By Jennifer Cuevas

To inspire participation in the 2020 Census, three artists were invited to produce an original serigraph for an atelier focused on communicating the positive significance of the Census, through Self Help Graphics & Art’s Professional Printmaking Program. Artists explored topics of inclusion, citizenship and children across Los Angeles, particularly in communities of color, where political representation, public programs and county and city resources are impacted as a result of the Census count.

Meet Artist Phung Huynh from our 2020 Census Atelier. Her serigraph print, “Our Voices Count,” is about inclusivity and making sure we are ALL counted in the Census.  The images featured in her print are that of her son and real-life relationships, community advocates, who have impacted her life. "It's not just 'our count' in the sense of the noun but count in terms of an action, that this is what we're doing for ourselves,” said Huynh. 

Phung Huynh is a Los Angeles-based artist and educator whose practice is primarily in drawing, painting, and public art. Her work explores cultural perception and representation. Huynh challenges beauty standards by reconstructing images of the Asian female body vis-à-vis plastic surgery to unpack how contemporary cosmetic surgery can create obscurity in cultural and racial identity. Her most current work of drawings on pink donut boxes and cross-stitched, personalized California license plates explores the complexities of the refugee experience in Southeast Asian communities. Phung Huynh has exhibited nationally and internationally. She has also completed public art commissions for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro Orange Line, Metro Silver Line, and Metro Neighborhood Poster Series) and the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Phung Huynh is currently Professor of Art at Los Angeles Valley College. Learn more about Phung at http://www.phunghuynh.com. 

To fill out your Census form now, go to my2020census.gov. To learn how to fill out your Census questionnaire, see our YouTube video on our SHGTV channel. To read more about SHG’s 2020 Census campaign, go to our website (censo en español). 

#Census2020 #MakeitCount #HazteContar #WeCountLA

Jennifer Cuevas is SHG’s Communications Consultant. She is a Cultural Arts Producer, with a passion for the arts, social justice and policy.