The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs is honored to welcome celebrated artist Phung Huynh to the department as Creative Strategist for the Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) as part of the Creative Strategist Program administered by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.
Phung Huynh is a Los Angeles-based artist and educator whose art practice focuses on drawing, painting, and public art. Her work explores cultural perception and representation. Known for exploring the complexities of Southeast Asian refugee communities through drawings that include the iconic pink donut box, Huynh will apply her artistic practice and her own experience as a refugee and immigrant to her work with OIA staff on strategies to build trust and increase participation in LA County support services.
Phung Huynh, Photo by City of Los Angeles COLA program
“The talents of immigrant artists have helped to make Los Angeles County the nation’s creative capital,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair, Hilda L. Solis, Supervisor to the First District. “Phung Huynh’s work speaks to the immigrant story and makes a perfect match to help the Office of Immigrant Affairs celebrate the contributions of immigrants that make LA County a vibrant and welcoming place for all.”
“It’s an honor to welcome Phung Huynh and her impressive artistry and ideas into our Office of Immigrant Affairs,” said Rafael Carbajal, Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. “We extend our gratitude to the Department of Arts and Culture for selecting OIA as a place where art can help us better engage and serve those who have made Los Angeles their home.”
“Artists have the power to inspire and advance belonging and identity in communities. The Creative Strategist Program brings that power and creative problem solving into the service sector,” said Kristin Sakoda, Director of the Department of Arts and Culture. “We believe that this cross-sector partnership with the Office of Immigrant Affairs and the amazing, community-minded Phung Huynh will find innovative ways to build more access to arts and cultural resources for immigrants in Los Angeles County.”
“The role of artist is deeply connected to the role of cultural builder who serves the community,” said Huynh. “Intentional engagement and making art through a social justice lens are central to my practice, as well as my commitment to immigrant communities, women’s issues, and BIPOC solidarity. As an artist, educator, mother, and activist, I hope that when people engage with my work, they are positively impacted and rethink their relationships with their own communities and what sort of impact they can make.”
The Creative Strategist program is a recommendation of the LA County Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative, which is implemented by the Department of Arts and Culture. The program places artists and creative professionals in residence at a County agency, applying artistic practices towards the development of innovative solutions to complex social challenges.
In addition to her new assignment with OIA, Huynh has been commissioned with other County public art projects and recently earned a City of Los Angeles (COLA) Individual Artist Fellowship through LA City’s Department of Cultural Affairs. As one of 14 COLA fellows, Huynh’s works are currently being featured virtually at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery.
