Painter, Calligrapher, Artist

Thu Anh Nguyen is a Vietnamese Floridian whose parents did not settle in the United States until they found land (and humidity!) that could grow the same fruits as they did in Vietnam. Every story Thu tells as a poet, painter, and educator is in part that immigration story; therefore, Thu’s work centers around equity, justice, and community. In her most recent social practice art, Thu shapes poetry while listening to conversations about what makes a flourishing community. She also paints large-scale watercolors and is obsessed with flowers, their symbolism and beauty. She has painted hundreds of floral protest posters for social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter and Say Her Name. 

Thu’s floral murals capture the voices of AANHPI women at Gallery Y in D.C., and the Asian American community at Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth, TX. She is also a published poet whose poetry explores the intersections and tensions between her Vietnamese and American identities. Her writing has been published in Literacy Today, the Southern Humanities Review, the Cider Press Review, and the Crab Orchard Review. When she isn’t painting or writing, you can find her in someone else’s garden, nose in a book, snack in hand. 

Wildflowers represent our resilience, the way we can land anywhere, and flourish. Each flower painted here is from our local DMV: the swamp rose mallow of Washington D.C., the golden ragwort of Virginia, and Virginia bluebells. Additionally, the large vibrant red flower is the Phoenix blossom, which is a significant flower from Vietnam.

Therefore, the flowers here are truly a representation of the artist Thu Anh Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant who has lived in the DMV for most of her life. This artwork hopes to honor all people who are transplants from other places.