North Raleigh Today

Raleigh Arts has announced the completion of a new mural titled "Asian Joy" as part of the SEEK Raleigh program. The mural, created by Ina Liu, Isabel Lu, and Sophie Tô, aims to celebrate and share the experiences of Asian Americans' joy in North Carolina and explore how the convergence of Asianness and Southernness shapes their well-being and community.

The project is based on Asian American oral histories centered on finding joy. These stories were collected and publicly archived by the UNC Southern Oral History Program.

The unveiling event will take place on July 21, offering an opportunity to engage with the artists and community while experiencing the heritage captured in this mural. The mural is located adjacent to Union Station at the end of West Street in downtown Raleigh.

Ina Liu is a public health pharmacist, co-creator of “Plural of Me,” an art platform that uses music, visual art, and oral histories to tell narratives of Asian American women. Isabel Lu is a visual artist whose work explores ethnic, sexual, and gender identity through food, history, and relationships. Sophie Tô is a field scholar with the Southern Oral History Program (SOHP) and a PhD candidate in Health Behavior at UNC who studies how media, arts, and storytelling can support health advocacy.

SEEK Raleigh is an experimental public art program by Raleigh Arts that engages the community through public art in City of Raleigh Parks, greenways, and community spaces. Raleigh Arts fosters and promotes the arts in Raleigh by administering programs such as those from the Raleigh Arts Commission and supporting local arts centers.

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