Lola x Kenneth: Telling Intergenerational Stories Through Art

How did the journey with intergenerational storytelling begin?

Long story short, I make drawings and paintings with my grandmother, Crescenciana Tan. We started working together at our kitchen table in 2014. Lola ("Grandma" in Tagalog) painted watercolors, and then I drew her memories on top of them. We called ourselves The Lola x Kenneth Collaboration.

When Lola passed, she left behind her paintings, and I decided to finish everything she started. I promised.

How has working with your grandmother brought new perspectives to your life?

I feel like I'm learning about my Filipino American/Asian American identity by doing this work with my grandmother. When I'm drawing on top of her paintings, I'm not just illustrating her stories—I'm learning how they're my stories, too. 

How do you hope to influence others through your work?

I hope the work Lola and I do motivates folks to learn and to document their families' stories. So, here's a fun question you can ask a relative: "What were you doing when you were my age?"

Any other endeavors you’ve been proud of lately?

Professionally, I'm excited to have created two books with my family and I'm excited that they're on the shelves at On Waverly! Personally, I'm excited to have an air fryer in the house for the first time. Now I can have chicken nuggets ANYtime???