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KaoLee Vang
Curator
KaoLee Vang is a Hmong American artist living between Minnesota and Colorado. With a background in graphic design, her practice has evolved to center community engagement, cultural preservation, and storytelling. Her artistic vision is inspired by the balance between the natural and the modern, often combining simplicity and boldness to reflect both tradition and change.
She is currently pursuing a Master of Professional Studies in Arts and Cultural Leadership at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, with a focus on leadership, community engagement, cultural programming, and storytelling. Graduating in May 2025, her work explores practical approaches to cultural preservation, particularly through the lens of immigrant narratives and community-based histories.
Through visual art and socially engaged projects, KaoLee is driven by a deep commitment to equity, belonging, and the power of story to create meaningful change.
Preserving Our Stories:
A Practical Guide to Family Archiving
by KaoLee Vang
Preserving Our Stories: A Practical Guide to Family Archiving
by KaoLee Vang
About the Exhibition
May 1st - May 27th, 2025
This exhibit comes from sorting through the things my father left behind.
After he passed away, I began asking questions I had never asked before:
What do we keep? Who decides what matters? How do we remember stories that were never written down?
I am a 1.5-generation Hmong American daughter of refugees from Laos. In our home, history lived in memories, everyday objects, and spoken stories. There were no official records—just things passed down and held onto.
This project shares items from my family archive: photographs, documents, and belongings that tell stories of my father’s life, and of my own.
These pieces may seem small, but they hold deep meaning. They help me understand where I come from—and what it means to remember.
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events
Reception
Thu. May 1st | 6PM - 8PM
XIA Gallery & Cafe
Join us for the exhibition of "The Art of Resistance" by Zhi Kai Vanderford. Vanderford is a transgender artist, activist, writer, and elder. This exhibit curates the artwork he's created while incarcerated in the last 37 years. The exhibit curates four different themes: identity & transformation, prisons & policing, police violence, and friends.