Workshop | November 12, 2025Embodied Writing: Activating Latent Characters through Textual Sites
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
As part of my Artist-Writer in Residence at Johns Hopkins Univesity’s University Writing Program, I hosted a workshop with students and faculty on embodied writing. The workshop explored the body as a site for generating new textual forms that challenge traditional narrative, linguistic, and typographic conventions.
Through movement, gesture, and somatic awareness, participants created writing that emerges from physical experience rather than purely cognitive processes.
About residency
Exhibition | July 18–November 14, 2025Tone in Tongue
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, CA
Shanghai Research Institute of Printing Technology
Shanghai, China
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
Baltimore, MD
Curated and organized by Mary Y. Yang and Zhongkai Li
Tone in Tongue concluded its multi-venue international exhibition tour in November 2025. The exhibition explored the interconnection of East Asian visual culture, tracing how shared histories and distinct, aesthetic identities continue to resonate in contemporary design. Featured the work of 50 international designers and 100 publications. The exhibition includes commissioned posters by international studios; contributions from emerging practitioners selected through an open call; a curated collection of independent publications; and a design magazine tour that traces evolving perspectives on East Asian graphic design over the past two decades—with selections from the archives of Design360° (China), GRAPHIC (South Korea), and idea magazine (Japan).
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Interview | October 17, 2025Creatives in Practice: Mary Y. Yang
Boston University College of Fine Arts
Interview by Diana Hernandez Johnson
I share how my identity as a 1.5-generation Chinese American informs my belief that language can serve as a bridge—connecting people across cultures and geographies. I also reflect on how my role as an educator shapes the way I connect my practice with teaching, exploring how design can engage with language, identity, diaspora, and cultural memory. I approach design as both a collaborative process and a tool for cultural and community engagement.
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Talk | October 10, 2025From Letters to Words to Dialogue: Building Collective Language with Radical Characters and Pararailing
Asia Art Archive in America
Brooklyn, NY, 2025
Presented in collaboration with Zhongkai Li on Radical Characters’
current exhibition, Tone in Tongue, in dialogue with Pararailing (Jie Shao, Sixing Xu, and Snow Xuecan Ye), who shared about their ongoing project, Railing Codex. Together, we reflected on the origins and ethos of our respective arts collectives and the ways we approach collaboration, language, and cross cultural dialogue. Moderated by Scarlett Meng.
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Interview | November 8, 2024Mary Y. Yang, Lead Designer of Under the Same Moon
Praise Shadows Art Gallery
Interview by Jayna Mikolaitis
I speak with Jayna Mikoaltis, Gallery Manager of Sales and Marketing at Praise Shadows, about the design process behind Yu-Wen Wu's first monograph, Under the Same Moon. We discuss the themes of material and materiality in Yu-Wen’s work, designing with multilingual type, and how those ideas translate into the book as an object.
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Interview | Janurary 26, 2024On Designing for Culture and Investigating A.I. in the Classroom
AIGA Design Educator Profile
Interview by Jason Alejandro
I speak with designer and educator Jason Alejandro about my goals as an educator, my design practice, AI and design pedagogy, and how these roles come together in the way I engage students in the classroom and studio. I also share some updates on my upcoming projects, including Radical Characters’ second institutional exhibition.
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More News
Below are more highlights of my awards, press, interviews, writing, and speaking engagements. You’ll also find selected talks and features that reflect my work spanning brand identities, exhibition design, book design, environmental graphics, and editorial projects. My research and practice focus on fostering cultural dialogue, advancing social advocacy, and exploring multilingual and multicultural design. For a full list of accomplishments, please reach out to request my full CV.
Awards & Recognition
Graphic Design USA
Person to Watch
2026
Graphic Design USA
RISD Commencement Identity Design
2023
Boston University
Supervisor of the Year Award, Runner Up
2022
Communication Arts
Design Award, Radical Return Exhibition Design
2022
Massachusetts Cultural Council: Cultural Investment Portfolio
Grant Recipient for Radical Return
2022
Seattle Design Foundation
Grant Recipient
2017
RISD Grad Selections Show
RISD Grad Show Graphic Identity Posters
2017
Selected Publications
PLATES #2: Body Issue (Contributor)
Published by
Related Department / Page Bureau
2025
Slanted Magazine #44 — Type Fashion (Contributor)
Published by
Slanted Publishers
2024
imperfect index (Contributor)
Edited by Laura Parke and Abbie Vickress
2024
Radical Return catalog (Editor)
Published by Radical Characters, IS A Gallery, and BU Art Galleries
2022
“Embodying the Residue,” I Got Something to Say—Poster Inventory, 2013–2021 (Contributor)
Edited by Christopher Sleboda and Kathleen Sleboda
Published by
Draw Down Book
2022
Perplex, Abstract & Delight: A Few Covers by Audrey Meyer (Authored)
Published by Katherine Small Gallery
2020
Is the Internet Down? (Contributor)
Published by Draw Down Books
2019
Where the Wind Blows (Authored)
Published by Open Rehearsal
2018
“ROI: Return on Investment,” v.1: A RISD Grad Journal (Contributor)
Edited by Jen Liese
2016
Notable Press
A Light Touch Goes a Long Way
PRINT, The Daily Heller
Steven Heller
2020
Cate McQuaid, BU Art Galleries’ Radical Return selected as a Boston Globe Critic’s Pick
The Boston Globe
2021
“Perplex, Abstract & Delight: A Few Covers by Audrey Meyer”
The Boston Globe, New England Literary News
Nina MacLaughlin
2020
RISD Graduate Exhibition Graphics Are Hyper-Adaptive
Graphic Design USA
2017
Interviews
Creatives in Practice: Mary Y. Yang
Boston University College of Fine Arts
Interview by Diana Hernandez Johnson
2025
Mary Yang, Lead Designer of Under the Same Moon
Praise Shadows Art Gallery
Interview by Jayna Mikolaitis
2024
On Designing for Culture and Investigating A.I. in the Classroom
AIGA Design Educator Profile
Interview by Jason Alejandro
2024
Now What?! exhibition designers shape an immersive and accessible gallery experience
Boston Society for Architecture
Interview by Maaha Rafique
2022
Faculty Feature: Mary Yang, Graphic Design
Boston University College of Fine Arts
Interview by Alex Ross
2020
Strings Attached Extra: A look behind the look
University of Washington, School of Music
Interview by Joanne De Pue
2019
Workshops Led
Embodied Writing: Activating Latent Characters through Textual Sites
Johns Hopkins University
University Writing Program
Baltimore, MD, 2025
Embodied Making As Collective Publishing: The Body and Hanzi
School of Musuem of Fine Arts
Tufts University
Boston, MA, 2024
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Boston Art Book Fair
Boston Center for the Arts
Boston, MA, 2022
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Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Studio for Interrelated Media (SIM)
Boston, MA, 2022
Risograph Workshop
Loyal Studio
Boston, MA, 2019
Entr’acte (Workshop and performance)
RISD Museum
Providence, RI, 2017
Selected Exhibitions
Tone in Tongue (Curated)
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, CA, 2025
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Shanghai Research Institute of Printing Technology
Shanghai, China, 2025
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Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
Baltimore, MD, 2025
PLATES: The Politics of Layout
Curated by Scarlett Meng
Ulises Project Space
Philadelphia, PA, 2025
Embodied Making as Collective Publishing:
The Body and Hanzi
Curated by Moon Jang
C-U-B-E Gallery
University of Georgia
Lamar Dodd School of Art
Athens, GA, 2024
Ulises: Assembly
Tufts University Art Galleries
Boston, MA, 2024
Figure, Character, Sign (Curated)
A Plus A Gallery
Venice, Italy, 2022
Radical Return (Curated)
IS A Gallery
Shanghai, China, 2021
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Boston University Art Galleries
Boston, MA, 2021
Pudding 002: Composition
Curated by James Chae
whatreallymatters
Seoul, South Korea, 2021
All Together Now: Sound x Design
Design Museum of Chicago
Chicago, IL, 2021
Word Art
Curated by Space Us
Downtown Crossing
Boston, MA, 2019
Lines/Divide
Curated by Joshua Duttweiler
Boston East Gallery
Boston, MA, 2019
RISD Graphic Design Triennial
Curated by Goeun Park & Joel Kern
Woods-Gerry Gallery
Providence, RI, 2018
A Few Conversations Between Women
808 Gallery, Boston University
Boston, MA, 2018
It’s in the Bag*, RISD Grad Show
Rhode Island Convention Center
Providence, RI, 2017
SeeHER
American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Rhode Island
RISD Graphic Design Commons, Design Center
Providence, RI, 2016
Dimensions Variable: RISD Graphic Design Triennial
Curated by Lisa Maione and Gabriel Melcher
Woods-Gerry Gallery
RISD, Providence, RI, 2015
ROI: Return on Investment
Directed by Jiminie Ha
Graphic Design Commons, Design Center
Providence, RI, 2015
CHGO DSGN: Recent Object and Graphic Design (with Studio Blue)
Curated by Rick Valicenti
Chicago Cultural Center
Chicago, IL, 2014
Selected Lectures & Speaking
Washington University in St. Louis (Upcoming)
Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
St. Louis, MO, 2026
Johns Hopkins University (Upcoming)
University Writing Program
Baltimore, MD, 2026
“Designing Collective Spaces for Cross-Cultural Dialogue”
Illinois State University
CrossPlatform Graphic Design Lecture Series
Normal, IL, 2026
“From Letters to Words to Dialogue: Building Collective Language with Radical Characters and Pararailing”
Asia Art Archive in America
Brooklyn, NY, 2025
“Forming Connections: Multilingual Writing as a Bridge for Cross-Cultural Dialogue”
Johns Hopkins University
University Writing Program
Baltimore, MD, 2025
“Design as Rehearsal Space: From Practicing to Practice”
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Communication Design & Dynamic Media Institute Lecture Series
Boston, MA, 2025
“Approaches to Bilingual Typography in Design Practice and Pedagogy” (Session chair)
College Art Association Annual Conference
New York, NY, 2025
“Building Collection Sites: Language, Culture, and Publishing through Graphic Design”
University of Georgia
Lamar Dodd School of Art
Athens, GA, 2024
“Collecting Graphic Design: The State of Affairs”
University & College Designers Association (UCDA)
Design Education Summit: Immerse
Moderated by Brockett Horne (The People’s Graphic Design Archive)
Mesa, AZ, 2024
“Creative Intelligence: The Future of AI in Design Education”
Moderated by Christopher Moore
College Art Association Annual Conference
Chicago, IL, 2024
“A Pedagogical Approach for Introducing and Challenging AI in the Classroom”
AIGA National Conference
Design Educators Community Symposium
New York, NY, 2023
“Radical Characters: Studying Graphic Design and Typography through Chinese Characters (Hanzi)”
College Art Association Annual Conference
Design Incubation Colloquium 9.2
New York, NY, 2022
“Now What?!—Exhibition Design and Social Practice”
Boston Society for Architecture
Affiliated with Boston Design Week
Boston, MA, 2022