Seated side-by-side at their kitchen table in San Jose, California, ninety-four year old Crescenciana Tan and her grandson, Kenneth Tan, got to work. Crescenciana made watercolor paintings and Kenneth drew her memories on top of them. When Crescenciana passed, she left behind all of her paintings, and Kenneth decided he would finish everything she started. He promised.
InCrescenciana,Kenneth weaves together their artwork, conversations, and memoirs to tell his grandmother’s life story. With heart and humor, he recounts Crescenciana’s childhood antics in the Philippines, her fall on black ice outside of a church in Canada, and her show-stopping civics test performance that earned her citizenship in the United States. At the same time, he revisits her memories as a survivor of World War II and the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, and he reflects on his own continuing grief since her passing.
Crescencianais a memoir and art bookabout carrying and commemorating your family’s stories. It’s a book about moving forward without leaving your loved ones behind.
The Lola x Kenneth Collaboration is a project by Crescenciana—Kenneth's grandmother, or “lola” in Tagalog—and Kenneth. When Lola was ninety-four years old, he moved back home to San Jose, CA to help care for her, and they started working together. Lola made paintings in watercolor, and he drew her memories on top of them. When Lola passed, she left behind her paintings, and he decided to finish everything she started. He promised.
