Meet ACI’s artist leaders, aka social justice warriors, who are using their art for social change and human rights across the globe and nationally.
Chanel Matsunami Govreau
Artist Leader | 2016 - 2017 Artist-in-Residence
Photo: Kyle Klein Perler
Chanel Matsunami Govreau identifies as a queer Asian American woman, as well as an educator, performance artist, dancer and photographer. Their particular lens on inclusion focuses on a dance style called Waacking that originated in the gay Black and Latino community in 1970's California and its current re-emergence in the urban dance scene of Seoul, South Korea. Their work strives to create new ways to confront cultural appropriation and improve intercultural education as the urban dance scene grows increasingly global. Further, Chanel looks towards supporting a greater awareness and respect for Queer People of Color in dance history and South Korean innovation and fierceness in contemporary urban dance. As an ACI Artist-in-Residence from Aug 2016 - July 2017, Chanel will travel from her home base in Brooklyn, NY to Seoul, South Korea to study, learn, and collaborate with South Korean Waackers. Chanel received their BFA degree and certificate in Asian American Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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