Tag: photography

Born a 2nd gen immigrant in Bakersfield, California in 1940, Irvin Paik recalls his unease around his Japanese neighbors and witnessing his parents face a lot of discrimination from white Americans. Irvin discovered a passion for theater in junior high school and continued to be involved with producing, writing, and acting in plays throughout high school and college. He even won an award in a Shakespeare competition at UCLA. Irvin also worked in photography, even pursuing a career in it, though he faced discrimination from employers.

Irvin later found work in the army, filming training videos, serving in Vietnam as a combat photographer, and working as a script supervisor at a pictorial center in Long Island City. He also worked filming a television show for 14 years. After leaving the army, Irvin began filming nature documentaries, and, following a mandate from the Justice Department that encouraged the hiring of minorities, he was able to pursue film editing. With Koreans achieving huge successes in the modern entertainment industry, Irvin encourages young people to follow their dreams.

Presented in partnership with Flushing Town Hall, HAN IN TOWN (KoreaTown) is a photo series by Janice Chung that focuses on Korean American business owners of Flushing, Queens. While Flushing is now known to be a large hub of multi-ethnic communities, it was once the epicenter for Korean Americans. This project seeks to encapsulate a nostalgic era of Flushing while simultaneously pointing to the future, with the inclusion of 2nd generation business owners alongside their 1st generation counterparts.