BIO
Kenneth Tam was born in Tarrytown in upstate New York but grew up in Queens, New York. He describes “being exposed to” and becoming initially interested in art in middle school. This interest in art would never fade, and post-high school Tam would attend The Cooper Union in NYC after attending a pre-college program at Cooper. Post-graduation, Tam worked in NYC for a period of time before eventually deciding to go to grad school (USC) to get an MFA. It is there that he first connected with Bruce Hainley and Lisa Lapinski, who are currently both professors in the Department of Art at Rice University. Tam would initially come to Houston as an artist in residence for the prestigious Core Program at the MFAH. He also briefly taught sculpture at Rice during his first time in Houston, and he would go on to continue his teaching and art practice in NYC before eventually returning back to Houston. This interview covers Tam’s experience growing up in Queens, New York and how he navigated his Asian American identity during his early life. He talks about the trajectory of his artistic and creative pursuits, particularly in relation to how his mentors influenced his perception of art as a form of common good. Tam also talks about his initial career as an artist in New York and the perspectives that contributed to his artistic focus on masculinity and group intimacy. In addition, this interview covers Tam’s interests growing up, his motivations to teach art, and how artists can combat against growing anti-Asian sentiment in the United States.