Journey of 1000 Miles Spotlight: Angela Han
- Leah Froyd
- May 13
- 7 min read
Hi, and welcome to our spotlight series supporting our upcoming concert series, Journey of 1000 Miles! We have one concert remaining coming up this weekend, Saturday May 17th.
Artist Angela Han. Photo courtesy of Emma Rizzo Photo.
Angela has been a dear friend of mine since moving back to the city. I am so proud to be her friend and colleague in this project as she is a true force of nature! Her multifaceted career includes mastery and education in both music and art as a piano teacher and successful artist winning multiple grants and fellowships.
Angela. Han is the recipient of the San Francisco Arts Commission Artists Grant (2021) and California Arts Council Individual Artists Fellowship (2023). Her notable projects amplify the lives and work of women in the arts, such as “50 Mythical Worlds Inspired by 50 Women Composers” (2020), “Realms of Courage: Celebrating Asian Women Composers” (2021 - present), and “With a Twist: Stories of Her Own” (2024).
In addition to her contributions in art world, she currently serves as President of the Board of Directors at the Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA), uniting Asian Women artists in the Bay Area and beyond.
Leah Froyd (President of Insight, Violinist/Violist) and Angela Han (Artist) at “Journey of 1000 Miles” Concert at the Lumina Salon, SF, on May 3, 2025. Photo courtesy Diana Chen.
Please enjoy a short interview:
Q. What first inspired you to mix together art and music? Was there a certain moment when you realized how well the two worked together or did it happen gradually?
Growing up, I took lessons in music and art. My early love for both disciplines meant that they were destined to fuel one another throughout my life. My art and music are intrinsically tied, and I can’t imagine pursuing one without the other.
Q. Your personal mission is to amplify Asian Women's voices in all artistic dialogues, could you speak a bit about what fuels this mission? Share some successes?
I recall a specific experience from my university years (I double majored in Music and Psychology) – I was sitting in the back of a Western Music History class, and from my vantage point, I could see that the majority of students were women. Yet nearly 100% of the composers we were studying were dead white men. I found myself wondering, “What is society telling me, an Asian-American woman trying to ‘make-it’ in music?”
While it was never explicitly said to us that women would fail in the classical music sphere, the message was loud and clear. From the lack of representation in academic textbooks and coursework to the lack of instructors who could teach repertoire composed by women, mainstream music education is its own failure in adequately advocating for students who identify as women and people of color.
Since no one was teaching me about women composers, I took matters into my own hands. I delved into research of women in music throughout history as well as contemporary composers – especially those who identified as Asian women – to affirm my identity and create possibility for myself.
In 2020, I began to actively use my artwork to amplify women composers through my series, 50 Mythical Worlds Inspired by 50 Women Composers. Afterwards, I embarked on another (ongoing) project, Realms of Courage: Celebrating Asian Women Composers, that celebrates 15 contemporary composers who identify as Asian women through art, written reflections, and education programming – each channel of amplification inspired by the composers’ music and lived experiences!
Now that I, too, am a teacher, I work hard to ensure that my students receive a more enlightened and well-rounded music education. I actively share my research and projects so that they can see and hear themselves represented in the world of music. I want my students to feel that they can succeed because someone like them has done so before. I want their identities and unique artistries to be celebrated.
Artwork: Close-up - “Jingwei Changes the Sea,” Hand-mixed oil on canvas, 36”x24”, 2024.
Artwork: Close-up – “Jinshan Niao Yu (Birds of the Golden Mountain),” Oil on gessobord, 11” x 14”, 2024.
Q. You are an extremely cosmopolitan artist with a full schedule yet a lot of your artwork is based around nature and folklore-- is there a specific reason your art finds solace in this setting? What are some of the main messages/takeaways you want to impart onto viewers?
It's interesting that you [and others] make connections between my work and nature. Though there is a lot of natural imagery in my art, I wouldn't say it's necessarily derived from specific natural scenes. To me, my paintings are a reflection of paradises where I imagine feeling safe, respected, and cherished.
In these paradises, I include elements from folklore that resonate with me. These refer to settings, plot points, and character arcs (of protagonists who are often women) that highlight courage and relentless determination – what it means to achieve the impossible. For example: I will include mountains from legends about Xiwang Mu (“Queen Mother of the West”) because it was believed that mountains were ladders between heaven and earth, and that the powerful Xiwang Mu was once a mountain deity with unfettered freedom. Or I will paint the sea from my remixed version of Jingwei Tian Hai (“Jingwei Fills the Sea”), another Chinese legend about dogged determination. As you can see, stories are an imperative part of my work.
I want viewers of my artwork to feel empowered after experiencing my work, to feel as though they can take life into their own hands and live – thrive – as they see fit. That they themselves are the masters of their own stories. In addition, I strive to wrap my viewers in splendor, inspiring awe and igniting the imagination. For myself, I always wish for my art to take my breath away.
Q. In your preparation for Journey of 1000 Miles, what are some things about your artistic process that have stayed the same? What are some that have/will change?
I’m live-painting for the first time through Journey of 1000 Miles. The experience has been exhilarating to say the least!
In the studio, I primarily use oil paint, mixing my own colors from natural earth pigments and oils, applying multiple layers of imagery, and waiting for these layers to dry. For the concert series, using oil paint wouldn’t be ideal due to its slow drying time. I’ve therefore opted to use a plant-based acrylic paint that dries much faster – perfect for producing a painting within a single concert.
And while I’ve certainly created artwork inspired by music and the lived experiences of composers, Journey of 1000 Miles has been my first in creating artwork in sync with live-music, through an intensive collaboration with both the composers and musicians. The artwork has been choreographed meticulously, intentionally, so that the compositional elements of the music correlate with the compositional elements of the art.
Q. How long does a typical painting of this size take you to create?
A 36” x 24” painting could take a day to many years, depending on its intended journey. My paintings are like characters in a book and as the “author,” I need to respect the direction in which they grow and change. That being said, I ultimately decide when the painting is done.
For “Journey of 1000 Miles,” the artwork will be created using the alla prima technique in which each painting is done in a single session. The painting is complete when the concert concludes because the artwork is not only meant to encapsulate the composers’ music but also the experience and energy of the event.
Q. What is your favorite thing about collaborating with different artists from varying backgrounds in culture and media? Do you have any other composers/artists you'd like to shout out so people can get a sense of your inspirations before the concert?
In particular from my Realms of Courage: Celebrating Asian Women Composers project, I deeply treasure the words of wisdom I’ve received from the composers. By listening to their experiences, I feel empowered to excel in my craft to the highest degree, knowing that they have done and/or are doing so as well.
One kernel of their wisdom that I use to guide my life is that if I really want to be a master of my craft, do as many things as I can. Draw upon as many sources of inspiration. Delve deeply into different fields of study. Follow my curiosity. Live, because all of life’s experiences are fuel for my creative work.
In addition to the Realms of Courage composers, my perpetual sources of inspiration include the Chinese legend “Jingwei Tian Hai” (Jingwei Fills the Sea), the Persian poem “Mantiq ut-Tayr” (The Conference of the Birds) by Attar of Nishapur, art by Remedios Varo and Evelyn de Morgan, architecture by Zaha Hadid, and literature by Zitkala-Ša and Christine de Pizan.
Journey of 1000 Miles
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Our general admission sale is currently underway for our next concert series in San Francisco. You can now reserve a seat at any of our upcoming concerts!
program
Jean Ahn | The Usual, Unusually (2019)
Yangfan Xu | Dogon Masks (2022)
Intermission
Juhi Bansal | Wings (2012)
Live presentation of Artwork and Q&A session
Journey of 1000 Miles is presented by Insight Chamber Players, Angela Han Art LLC, and Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC). This multimedia concert series is featured in the United States of Asian America Festival - Critical Refuge. #USAAF202
USAAF2025 is hosted by the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC) and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the San Francisco Arts Commission, SF Grants for the Arts, and the Zellerbach Family Foundation.
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