M
April/May 2017
JIE Zheng
M Editor-In-Chief Miranda Jackson
Creative Director Chloe Jones Fashion Editor HaeMee Lee
Lifestyle Editor Laura Spitalniak Copy Editor Asia Hester
Fashion Writers Antoninette Biafore Aamir Khuller Lifestyle Writers Pearl Mak Veronica Proudford Photographers Ornelle Chimi Chloe Jones
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Table of Contents
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Modern Metals Spring Playlist Cover Story DC Travel Guide Yayoi Kusama
TABLE OF CONTENTS |3
Letter From the Editor
Dialogue: to converse or discuss the resolution of a conflict. Post-election, this is one of my most used words. I recently attended a talk delivered by a professor from the University of Pennsylvania on the place dialoguing holds in America. He said that the safest option is simply to keep quiet, but that silence should no longer be considered an option. While I do agree with him, there is a part of me that is begging for the world to go mute. Since the election cycle began, my spirit has simply felt empty, completely drained of its lifeblood. I have to pop an ibuprofen every time I hear the word “Trump.” And it’s strange, really, how we now live in a country where citizens are so blatantly left or right, so transparently black or white, so banded together in their viewpoints—but yet I have never felt more alone in my life. It is a terrifying time to be an American. Such an amassed cloud of uncertainty looms above the nation. Everyday, it feels like walking on ice. That final word – ice – is what I gave my staff as the sole inspiration for this edition. I wanted to see how each person would incorporate it into their work, how it would materialize for them. I hope this edition can serve as a diversion, as a source of soul food, as simply a place to rest your heart for a split second. Lay down on the ice. Let it shock you; let it numb you. Feel something other than fear. And then tomorrow, dialogue. Talk to people you don’t agree with. Hear them out. Chip away the ice, and let a stranger know that this is a nation founded on “We.” The future of the next four years rests on our ability to understand and respect perspective, and that will not happen if we remain silent. Sincerely,
Miranda Jackson, Editor-In-Chief
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l a t e M n er
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fore kbook A loo toninette Bia y An B
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Spring Playlist By: Veronica Proudford
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White Winter Hymnal - Birdy Clean - The Japanese House Hollow Drum - Laura Welsh Dust - Little May Alps - Novo Amor Plans - Oh Wonder Seven Devils - Florence and the Machine Silhouette - Active Child feat. Ellie Goulding The Truth About the World - Andrea Marie Bittersweet - ARCHIS Strong - London Grammar Medicine - Daughter When It Comes To Us - Frances and Ritual We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off - Ella Eyre Creep - Ember Island
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JIE zheng
Scholar Creator Luminary By: Miranda Jackson
Although Jie Zheng has joined the ranks of small-town urban creatives who transformed into modish Washington, D.C. public figures via social media posts of daily attire, she is far from a stereotype. Zheng stepped on to the campus of George Mason University less than two years ago as a freshman art major against the wishes of her first-generation Chinese parents. In her back pocket sat an old iPhone, containing an Instagram account with a few thousand followers. Today, that number sits pretty at nearly 65,000. Yet, Zheng’s small town benevolence remains ever-present. Her platform serves as an advocate for Asian representation in fashion, an empowerment of young female creatives and an outlet from her day-to-day life in college classrooms. Zheng met me in a Shaw coffee shop on an unseasonably warm winter day, and she painted me a humorously muddled picture of how she balances being 19, a full time student and catalyst of her ambitions.
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MJ: Where did you grow up? JZ: “Aberdeen, Maryland. It’s very up
north. It’s like the second town over the Delaware line or something. When I was first born, my parents opened a restaurant right there on 40. It’s a little Chinese place that everybody in my town goes to because it’s so small. Like no one’s there. I’m surprised if anyone ever hears about it.” How did your childhood influence your career? “It’s weird, because if it did influence my career, I wouldn’t be doing any of this. Anything with hair, makeup or clothes, my mom never taught me. [My mom is] like first generation so—no makeup, wear what you have. “So I don’t know where it came from— maybe my cousin. My older sister, by the time I was ten and dressing myself, she was twenty-something and out of the house. So I would visit my cousin in Delaware and she’s the one that introduced me to music and stuff, and clothes and makeup kind of. I think the Internet too, because I always watched YouTube videos when I was little. That’s sort of where I learned everything. “With clothes I was sort of just drawn to it, because I was like, ‘Oh, this is a way of representing myself,’ because I was always quiet, always an introverted person.” So what do you think influences you now? “Benny [my boyfriend] does a lot. He had his own thing before I met him. I used to be like, bomber jacket everyday, graphic tee and stuff. But since I met him, he’s introduced me to—not high fashion, but more like, I don’t even know how to describe it, how to categorize it. He just opened me up to more styles and I really like it. “I guess other people [influence me] too.
I love people of any style on social media, just seeing like, ‘Oh that’s so cool how they put that together.’ So it’s always a bit of street style with a bit of … chic, maybe that’s the word. “Growing up I was always on Tumblr, too. I just restarted my Tumblr. I love it.” What are your favorite accounts on Instagram? “I’ve been seeing more and more people I can relate to. I know some girls are also Asian and doing the fashion thing. Some of the bigger names are the Song sisters and The Grey Layers. My style is basics. I don’t buy clothes. I buy basics in different silhouettes so I can wear it different ways. But I’m always like, ‘Oh my gosh, I wish I had a closet like them, like the Song sisters.’ “There’s no one individual, but just those other Asian girls out there. They’re so cute. I’m always just like, ‘Yes, girl! Do your thing!’ “I like Sophia Chang a lot, too. I watched all of her videos. HeyClaire, too. I watch them on YouTube for makeup, and then look on Instagram for their style.” Where do you currently attend school? “George Mason [University]. My whole school story is that I was supposed to be a bio major. My parents still think I’m a bio major. So I applied to [the University of Maryland] for bio, but George Mason for graphic design. I got into both. “I went with Mason, of course. But in high school, I went to a Vo-tech school. I went there for nursing with my sister. That’s what my parents wanted me to do, was become a doctor or something. But I was like, I can’t. I hadn’t done art for so long. I couldn’t even apply to more schools because I couldn’t bring myself to apply for biology. “My plan is to try and reimburse [my parents]. Before I graduate. They ask, but I
“It’s a business now, just how YouTube became one. I mean it’s great that people can launch themselves on there. It’s so cool that someone can start a whole business, a whole store off of it, if they have a real talent to share. I think that’s so awesome. It gives the consumer more power too.” When did you notice your account was growing? lie. They’re involved with my school, but they never really look into it. “So I’m an art major with a graphic design concentration. I always did the traditional art part of it, which is like painting and drawing, but I wanted to learn the digital side of it. I’m taking all of the courses that can relate to fashion. I’m taking photography—I’ve taken film and digital. I took illustration. I just took painting and drawing. “Art history I love. I did web design, and it all just comes together. That’s how I made my first t-shirt, with Illustrator in a 100 level class. Hopefully in digital photography I can start shooting more ideas. I love art. Art makes you conscious of everything.” When did you join Instagram? “High school, freshman year. I think that’s when I got my first phone. I wasn’t posting anything fashion related until sophomore year, maybe junior year. The first photo I posted was my dog. It was extra-filtered. I think I still have it, just ‘cause. “I don’t know why it turned into clothes. Probably just because people responded to it, and I like clothes anyway. When Instagram first started, there weren’t a lot of people on it. Even though it seemed like there were. It was a lot less people.” How do you think it’s changed?
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“In the beginning, but I don’t know how it grew. I guess because there were less people, and interacting with people [was more common]. In the very beginning, it would just be like a hundred [new followers] a day, and I was just like, ‘Oh, wow. Ok.’ Because I didn’t really know how it worked.” Do you consider yourself Instagram famous? “No, I hate it when people say that. It makes me cringe. Why would you even call yourself that? It’s weird, because when I got to college that was when I realized more people actually knew me. I went to a party at the beginning of the year and I knew no one. “But some girl stopped me before I left the party and was like, ‘Are you Jie Zheng?’ I was just like, ‘Oh my god, when you say my first and last name that makes me cringe.’ Because you know, you only call famous people by their first and last name.
weird times.” What are some of the coolest things you’ve been able to do since joining Instagram? “Well, coming from a really small town, and moving here, starting freshman year I didn’t know anyone. But because it’s D.C., I met all of these people. That’s how I met my boyfriend, Benny. He was in my DM’s, but it was professional. It was for a shoot for him. We didn’t really hit it off. I was just like, ‘Ok this is just another guy I’m working with.’ But somehow we’re together. That was October last year, as in my freshman year. “Have you been to Street Meet D.C.? It’s one of the first things I did. Most of the photographers that I met early on, I met there. A lot of the photographers here do it as a hobby, so they go out of their way on the weekends to shoot. It’s just really what they love to do. “Being able to meet so many photographers—that’s how Instagram changed for me. Now that I’m trying to be behind the camera, I can meet models and other photographers and designers. It’s helped me build all of these contacts. I’ve met some of my best friends on there, too. You just launched Shop Jie, your own clothing line.
“My friends make a joke out of it— that’s probably why I got annoyed with it. I have my friends back home, and they’ve known forever. But I have new friends from college who knew me with the following, so it’s a different dynamic.”
“I’m not good with names. I looked at other bloggers and they used their own names, too. That was also the best way I could describe it, Shop Jie, because it’s like shopping my personal closet. To me, everything is genuine to myself.
Do you think that’s difficult? To find genuine people?
“It was all done on my own investment. It was so much fun for me, because I got to be behind-the-scenes. The models I used, like Jasmine— she’s my childhood best friend, but she’s a signed model now. Everything
“It is, because people think [Instagram] is a part of me. But it’s just something I do. It’s brought up at
is written down in my book. I had different sticky notes for each model, because I see them in certain stuff. I actually shot it in art studio of my school. I’ve used that so many times.” It’s crazy how hidden art scenes can be on college campuses, though. “Oh, yeah. You know Aurum from Pink Plastic Babez? She goes to my school—well she’s graduating, but she goes to George Mason. The first time I did a shoot with Ann Wynn, a photographer fell through and we booked a replacement one, who also happened to go to George Mason. “The art school always emails us when there’s a job or openings, which is great, but none of them really relate to me yet. I need to be like a senior. School is exhausting.” How do you balance it? “I don’t. My grades are fine. I get through. I picked up two different part-time jobs, one this year, one last year, but I just couldn’t do it. I really wanted to focus on being behindthe-scenes, so I had to start treating it like a part-time job. “So I definitely give priority to my fashion stuff, because it’s what I want to do. And once you start, you can’t stop. I wish I were a little more focused, because I feel like I could be learning more skills. Because once you take a class you can either use a skill or lose it. That’s what happened with web design. I learned coding but now I can’t do it. “I can’t get bad grades. My parents kind of made me that way. But now I’m trying to get A’s in art, not biology, so it’s a whole different effort. Because it’s art, and because I love it, even though it drives me insane, I put a lot of effort into it.
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“The studio classes are killing me. They’re four hours long. I took painting too, and that scarred me. It was oil painting, and that does not dry. It was just everywhere. I felt so bad for my roommates. That’s why I want my little space, my own studio. “I know all creatives are like, ‘If I wasn’t in school, I would be doing all of this stuff.’ But I just see it as building my talents. After I take a class I’m so appreciative of it. I can’t complain. I’m tired, but I love it. If I was taking biology, it would just be a check ten years in the future.” What do you want to do when you graduate? “I have this whole thing about being successful before I’m 21. So I have 2 years left. I just want to already be building my brand. Hopefully I finish school. Keep doing what I’m doing now, just on a bigger platform. I want to be a creative director. I want to be behind the scenes bringing my visions to life. “Maybe get a little office somewhere in the city. I want to have my own place. I love Virginia, like northern Virginia, so I’m probably going to stay out there. My goal is to get a billboard in China somewhere. That’s what I’m plotting—a campaign for something.”
DC TRavel guide:
NATIONAL MALL By: Pearl Mak
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The Commute
Parking becomes an obstacle when heading to the National Mall. Expect to pay $10-$20 if you’re planning to drive to the mall area. If you want to save money and maximize your time spent in the city, riding the metro to the Mall is your best bet. Depending on how far you’re willing to walk, metro station options include Gallery Place Chinatown Station, which is a 13-minute walk to the mall area, or the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Station, a 7-minute walk. By taking Metro, you’ll save half the amount of money it would take just to park your car.
Sights to See
You’re surrounded by a vast amount of massive buildings when you arrive at the National Mall. It takes about 50 minutes to walk across the whole mall from the U.S. Capitol to Lincoln Memorial. Along the way, you can check out the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Museum of American History or the National Gallery of Art. The best part about the mall area is that almost all the museums and memorials are free! You can invest as much time as you want into amazing sights without having to spend a dime. If you want some distance from the mall, the Renwick Gallery is only a 4-minute walk away from the White House. Renwick often changes up their exhibits so you can expect to find something fresh and exciting every time you visit.
Events
The DAR Constitution Hall holds a variety of events every month. Acts such as Musiq Soulchild and Regina Spektor played at the venue recently, so be sure to book tickets if you’re interested! The annual National Cherry Blossom Festival will end mid-April
if you’re looking for scenic walks. The Jefferson Memorial is the hub of the festival and it is a romantic sight with the abundance of pink flowers with the memorial standing boldly in the background.
Food
There’s an overwhelmingly wide selection of food available if you’re hungry. If you want an Instagram-worthy snack, check out Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken. Their doughnut flavors range from vanilla glazed to maple bacon and their monthly doughnut flavors are always mouth-watering. They offer fried chicken if you’re a more savory than sweet kind of person. However, they only offer certain wings like the Sriracha buffalo or the Korean BBQ on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, so keep your palette open to options if what you’re looking for is not there. Food trucks are a great option as well. They’re typically spread throughout the city and there will always be that one food truck that satisfies your cravings.
Plan a Visit
Be sure to dress comfortably and wear walking shoes. Some parts of the mall area are pretty rocky and it’s easy to get pebbles stuck in your shoes. Most food places are pricey in D.C. so be sure to bring extra money if you’re planning to eat there. Most importantly, bring a camera! This place is definitely one to remember.
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Yayoi Kusama Infinite Art and Infinite Lines: A Complete Guide to Kusama’s “Infinity Mirrors” By: Laura Spitalniak
Plan Ahead
Tickets are released on Mondays at noon and regularly sell out in a matter of minutes. Sign-up for the Hirshhorn newsletter for a head start and keep options open when you’re deciding when to visit.
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Be a Member of Hirshhorn if you can
Supporting members get to skip to the front of the general admission line with a guest. However, the membership will cost you. The Limited Edition Kusama Circle membership for $50 is temporarily sold-out. The next lowest membership available is the Contributors Circle for $250, which allows you and three guests to skip the general admission line.
Go in a Group
Not only is this gallery a perfect opportunity for squad pictures, you’ll get more time in some of the installments. For example, in “Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity” (known more casually as “the floating lanterns” one), groups of two through four are allowed in for 30 seconds. If you’re visiting solo, you only get 10 seconds. Groups of four are best for ensuring there are no randos in your photos. So bring a good camera--the exhibit is extremely social media friendly.
A retrospective of Japanese modern artist Yayoi Kusama’s work entitled “Infinity Mirrors” opened to the public on February 23 at the Hirshhorn Museum in D.C. The exhibit has been widely praised for the immersive fullroom installations and Kusama’s signature pumpkins and polka dots. There’s no cost to visit “Infinity Mirrors” but it requires a timed pass and they’re currently sold-out. Read below to find out how to see the most popular art since “Hamilton”.
Show up Early
If your pass time is 11:00, don’t wait until 11:00 to enter the museum. That’s not the time you’re guaranteed entrance into the exhibit, just the museum. Often, staff members will let you get in the general admittance line 10 minutes early, so take advantage.
Be Prepared to Wait in Line
Since the room installations are more contained than traditional pieces, the museum staff limit how many people can go in at once.
Enjoy Yourself
It’s hard not to view the exhibit (solely) through the lens of a camera. Interacting with Kusama’s work is truly unique. Get your Instagram picture then put your phone away. It’s more fun, I promise. The exhibit runs now through May 17th.
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