“Ask why,” mural
In 2019, I had the opportunity to participate as a volunteer artist on Ask Why, a mural created by the Hmong artist collective ArtCrop for the inaugural Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival in Saint Paul. I joined the project in support of artist Christina Vang and the ArtCrop team, assisting with painting and helping bring their vision for the mural to life.
“Ask Why,” 2019
Artist: ArtCrop / @helloartcrop
(Christina Vang, Teeko Yang + Oskar Ly)
Artist: Misty Marquis
Location: Oak Tree Arts,
809 Carleton St., Saint Paul, Minnesota
About the mural
Created by ArtCrop artists Christina Vang, Oskar Ly, and Teeko Yang, Ask Why explores culture, identity, and the social and environmental issues shaping our communities. The collective’s broader practice looks at the relationship between art, food, farming, and Hmong cultural traditions while asking an important question: What does cultural and economic sustainability look like for Hmong artists and farmers?
That spirit of curiosity is embedded throughout Ask Why. The mural uses an imaginative landscape of plants, flowers, symbols, and organic forms to reference issues ranging from gender fluidity and gun violence to environmental preservation, migration, and liberation. Some of its playful, almost otherworldly plant forms were even inspired by the visual language of Super Mario and Little Shop of Horrors.
One of the mural’s most unexpected details is its use of phosphorescent paint. After absorbing enough sunlight during the day, elements of the mural can glow in the dark, illuminating symbols connected to the questions and issues the artists wanted viewers to consider.
Art, culture, and community
Ask Why is also part of a much larger story behind ArtCrop. The collective has worked closely with the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA), using art and design to explore new ways of supporting Hmong farmers and artists while celebrating cultural knowledge passed between generations. Their projects have included artist residencies, murals, storytelling, and collaborations that paired artwork by Hmong artists with HAFA’s seasonal produce subscriptions.
For me, volunteering on Ask Why was an opportunity to contribute to that larger creative effort and experience the collaborative nature of public art firsthand. There’s something special about helping create work at this scale, knowing that it will become part of the neighborhood and continue to be experienced by people long after the painting is finished.
Today, Ask Why can be found on the west wall of Oak Tree Arts at Charles Avenue and Carleton Street, alongside Xee Reiter’s Wonderland, created in 2020.
Chroma Zone
For More about the Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival can be found at chromazone.net.
