Artists

Photo Credit: NIU Chun-Chiang

CHANG, TZU-CHUN

CHANG, TZU-CHUN is an illustrator and picture book creator. She graduated from the MA Children's Book Illustration program at Cambridge School of Art and the Department of Motion Picture at National Taiwan University of Arts. She is interested in philosophy, nature, and creating fun projects with interesting people.

Her work often explores the relationships between people and others in everyday life. She is skilled at creating a sense of time and narrative within her images, leaving space for viewers' imagination. Her works have been featured in publications in Taiwan and abroad, and have received international recognition, including the Bologna Children's Book Fair's Children-Spectators competition, the 3×3 International Illustration Award in the United States, and the Macmillan Prize for Illustration in the United Kingdom.

Her first picture book, Today Is the Day, was selected for The BRAW Amazing Bookshelf at the 2022 BolognaRagazzi Award. In 2023, her picture book Quién Soy was published in Spain and has since sold rights in multiple countries.

Artist
Statement.

Before setting off for my residency program, I had planned to create my stories based on random keywords off the top of my head. I had aimed to explore new narratives within a predefined framework. But the 29 fellow artists and writers I met at the Vermont Studio Center (VSC), along with the many opportunities for interaction and the activities held each day, completely changed my perspective. I realized that I shouldn't be doing the same things I could do in Taiwan. Instead, I should work on things that could only happen here at VSC.

I began researching and collecting material for a new picture book during my time at VSC. The sketches, visual diaries, and comics I produced during this period were shared on the open studio day. My inspiration came from a day trip with other artists-in-residence, who were surprised and even moved to tears when they saw my drawings. I was so glad that I had turned that experience into a comic. I learned that instead of focusing on making masterpieces, it means so much more to me to create art that could only happen here at VSC and to build genuine human connections through my work.

Resident artists at VSC have the opportunity to give a short, 7-minute presentation to introduce their work. It's completely optional and feels very different from a typical teaching session or presentation, as the audience is a community of artists who are new to their work. The presentation was a chance for me to practice self-expression and to reflect on my creative development.

While VSC accepts international applications, the Center also hosts a one-week residency program exclusively for local talent. I was there when the local program alumni reunited for an anniversary exhibition. Meeting these white-haired artists at the opening reception and seeing the light shining in their eyes when they shared their work was deeply moving. I was touched by their passion for art and made me reflect on my own path. It has only been a little over four years since I began to draw seriously after finishing graduate school. I wonder if I will still enjoy the creative process forty years from now. That is perhaps the magic of the residency program at VSC. I crossed paths with a group of peer artists for a short while, but the light we brought into each other's lives gave me the courage to keep moving forward.

Author: CHANG, TZU-CHUN
Edited: Brix

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