Chao-Chen Yang

Chao-Chen Yang arrived in the U.S. in 1933 as a graduate of Sing Hwa Art University, a seasoned art educator, and a trained diplomat of the Republic of China. During his tenure as a diplomat assigned to Chicago, Illinois (1933–38) and later Seattle, Washington (1939–47), Yang would take night classes with Don Loving at the Art Institute and work among a diverse community of artists in the Pacific Northwest, such as Yukio Morinaga of the Seattle Camera Club, John D. McLauchlan Jr. of the Seattle Photographic Society, and Fay Chong of the Chinese Art Club. Finding himself unable to return to his home country due to the civil war between the Nationalist and Chinese Communist Parties, Yang settled in Seattle in 1947 and fully committed to his practice in photography, navigating between the lines of commercial and fine art. Yang also took on teaching roles at the University of Washington, the Northwest Institute of Photography, the Seattle Photographic Society, and Winona School of Photography in Indiana, sharing his pioneering color processes.

Authored by Anna Lee, curatorial assistant for Asian American art, 2025.