Background

Irene Poon was born in 1941 in San Francisco, California, to first-generation Chinese immigrants.

Education

Irene Poon graduated from the San Francisco State College. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in art in 1964 and a Master of Arts in photography in 1967.

Career

Irene Poon is an educator, writer, and photographer. She serves as a slide curator at the Art Department of the San Francisco State University since 1965.

Poon was born in San Francisco's famed Chinatown, and this community provided the thematic material for much of her later work. In 1995 Irene Poon co-curated an exhibition at San Francisco State University titled With New Eyes: Toward an Asian-American Art History in the West. The success of that show encouraged Poon to document these aging artists before they were gone. Ultimately an exhibit was created at the Barrington Center for the Arts at Gordon College, and a book Leading the Way: Asian-American Artists of the Older Generation followed. Additionally, Irene Poon's photos were displayed at Barrington Center for the Arts at Gordon College, De Young Memorial Museum, University of New Mexico, University of California-Davis, and Crocker Art Museum.

Leading the Way represents twenty-five pioneering Asian-American artists who worked from 1930 to 1970. Poon includes biographical sketches of each artist as well as her own photographs of them. All of these artists overcame cultural, social, and political obstacles to succeed as artists. While working on the book, Poon discovered Tyrus Wong, an artist who was responsible for the paintings that inspired the Disney animated classics Bambi and Fantasia and, the Academy Award-winning special-effects artist Wah Ming Chang, whose credits include The King and I, Star Trek, and the Pillsbury Doughboy advertising icon.

Achievements

• Irene Poon is well known as an educator, writer, and photographer. She works as a slide curator at San Francisco State University for more than fifty years. As a photographer, her works were displayed at Barrington Center for the Arts at Gordon College, De Young Memorial Museum, University of New Mexico, University of California-Davis, and Crocker Art Museum.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Leading the Way

    (Irene Poon presents the work of 25 Asian American artists...)

    2001

• photography

  • Chinatown

    1964

  • The Secret

    1964

  • Mission Ride

    2009

  • The Window

    1969

  • The Winchester Mystery House

    1964

  • Moment of Reflection

    1968

  • Memories of the Universal Café

    1965

  • Bob Bechtle and 2 Volvos

    1976

  • Living for Jesus is the Greatest Pleasure on Earth

    1967

  • In Passing

    1969

  • Memories of the SF Art Festival

    1965

  • John Gutmann

    1985

  • Denmark

    1993

  • Imogen

    1966

  • Virginia

    1965

  • Where and What Is the Old Country?

    1969

  • Stan and I, Arizona

    1975

  • Tired

    1969

  • Curiosity

    1969

  • Taking a Break from the Sewing Factory

    1970

  • Salmon Selection

    1970

  • Prisoner of Colors

    1965

  • Fire Crackers Await

    1969

  • Promise of a New Land

    1970

  • Delivered to Market

    1965

  • Trust in Grandmother

    1971

  • The Meeting

    1965

Views

Quotations: "I hope to convey what I see and feel at a particular moment in my life. My message is to be a human being and observe, believe and pursue your own vision."

Membership

• 

  Chinese Historical Society of America , United States

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• Mark Johnson: "Irene is one of the most important scholars in the developing field of Asian-American art history and is helping situate San Francisco State University at ground zero for the field."

Connections

Irene Poon married Stanley Andersen.

husband:

Stanley Andersen

Stanley Andersen is an English professor.