“Celebration”
by Bailey Lim

My artwork celebrates Lunar New Year which is an important part of my Chinese heritage. I want to share a celebratory scene which is recognized globally. Lion dances are an important holiday tradition in my culture. New Year celebrations bring families together, offering an opportunity to reflect on the past year and set goals for the upcoming year. Families around the world try to “go home” and celebrate together. We mark this occasion by wearing new clothes, gifting red envelopes filled with candies or money, enjoying a large meal with friends and family, and wishing each other health, prosperity, and happiness. The lion dance is performed to bring good luck and prosperity for the upcoming year. You see lion dances during new years and special celebrations because they bring good fortune and chase away evil spirits. The lion symbolizes power, wisdom, and superiority.

I hope my art will inspire and ignite contemplation about other cultures within our Camas community. Art to me is something where I can create and have my imagination thrive with the endless possibilities for expression. I have been doing art ever since I can remember and it has inspired me to be creative and open-minded throughout a process that can be challenging at times. It has helped me to learn to be patient with the process and persevere in life.

My experience of living in Camas is that everything around me is so full of life. Camas is filled with vibrant colors, nature itself shimmering in the sun, or fog that rolls in covering the town like a blanket. The weather in Camas can be unpredictable, just like the process of my artwork.