Master of Fine Arts in Design

“I’m proud of how my art and design improved and seeing where I am now.” —JACKSON CHUFENG YANG, M.F.A. ‘23

Featured Alumni: Jackson Yang

Jackson Yang’s education at UW-Stout has given him confidence in himself and his artwork, but his journey was deeper than his degrees. Yang’s education also led him on a spiritual journey of rediscovering his Hmong culture through the arts. Yang struggled to embrace his culture for much of his life, until the second year of his undergrad. “I grew up rejecting that part of my identity, and Stout helped me find love for my community again and to dive into and re-embrace my culture,” he said. During his undergrad, Yang joined Hmong Stout Student Organization, and his cousin Kalvin, a student team member in the Multicultural Student Services office, helped him learn about traditional Hmong arts. “It was the art and wanting to make my mom proud that was my gateway back into the Hmong culture. I want to pay respect to my culture,” Yang said. And for students who want to re-embrace their culture, he thinks, “You have to find something that you can connect with. It could be something simple or big. It all comes down to who you are as a person.” Transforming tradition into modern-day storytelling As a graphic designer and illustrator, Yang’s dream is to work with the Hmong community, teaching the next generation about the traditional arts through design, children’s book illustrations or comics. His graduate research is dedicated to Hmong culture, bringing elements of traditional story cloths and flower cloths – Paj Ntaub – and their embroidered motifs and aesthetics into contemporary digital storytelling. “Jackson explored these themes through the lens of an illustrated YA novel for kids who find themselves navigating between two cultural identities,” said Erik Evensen, M.F.A. in design program director and Yang’s thesis adviser. “Working with Jackson has been nothing short of delightful. He is incredibly thoughtful and motivated, and his work is well crafted and quite beautiful.”

While sharing the history of Paj Ntaub, Yang also illustrates the story of To Broken Souls, using the story cloth style, telling the story of Ben, a young Hmong man, and a leaf frond spirit and the connections they make. Yang’s mother played a role in his educational journey as well. “A large portion of why I wanted to reconnect with my culture was for my mother. I wanted to make her proud and show her just how much she means to me, which was one of the reasons why I pursued the M.F.A. and focused on the Hmong arts. “She loved making flower cloths, so her eyes would always light up when I showed any kind of interest in it, especially for my education,” Yang said. Yang learned the story cloths and Paj Ntaub were art forms pioneered by women. He studied their selection of colors used in the textiles, the spacing of images and texture. “The embroidery creates a natural texture, even in the placement of the direction of the stitches,” he said. “I admire the intricate designs of the folding and sewing techniques they use. It’s very difficult.” Yang is thankful for the support he received during his time at UW-Stout, naming mentors Tanya Gunkel, Educational Materials Center librarian; Aubrey Huff, former librarian; as well as his thesis committee members – Evensen; Associate Professor Mitchell Ogden, English, philosophy and communication; and Assistant Professor Mary Climes, of comics. “I had originally wanted to include my mother in some capacity for my thesis. She unfortunately will never be able to see what I had planned for the future after graduation,” he said. “My brother, sister-in-law and sister have supported me in my mother’s place.” Jackson Yang graduated in Spring, 2023, and is now an advertising designer for Menards. Yang’s mother died in 2022 from COVID.

“Working with Jackson has been delightful. He is incredibly thoughtful and motivated, and his work is well-crafted and quite beautiful.” —ERIK EVENSEN, THESIS ADVISOR

Adapted from a story originally written by Abby Goers, May 2023

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