Nirmal Raja
Share
It was such an honor to listen and record a story from Paul Lee for the online archive Amaanat (inheritance) Paul is an icon in the Asian American communtiy in Boston. A respected attorney who continued to have tremendous impact on the Asian American community after retirement. He spoke about how a shiny surgical scissors he found while playing in a playground in Boston’s Chinatown became an inspiration for hard work and success,,, don’t miss this inspiring story! If you are an immigrant or have recent immigrant ancestry please message me to record a story about any object that is important to you…visit the archive for more- www.amaanatarchive.com thank you to The Asian Community Fund at The Boston Foundation for their generous support of this project.
07/13/2026
The Paglees collaborative work involved many layers and this reel shows layer #4 - hands!!!! Our hands express so many things - strength, peace, anger, protest, affection, kindness and more. We chose two kinds of hand images - one that expresses strength and protect and a few that express peace and connectivity. We recently finished this collaborative work- stay tuned for the big reveal!
This new limited editioned print will be on display in the upcoming Paglees exhibition at the Catherine G. Murphy gallery in September. Catherine G. Murphy Gallery
THE PAGLEES
Fawzia Khan Fawzia Khan
Indrani Nayar-Gall Indrani Nayar-Gall
Monica Jahan Bose Monica Jahan Bose
Nirmal Raja Nirmal Raja
Pallavi Sharma Pallavi Sharma
Renluka Maharaj Renluka Maharaj
Shelly Bahl Shelly Bahl
* Paglee = wild / crazy woman
southasiancontemporaryart feministartists feministart feministcollective artinamerica southasiancontemporaryart collaborativeart experimentalprintmaking americanartists immigrantartist
Another wonderful story about a Jupan (abacus) from Korea shared by Jaeok Lee
A fascinating story! If you are an immigrant living around the Boston area and have an object with a personal, political or historical story like this, please reach out and set up an appointment to become part of the online archive! Read on…
Jaeok Lee is a Boston based artist who engages deeply with Korea’s cultural traditions, reconnecting with rituals and symbols and brings them into her contemporary practice. She is a member of Boston Sculptors Gallery.
Jaeok shares the story behind an abacus that belonged to her father and how this object becamea symbol of resilience and success and also an inspiration for current work.
Objects can become symbols of culture and resistance… take a look at Stewart Ikeda’s story about his grandfather’s practice Kendo sword. It was made using cactus wood while the family was living in a Japanese internment camp. The sheer determination to hold on to cultural roots even when material possessions and freedom were taken away is so inspiring! This story is just one in the object story archive I started a few months ago. Titled Amaanat (inheritance) please check it out and participate if you are an immigrant or of immigrant ancestry living in and around Boston. DM me to set up an appointment. Web archive- Www.amaanatarchive.com sincere gratitude to the The Asian Community Fund at The Boston Foundation for supporting this project! Stewart David Ikeda
04/07/2026
Deeply grateful for this grant in support of my crowd sourced project- Amaanat (www.amaanatarchive.com. Thank you ! Get • 🎉 We are thrilled to announce the awardees of our region’s first-ever AANHPI Narrative Change Grant program!
🔎 7 artists and 6 nonprofit arts & culture organizations were selected to share $115,000 in grants as part of our narrative change pilot theme: Building, Becoming, and Belonging. These grants will support works that amplify AANHPI narratives, expand cultural visibility, and deepen belonging. Informed by the findings of our 2025 report: “Making Waves: The State of the Massachusetts AAPI Arts and Culture Sector”, these grants represent a much-needed investment in expanding AAPI voices and stories.
➡️ To read more about this grant and awardees, please visit https://tr.ee/NarrativeChangeGrantees.
04/01/2026
In Urdu, amaanat translates to “inheritance” or a very special belonging handed down from one generation to the next.
Amaanat is an online archive that aims to record and preserve the connection between object and story. The stories behind objects inherited from immigrant ancestors are fading quickly, and with them, connection to their roots. This project involves crowdsourcing objects and stories, 3D scanning, and audio recording the stories behind family heirlooms and quotidian objects that are culturally specific and emotionally resonant to the immigrant experience. I investigate the power of material culture to convey cultural nuances, familial histories, and the impact of migration on memory. In this era of stifling immigrant voices and erasure of histories, these stories are first-person narratives subversively situated around objects belonging to all immigrants and those who have recent immigrant ancestry. Currently, this project is limited to a 100 objects with a special focus on AANHPI stories in the great Boston area. Learn more at Www.amaanatarchive.com with a link in my profile. Thank .clyde for designing this striking poster!
03/21/2026
I wasn’t able to make the reception but was lovely to make a trip to Springfield to see the show “Inhairitance” at Thank you for this wonderful show with other amazing artists! Please visit if you can…
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
Category
Contact the public figure
Website
Address
Somerville, MA
02143, 02144, 02145