12 animals | 12 scrolls

a lineage & lifetimes of stories

The Audacity to be Asian in Rural America: we owe you no apologies

Audacity Across Minnesota

Nancy XiáoRong Valentine (she/her) is a Chinese-American artist living and making a life in rural Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Conceived as the second child of a family residing in Lanzhou, Gansu during the era of China’s ‘One Child Policy,’ Valentine views her artistry as a channel to deepen her cultural connections to and between her Chinese heritage and Midwestern roots.

In May 2021, Nancy created “The Audacity to be Asian in Rural America: we owe you no apologies,” a series of 12 watercolor and Chinese ink scroll paintings on rice paper that visually tells the story of the Hao family’s ( -Nancy’s mom’s side- ) Chinese American immigrant experience in rural West Central Minnesota, as a part of Artists Respond: Equitable Rural Futures, a project of Springboard for the Arts supported by the Blandin Foundation.

This artwork series toured from May 2021 - January 2024, exhibiting in 10 different places across the state of Minnesota. As this series was created both for the public and as a family archive, Nancy has made the decision to step back from exhibiting this artwork series publicly for the foreseeable future so as to focus on developing new artworks.

2024

The artist has made the decision to step back from exhibiting this artwork series publicly for the foreseeable future This artwork series is no longer open to invitation for exhibition. For questions, please reach out to: hello@nancyxvalentine.com

Past Places & Spaces

Winona Arts Center in Winona, Minn

December 3, 2023 - January 14, 2024

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Confluence Gallery in Bloomington, Minn

September 7 - November 12, 2023

Central Square Art Center in Glenwood, Minn

July 1 - August 25, 2023

Kaddatz Galleries in Fergus Falls, Minn

May 11 + June 17, 2023

MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids, Minn

April 1 - May 27, 2022

Legacy Hall @ MState Fergus Falls

January 10 - February 24, 2022

Harold P. Erickson Library @ Lake Superior College

Kathryn A. Martin Library @ University of MN Duluth

Co-hosted exhibition in Duluth, Minn

December 1 - 17, 2021

The Whitney Gallery in St. Cloud, Minn

July 1 - 17, 2021

Laura Dunlap Room @

Otter Tail County Historical Society in Fergus Falls, Minn

May 11 - June 16, 2021

Evolving & Archiving

Since sharing this series publicly, Nancy has (applied for and) been awarded a Lake Region Arts Council Career Development Grant (with funding from the McKnight Foundation) to support her self-taught journey of learning how to mount these 12 rice paper scrolls to silk brocade.

Additionally, Nancy was named a fiscal year 2022 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. With this support, Nancy has composed an anthology of 12 artist statements for this series. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.