BostonRedCross.org
Event Sponsors:
Saving Lives Breakfast
AmericanRed Crossof Massachusetts Bay
2
22 MAY 2009
By ADA gONzAlEz
When we in the West look to the East, we tend to think about it in terms of spirituality. Western society has adapted to thinking in terms of material things: molecules, components, inventories, physicality, possession, access to information. Spirit is about the intangible presence of life.
A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies however, highlights that the level of “economic interdependence” between the United States and China that we are currently experiencing has never been seen before. Most of our consumer goods are made in China – from shoes, to laptops, to hairpins. This interdependence has become a source of controversy here in the
United States, as the economic crisis spreads and our institutions race to reinvent themselves.
One of the best things to come out of the trans-Pacific exchange of goods and cultures is the emphasis on Spirit that we can rely on in our hurried modern lives. The Eastern influences create niches among communities for altars, prayers, attention to the body and other means through which we can transform some basic daily stress into something healthy. We need to center ourselves in a world that pulls us apart. The Eastern influences can be a refuge of the inner sanctuary, the inner temple, the key to staying grounded within oneself. We can find serenity in concentration and self-reflection.
The Eastern perspective is also good for psychotherapy prac-tices. It helps to clarify that the cure we find prescribed in the West often comes from the “Self” which is the unconscious or the spiritual world. Patients enjoy those silent times that connect them with their inner world and resources, as well as their pain. This turn to the inner world makes us connect with meaning. People in the West turn more and more to the East for meaning, complements and harmony. The West instead brings techniques for that expression. The exchange between cultures sustains our balance.
The balanced personality relates to both Eastern and Western perspec-tives. The West needs the East for in-teriority; the East needs the West for connection with external reality. The internal and the external participate in development and depth. Life needs to move ahead and down in perspec-tive and introversion, into substance and image, into idea and desire. It is like a man and a woman. Usually, the man is oriented to the external world and the woman to the interior world of relationships. The conflicts that couples experience often have to do with this separation of perspective from being internally or externally oriented.
What we need is balance and integration. Our lives are like journeys of that connection of stability and joy, uncertainty and pain. Experiencing contrasts in life allows us to find connections. The world of relationships is based on that principle. Uniting the opposites of East and West creates new possibilities which many of us have not explored yet.
Looking east
HealtH
the Eastern influences create
niches among communities for
altars, prayers, attention to the body and other means through
which we can transform some
basic daily stress into something
healthy.
23www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2009
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