Introduction: Jessica Lee (also known as Jade Lee) is a Korean American painter. She immigrated to Rhode Island from Seoul, Korea with her husband Chun Lee in January 1973. She has traveled extensively to observe artwork at the major museums in the United States. Some of her recent paintings were featured in Providence City Hall in September 2004. The exhibition was named "an Atmosphere of Light and Color," and Jessica Lee was lauded for being a "prominent Korean American artist" whose images juxtapose swirling abstract patterns with natural Asian sensibility. She currently resides in Cranston, Rhode Island with her husband.

(Part 1)

00:00:00

ECW: All right. So I guess we'll start from the beginning and we'll work up to now. So, where were you born in…

00:00:10

JL: I was born in Korea… Seoul.

00:00:17

ECW: Right. And how long did you live in Seoul?

00:00:22

JL: I think… I left my age 30 years old, in there… and… I was ten years old, we escaped the Korean War, you know. So from Seoul to Tegul [?]. So, come back… my age eighteen years old. So…

00:01:03

CL: So, eighteen years in… another city.

00:01:06

JL: Yea… About twenty years I live there… and I came here, thirty-one years… My age thirty-one...

00:01:21

CL: January '73

00:01:22

JL: Yea, January '73, came here.

00:01:26

ECW: Ok… came to Providence. Or Cranston, rather. And… did you study art when you were in Korea?

00:01:35

JL: Uh… Actually, I… learned art in… a little bit, at Rhode Island College you know? One semester. Yea.

00:01:55

ECW: I see. One semester…

00:01:58

CL: And she was also uh… art class in high school? Middle school?

00:02:06

JL: Middle school, yea… Middle… junior high school, you know? I learned watercolors, yea? From my art teacher… And, that's it! [Laughs] But you know, actually, at that time… I learned… art class in Rhode Island College. My age 31 years old, so… long time during, you know, I learned from museum. I traveled a lot of city, and then, every city I visited museum. So, you know… actually, I like San Francisco, modern art museum, you know? So… three, four… five times more than that. I visit there, and…LA, Guggenheim… Los Angeles… county museum, like that. I visited so many museums, you know.

00:03:42

CL: And Metropolitan Museum in New York…

00:03:44

JL: Yea… Metropolitan Museum…

00:03:53

CL: That was Guggenheim

00:03:54

JL: Guggenheim. Yea. I mixed up. LA is… It's… What was it? It's… forgot. And, right now, just before I visited Indian… Indian museum? Yea, Washington D.C., actually new opened, you know? So… like that. I learned a lot from museum, so… the book [referring to art book on table].

00:04:41

CL: And also Boston…

00:04:43

JL: Yea, Boston museum… yea, lot of cities I visited, so…

00:04:50

ECW: Did you have a favorite artist in some of the…

00:04:55

JL: Yea. I… Wait a minute, please [leaves to get art book].

00:05:08

CL: You know that she had lecture at Brown University?

00:05:12

ECW: Oh really?

00:05:13

CL: Yea, and… taught the student about… modern art paintings.

00:05:22

ECW: That's very impressive.

00:05:25

CL: Yea. It's mainly abstract… About Paul Klee, and…

00:05:31

JL: Yea. I love Paul Klee. And… Kandinsky. And, I learned this one is… [Points] Korean book. But, abstract… history of twenty centuries, abstracts. So I learned lot of these books, indirected. So… I visited… every week I visit Cranston library, and there's… lot of art images, every time they got different exhibit in there. So… yea! [Laughs]. I learned that kind of style.

00:06:30

ECW: So, why did you move from Korea to Rhode Island?

00:06:39

JL: It's… my husband is… medical doctor. At that time…

00:06:47

CL: We are immigrant.

00:06:48

JL: Yea. And… he got job in here, so, you know…

00:06:54

ECW: Oh, I see. And do you still have family back in Korea that you're in contact…

00:07:00

JL: Yea… yes. My family, his family, all over there… in there.

00:07:08

ECW: Right. Do you go back to visit…

00:07:11

JL: Oh yea. This year, I… visited, June, at that time… So, it was… Actually, I'm… President of Korean American Association, so… there's all world leader gathering… [asks husband] can you bring the pictures?

00:08:04

CL: And this is… all the worldwide Korean Association president meetings in Seoul, Korea.

00:08:15

ECW: Oh… I see. [Laughs]

00:08:20

CL: And that's uh… First Lady, and the President of Korea.

00:08:26

ECW: Wow. Yea… it's amazing. There are definitely a lot of questions that I want to ask, I guess. So, would you say… before while you were in Korea, that's when you started painting more full time? Or it wasn't until you came to Rhode Island that you started doing more paintings.

00:08:48

JL: Yea, I started in here. Actually, my major was, you know… Korean literature. I was not related art. Yes. But… lately, I realized that I was… very anxiety about art. Yea, very much. So… I… but, you know, problem is my… English is not… good [Laughs].

00:09:39

ECW: No, no, your English is good.

00:09:41

JL: Not perfect. So, I learned myself you know, teach many ways…

00:09:51

ECW: Oh yes, how did you learn English? Was it at the Rhode Island College? Or just by yourself…

00:09:58

JL: Oh. I learned English, you know, in my country. But… it's not enough. So, in here, I learned other dedication, or something like that. From the TV… [Laughs] Friends, or something like that. [Laughs]

00:10:27

ECW: I see… So, you took one semester of art at Rhode Island College. Do you still go back there? To… I don't know, teach, or meet up with friends over there, or…?

00:10:47

CL: No, she doesn't. She's… retired. So…

00:10:56

ECW: I see. Um… So, I guess, tell me a little more about Paul Klee and Kandinsky… I mean, it's kind obvious that some of your works…

00:11:18

JL: Yea. I liked Paul Klee before… four years ago very much, so… [Flips open art book] Little bit, but little bit different way, my way, but, it's… I loved him, you know… so… you see, this kind… I love this kind, like that. [Flips through art book] And… somehow, you see, in here, it's Korean alphabet.

00:12:07

ECW: Oh! Yes, I see

00:12:10

JL: You know Korean alphabet? A little bit?

00:12:12

ECW: Yes, I know…

00:12:14

JL: Yea. So, I saw one painting, modern art museum in San Francisco. I saw big… abstract one. And that's… whole numbers in there. So one and two ten, whole numbers in there. So, they made... being mountains. So, I impressed. I wanted that kind picture I draw in… so I made this kind of… [Points to own painting] this one is alphabet. So… I impressed, you know, a lot of them thinks… I am so young [laughs]. Look like little girl, you know? Everything I impressed. So… yea.

00:13:34

JL: I saw TV drama, Korean TV drama. And then… it is, that kind… all the history, I impressed all the history. Like this one [points to painting], came from that tale. And… that one is… [Refers to painting] I traveled Europe, and then… one field, yellow flower, like orange flower, something like that. So I thought that one… one museum I saw that kind of painting. I forgot the painter's name, but you know… I draw one like that. [Looks at another painting] This one is airplane. My airplane [chuckles]. So, it's… imagination airplane. I like this airplane. You know, by the travel [laughs]. So…

00:15:01

ECW: And these?

00:15:02

JL: That one is… Actually, junior high school, I was one teacher's… [Asks husband for English translation of Korean word] mathematic award? No… like triangle… He's… very high… a nobleman, you know. So, I impressed him, a lot of him. So I remind him, and then… that mathematic teacher I liked it, at the time, so I draw the triangle. Actually, I imagined every person in here. [Laughs] So like that…

00:16:04

CL: There are several airplane there.

00:16:07

JL: Yea, I explained that one. And then… you see, lot of… pointing. [Korean word] Yea. Pointed, I like that pointed. But this one is, you know, I felt some lonesome at the time, so… it's Morse number… dot dot dot dot dot [Laughs].

00:16:48

ECW: Right. So the rhythm?

00:16:50

JL: Yea, rhythmically. Dot dot dot dot dot dot, like that. And then, we're going to be together…

00:17:01

CL: Communication.

00:17:02

JL: Communication, yes. So… I used that kind, yea… like that.

00:17:10

ECW: Do you think you drew any inspiration from traditional art as well?

00:17:15

JL: Yes… I'm not sure, but… one of my friends said your colors come from original Korean colors. You know? Many… five colors. We think, principle colors is five. So that kind of colors you impressed.

00:17:47

CL: And. Professor Ames, put the essay there, her expression like, expressed of nature's change… it's all from the nature.

00:18:03

JL: [Refers to own painting] Yea, this one came from cave, you know. Some… long time ago cavemen in here [chuckles], like that. This one came from actually Korean… story.

00:18:30

CL: Yea, frog. Frogs.

00:18:35

ECW: What was the story about?

00:18:37

JL: One frog is not… not obey her parents. So, its… [laughs] not good teenager you know. [Laughs]

00:18:54

CL: In fact, opposite all the time.

00:18:57

JL: All the time, you know. Opposite time, he hate. And then, mother goes away, passed away. And then, he's very regretting. And, so…

00:19:14

CL: You know, the mother said… put me on the ground. Because the…

00:19:23

JL: Not [ground]... Wall.

00:19:26

CL: Yea. Put me near the wall. Then she imagined that he going to put it on the ground. But after she died, he put her near the wall. That's the first time obeyed the mother. Then the rain comes, so the frog cried all the time because the mother's tomb is… flooded, and vanished.

00:20:07

JL: Yes. So, every time he's… crying. Rainy day.

00:20:18

CL: Korean day. Yea… that's all the story of about, in Korea… the frogs cried all the time when it's raining.

00:20:31

JL: So yea. [Refers to own painting] It's rainy day. It's a little bit sad story. My father was… during Korean War, he died. So… young age, it's young age. I missed him rather… So I don't like rainy day. But… it's time to go… and then, my age… you know, old. So, I think it's… rainy day not bad. Especially, I like abstract style, you know. It's rainy day in here, shiny days, it's… one sun come out.

00: 21:43

JL: But this sun is little bit humorous, kind of. Cut the tomato, [laughs] you know. I like drawing sun. Lot of expression, that kind of sun. Here, over there… different to sun. Every… my emotion, by the emotion, it's humorous sun, or a little bit gloomy day sun… Yea. It's like that. [Chuckles]

00:22:40

ECW: I see. So your inspirations are from when you're traveling, the museums, nature, and Korean folktales. And also just… things that you see in America as well?

00:22:57

JL: Oh, yea. But, I think I'm American. Good American, you know. So I like this freedom, you know. So… I show you one painting. It's… not good one, but… [Leaves to get painting]

00:23:32

[Pause in conversation]

00:24:49

JL: This one is… some fish, whale, or something like that. Fish. They swimming in the water, but… going to the freedom. For the freedom. So, I like this motif. It's very forward, going to forward. This one is actually from imagination rather. So… [inaudible] Rides stream. So… going to forward. I know this kind of motif, it's… I think that's Americanism. A little bit. Forward, you know

00:26:14

[Pause in conversation]

00:26:24

ECW: So do you think that you would… well, when you say free, freedom as an artist, or freedom in other senses, like freedom in the States?

00:26:40

JL: Yea, first all, freedom of art. Freedom over myself. Freedom over all stick... [asks English translation for Korean phrase]

00:27:03

ECW: Stigma?

00:27:04

CL: No no… sticky mind.

00:27:08

JL: Yea. Every time. I want a fresh mind. I want a fresh mind, so… that's means freedom, for me. And… well, widely, it's relationship. Every human relationship.

00:27:43

ECW: And, you feel like you have more relationship with the… Korean and Korean American community here, than back in Korea?

00:27:54

CL: No no no, we just visit Korea just one week like that. Every five or three years. But it's all friends are here. American society, and Korean society, and churches, and Korean school, and…

00:28:16

ECW: What is the art scene like in Korea now? Are there a lot of modern artists? Or…

00:28:24

JL: Still they're… real… Realism, you know. Realism painting is more… more beautiful, they think. They think abstract is… oh, we don't understand that way. Still, little bit that way. Not majority.

00:29:08

ECW: You were mentioning the five colors. So is this a common theme in Korean painting, that usually only five colors are used?

00:29:18

JL: I don't know exactly Korean painting. You know? I didn't learn that way, so…

00:29:33

CL: But still, for paintings, it's not real artist painting. It's regular people, put something… put on the wall, like festival, things…

00:29:45

JL: That's… Korean temple.

00:29:47

CL: …Temples. They use lots of red and blue, yellow colors.

00:29:57

JL: One painting I have like that [leaves to get painting]

00:30:00

[Pause in conversation]

00:30:29

JL: Actually, this one… the five colors came from Korean five colors. Feel like that. Yea. This kind of color. So, I didn't notice that, but one friend came here… Oh, look at the colors, it's Korean five colors. This one is like that.

00:31:02

ECW: And what is this painting about?

00:31:04

JL: This one is…

00:31:09

CL: Cross? Yea, that's the cross.

00:31:12

JL: Yea, Jesus Christ cross. And then… [Points to painting] this part is heaven part, this part is…

00:31:28

CL: Hell.

00:31:31

JL: No, not hell. In here. Earth.

00:31:40

CL: The cross that united… Heaven and earth.

00:31:48

ECW: So what kind of activities do you do? Are you involved with the Christian community here?

00:31:55

JL: Yea, I involved a lot… over there. We… are two choir members, you know. And…

00:32:15

CL: We had major role in Korean church

00:32:20

ECW: I see. And… tell me more about your work as the president of the Korean American Association. What kind of things have you done within the community?

00:32:36

JL: He helps me, so he knows lot.

00:32:42

CL: Actually at the end of the year, every year, we elect the president. And all the trustee members and chairpersons too, and report all financial… report to all the public. That's… it start January first, for the whole new year. Then we celebrate all the memorable days. That's usually Korean, so liberation day, March 1st demonstration day to the Japanese control. And… then we invite all the senior, and we treat them a couple of times a year. Also, we had Korean school at Brown University. Every Friday, we teach Koreans to Korean children, and American too. There were many Americans, compared to…

00:34:04

ECW: Is it for the Korean adopted… the mentoring program for adopted Korean children?

00:34:18

CL: You mean the school?

00:34:19

ECW: No, I just know at Brown University there's some kind of a…

00:34:23

CL: Yea, there is a Korean Adoptee Mentoring Program there. We support them. And… Sometimes we give some fund to support them. Last year, we had like a big meeting and party at Brown.

00:34:47

ECW: Yea, I think I was there.

00:34:49

CL: Yea. And… you know, we just service for Korean society, and also we have lots of activities like American society too.

00:35:07

ECW: Like?

00:35:08

CL: Like heritage, and… some participate American Independence Day, a parade… heritage, some event… Sometimes we visit American city, or governor. Sometimes the Korean dignitaries come, and we got together. And, couple of years ago the governor visit Korea, unofficially? Then one of our member accompanied him, and make all possible, paper schedules, and… Yea. We just do our job.

00:36:07

ECW: I see. So would you say the Korean American community here or the Korean community here is… how big is the Korean community here?

00:36:16

JL: Two thousand two… people.

00:36:20

ECW: It's surprisingly big. Because I know when I first contacted you I was just very surprised that…

00:36:27

[Pause in conversation]

00:36:46

CL: Do you know [?]… Louis Lee's our good friend. He's the leading person in the Chinese community.

00:37:01

ECW: Yea, I'm actually just… Well, partly because I didn't grow up in Rhode Island, so I was just surprised to know that there was a large Korean community here. I know that there is a small Chinese community here, and I know there's a very large Southeast Asian community here? Like the Cambodians. There's a large Cambodian community. But did a lot of the Korean community come around the same time you did? Or did they come earlier…

00:37:35

CL: The Laotians came late, after the fall of Vietnam. So Koreans come from '60s. She was the… thirties, their president. We had the citation, almost thirty years.

00:38:13

ECW: And the kids. How do you see the second generation of Koreans?

00:38:23

JL: They think… I don't know, about… Some kids like Korea. I am Korean, you know. But some kids, oh, I don't know. Like that. My second daughter, she doesn't want learning Korean, so she… I speak Korean, actually, in my home, but she doesn't want to listening. Listening, but she doesn't speak Korean. So its… Actually, she doesn't understand exactly, you know. Ours, you know?

00:39:32

CL: I think all the immigrant is the same. Because when they're very young, they… don't realize the face is different, and our custom is different. Especially parents are different from the American people. But when they start to go to the school, they… realize a little different. Then, they oppose all the things the parents wanted to do that, because they think they are American. But actually, in the society, in the school… they have a lot of stress, a lot of difference. They're like my child, they came here at like age of three, and you have the same path. And then, after graduate college, then their identities toward more Korea. So my second daughter, she graduate Moses Brown and RISD. And she's thirty-five now, last year she went to Korea to learn Korean.

00:41:12

CL: Because they realize whatever they think they are American, but society doesn't allow it that way. Then, their identity is confused and mixed. Then, they think they are American, but also they are Korean too.

00:41:41

[Pause in conversation]

00:41:48

ECW: So your daughter is also an artist.

00:41:51

JL: Yes. She's artist. She encouraged lot of, lot of time. And then… I learned from her, some skill. Actually… I show one painting. [Leaves to get painting]

00:42:21

ECW: So is your daughter in Korea now? Still? Or she's back here.

00:42:25

CL: She's been back. She's in New York now.

00:42:30

ECW: Painting?

00:42:31

CL: No, it's website. Web designer.

00:42:36

JL: This one is… I started and finished two years. Yea. Long time. I took long time, you know.

00:42:50

ECW: It's beautiful.

00:42:52

JL: Yea. So… This one is, very deep red, real. So, one close to… yellow or red. All drawing like that, I want fire, flying fire look like. So, all red and…

00:43:27

CL: Fall…

00:43:28

JL: Yea, red… and yellow, like that. And it's too much… not artistic. So, I drawing this blue. Sticky blue I made, sticky blue. [Gestures at original lines on painting] And, I think almost going there, but it's not exactly. Yea, I made like that, white one like that, but not exactly, it's not finished, it's not perfect. So I asked her, you know. She said, mom, you know, this way it's good. But that way not… no finishing. No layer. So exactly, oh. I got it. I learned. So… I made this image. And it's good. [Laughs] Like that. One word, one sentence, it means lot for me.

00:45:08

ECW: I see. How about your… that's your second daughter. And your oldest daughter… Daughter?

00:45:18

JL: Daughter.

00:45:19

ECW: So, how is she doing?

00:45:23

JL: She studied international relationship. But…

00:45:31

CL: Tufts University

00:45:33

JL: She wanted to be doctor. So, she changed mind. And then, she studied… going to medical school. That's different major, so…She studied lot of time. But already she got married. And then, six years she just struggled and then, at that time, she got pregnant. So she dropped and… gave up medical school. Right now, she's 38 years old, she's studying philosophy. Not philosophy. [Mutters Korean] Psychology. Psychologist. [Laughs]

00:46:47

ECW: Do they come back and visit often?

00:46:50

JL: Yea. Actually, we came… she just leaving Washington D.C. around. We came there, visit Thanksgiving Day, around. They come visit Christmas time in here.

00:47:13

CL: She has two daughters too.

00:47:16

ECW: I see. So, I guess, among the younger generation, it would be nice if they can hold on to their Korean identity. Because your husband mentioned about helping, teaching at a Korean school, so tell me more about that.

00:47:45

CL: We don't do anything Korean school now. The Korean school belongs to Korean Association. They have their principals and all the teachers. But I founded the Korean school more than twenty years ago, and she was the principal too.

00:48:16

ECW: How big is the Korean school now?

00:48:19

CL: They have many classes, and from the small children and… basic, and then middle, then higher education. Actually… three grade, but I think that it has been good.

00:48:55

ECW: Do you see your art as… because obviously a lot of your art has the Asian themes, do you see a way that your art is sort of feeding off into your work with the Korean community, or are they separate things?

00:49:14

JL: I think it was very open. But… they realized my world is little bit… cannot understanding. Little bit hard. It's abstract. So, what is abstract. They think like that.

00:49:41

CL: Yea, we send all the people… Mayor Ciciline sent all the card, and… maybe 30 people came on the opening day, but after that I don't know how many people came. I think the most three… They come but they don't understand. Many people come, to see the exhibition, else they come to see her, to make face. [Chuckles]

00:50:33

ECW: Tell me about… how did the Mayor find out about you and your work and decide to make an exhibition for it?

00:50:44

CL: The exhibition, we went many times there. And, they send this kind of card all the time. One day we talked about her, and gave this one [painting booklet] to them. And then they invited her.

00:51:06

JL: So… Actually, Paul… Paul Brooks. He likes my paintings lot.

00:51:27

CL: He graduated at RISD

00:51:31

JL: Yea…

00:51:35

ECW: So it was encouraging to work with them.

00:51:38

CL: Yea, then they gave citation. [Shows certificate]

00:52:00

ECW: And, would you say… because we talked about some of the things that being in America has influenced you, and being a Korean has influenced you. Would you say that there was anything about living in Rhode Island and in Cranston, how that influenced you as an artist?

00:52:21

JL: It's… I think it's a little bit closed society. Small. Small society, you know. So, I visited Washington D.C. many times. There was one museum I founded… There was big space, you know. There's so many artists walking around in there. Studio. So, I love this place... And then, I tried, four years ago I exhibit my house. Yea, at the time. I can't find museum space. And then, after one year, three years ago, I started asking the space. Lot of… galleries, I looking around. I asked. But, the condition is not suitable for me, and suitable for them. So, three years running, and finally I found this state… gallery… city gallery.

00:54:11

JL: So, it's… in here, lot of artist in here. RISD, Rhode Island College, URI, there's so many artists… in here, and small studio… Many studios, and so many artists. So competition is so hard [laughs]. It's a little bit, I think, closed. Not many opportunity in here.

00:54:54

ECW: So do you think you'd like to move to a big city like New York, or… yes?

00:54:59

JL: Yea. I love big city. For my art. [Laughs]

00:55:18

ECW: Would you ever… consider opening a gallery or a museum in Rhode Island, just for… for your works, but are there a lot of other artists in the Korean American community?

00:55:37

JL: Rhode Island is a little bit… Economy is not much… higher. So, example one, my relative living New Jersey. Korean American. He think he's going to be making art gallery. So, somehow one forty years already… I can't remember the name, but one already opened around Chicago. One art gallery opened. Little bit, you know, the kind of work… developing that kind of work. But, I think it's hard for Korean American first generation is… [Laughs]

00:57:15

CL: The art section in the Providence Journal, there's so many galleries, in Rhode Island and in Providence. Many hundred of them. You cannot compete. We visited many galleries in Newport. There are many in Newport too. They were small, like these.

00:57:49

ECW: Do you think there's a lot of interest for art or other type of art among the Korean American community? Or do you think a lot of parents encourage their children to become doctors, or lawyers…

00:58:04

JL: Yea. [Laughs]

00:58:09

CL: We don't have any artist here. We have several artist in Rhode Island, Korean American. But there's no professional artist. They have sometime exhibition, mainly watercolor. But, Korean, you know like all the Oriental parents, they encourage them to be doctors, and lawyers, and now, economist, and if they like… art, then there are lots of musicians. Not painters. [Chuckles] There are many famous Korean musicians. All the musicians goes to New York.

00:59:24

ECW: I see.

00:59:26

CL: But it's very hard, because even my granddaughter, now three and a half year's old, studying violin lessons. And six-year-old granddaughter, having piano lessons. All the Korean American children learn something from very young age. But I don't know how many of them became world famous. One of our friend, the son is David Kim. He is famous violinist in the world, in the United States. He's the director of the Philadelphia orchestra. But there are many. That's lots of effort they put, and lots of money… when they are young, they cry and they don't want to practice [Chuckles]

01:00:46

CL: Now the boys and girls, they practice lots of golf now.

01:00:52

ECW: Yes. [Chuckles]

01:00:56

CL: It's almost… one quarter of the latest golf way's in Korea. [Chuckles]

01:01:09

ECW: So if there are any changes that you can make to Rhode Island, and the Korean community in Rhode Island, what would you like to see?

01:01:32

JL: I didn't get it. Sorry. [Laughs]

01:01:37

ECW: No, that's ok. If you can make changes, to make Rhode Island a better place, or the Korean American community… what kind of changes would you like to see?

01:01:56

JL: Korean community… You know, I was thinking, Korean needs some cultural development. We need cultural development. So, I thought… during three years, I invite some kind of novelist, came here, some seminar, or… actually, my painting… my exhibition, lot of people came there, so is good opportunity cultural. But, they not enjoy. So, we were… Korean War, and we not economic, not developed in there, 30 years ago. We came here, at that time.

01:03:19

JL: So, right now, we live in America, and we got lot of things. We have lot of things. Next generation already run this society. But, it's not going too forward. Not going to… cultural things, you know. It's, every time we need more economic… situation, more money, more something, good condition, like that. So, it's a little bit… I think it's a little bit sad story.

01:04:20

CL: That's the same thing. Because… the communication, there are many cultural and language and communications is… there are lots of gap with the second and third generation. Because second and third generation they don't want to belong to the Korean society. So all the individual lifestyle, and they work hard, they do very successful things in the American society… It's good. But first generation of immigration and… it's not going to be the same environment in the future. First generation is getting old, it's all retired now, almost. I came here at age of 34, now I'm going to retire next year. But Korean society, we don't have any young person to come there. Even they come, they don't understand, anyway.

01:05:46

CL: And… not only Korean. It's all the same, in other society too. Even Chinese society… Mr. Lee want to teach Chinese, so many years, he put lots of effort. Do you know that? He built Chinese church, he teach Chinese whole day on Sunday. They feed them, it's all free. But I don't know how many people come there. The same thing.

01:06:34

JL: These times, America changed. We came here, 30 years ago, there… warm. Warm relationship. Very kind, kind people. I found lot of kind people, you know. But these times, it's… little bit changed.

01:07:13

CL: It's a worldwide trend. Not only here, but every country, and in Asia they have problem with young generation and all the generations. It's all the time.

01:07:28

JL. Yea. I found… I visit in Korea, I found, there's…

01:07:35

CL: In Korea too. They don't respect all the people, any more.

01:07:42

JL: Yea, it's… we're more… material.

(Part 2)

00:00:09

ECW: I feel like a part of the project, or a part of this class about oral history is to capture the memories and the stories, that if they're not said right now, they'll be lost in the future. So one of my last questions would be, because we talked a lot about the second and third generation losing something in the culture, and their understanding. Is there something, that you would like to, like a message, something that you would like to say to people of my generation, the Korean Americans of my generation, what you would like them to carry forward.

00:01:00

JL: It's a little bit hard one. Well, I think, we're relationship is more… we need more conversation, and… We're between… we have a lot of gap. But we can switch the other way. And then, we can understand much more. Yes. So, I think it's a little bit thinking simple, not great one or hard one, difficulty one… it's simple one. Principal one. Switch each one, and then more conversation, and…

00:02:19

JL: And, these days, we're going too wholly. Going too wholly, some calling there, we're going too fast, going there. But, it's a little bit… take time. Going to slow… slowly adapted. I think this way is… long time Oriental reason. It's… slowly, and not too much desire. These are times, we have lot of desires, so we can solve that one. But… we got simple one, we can reach there. So, I don't know… we're more humble, more simple, it's good for us. [Laughs]

00:03:42

ECW: Is there anything else that you would like to add about your art, or being in Rhode Island, or being a Korean… is there anything else that you want to add?

00:03:53

JL: It's another story. I visited Taiwan, long time ago. Fifteen, almost twenty years ago. I impressed that one city I visited, there was jade. Lots of jade. [Chuckles] And you see, my artist name is Jade Lee. I was impressed… the jade. The pure jade. And so much there. And, I visit Taipei, the museum. National museum. And there was one three… thirty levels, white jade... I don't know exact name. And they explained that three… one level is made one generation. Three generation made that one. Small box, you know. I impressed a lot. But I think it's a little bit slow. I don't know why they made… took a lot of time in there. I don't know exactly… [Laughs]

00:05:53

CL: She explained that one of the sculpture, lots… it's a Buddha or some sort of people? It took one generation. So grandfather, father, son made three stories. It took like… maybe…

00:06:16

JL: One generation, one levels.

00:06:19

CL: One hundred years.

00:06:21

JL: But… This one is, I think, oh, Chinese people going too slowly [Laughs]

00:06:38

CL: It's their culture.

00:06:39

JL: Yea. This one is… their culture. But, I don't know exactly that kind of mind, you know. Like that. So… we can't understand each other exactly, you know. But I think… we take time, slowly, watching another's… we can understanding. That's it.