Lorentsen, Mia

One Child Here, Only Child There

I am originally from Seattle, Washington. Therefore, I love biking and eating fish and chips! I am an animation major, with an interest in fine art – specifically painting. As I grow as an artist, I hope to combine my passion for painting with animation. Outside of school, I enjoy cooking, thrifting, and strumming my guitar. I made this thesis project as a reflection of how I have grown throughout my time at DePaul, specifically when figuring out my own identity. I owe a lot of my progress to the amazing professors I have had, and clubs such as ACE to help me find my way.

Major: Animation

Minor: Illustration

Junior, College of Computing and Digital Media

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Abstract

For my Honors Thesis Project, I aim to explore my own racial identity within the context of balancing between both a Chinese and American societal perspective. Being adopted has never been a conflicting fact that I needed to deal with, but it wasn’t until recently that I became more curious about my past. My goal is to create a series of two to three mixed media paintings that confront the ways in which my racial identity is viewed from an outside lens, as well as serve as a reflection of how I see my own self. I plan to make each painting medium sized (around 20” x 30”) on canvas. Alongside these works, I will write a research paper that pulls from scholarly articles about the Only-Child Policy in China, textbooks on art related to race and self-discovery, as well as visiting various museums for inspiration. I will also use these resources as a way to inform my creative process. I want to use this thesis project as a way for me to discover something new about my past, as well as inspire my future. From doing so, I believe I will become more grounded due to better knowledge and self-exploration; but most importantly this project will be a way for me to celebrate the opportunities I have been given.

Thesis Director: Mary Ann Papanek-Miller

Department: The Art School

Faculty Reader: Laura Kina

Department: The Art School and Critical Ethnic Studies

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Presentation