Ren Yang Freeman

Ren was three years old when she was adopted from an orphanage in Yangzhou, China, and brought to the U.S.  This was also the moment she held her first crayon and discovered the magic of art.  She has a sister who is also a Chinese adoptee.  Throughout her life, Ren has felt stuck somewhere between: between countries, between cultures, between homes.  She has been able to return to China on multiple occasions and translates this into her art by portraying herself as a migrating bird as a means to better understanding and conveying her past.  Through her art, Ren hopes other adoptees are able to continue to share in the strength and closure the works have brought her and to encourage people to keep questioning, learning and having conversations with one another.  Ren’s connection and fascination with birds started at a young age and she has been incorporating birds throughout her art to also highlight the beauty of nature and further emphasize the climate crisis.  

Ren was an Honors student in the Art program at the University of Maryland where she earned her BA in Studio Art.  She works in a variety of media, including screen printing, painting and drawing, to explore themes based around identity and the environment.