If you are in Melbourne in Feb 2025,
participate in the community-created
TED Prize InsideOut Art Project
"Everyday SHEroes and HEroes Everywhere"
celebrating
global and local Chinese SHEroes and Heroes
We have teamed up with
The Chinese Museum in Melbourne, Australia
to community-create this with you!
We are celebrating your favourite real global and local heroes through the global community-created InsideOut Art Project.
After winning the TED Prize in 2011, artist JR used his artistic practice as inspiration to create a global art platform that enables communities to make a statement by displaying large-scale black and white portraits to the public. This has become the largest public participatory art project in human history and across the planet: More than 500,000 people in communities and groups in >152 countries have gotten together to co-create over 2,600 InsideOut Projects - which has had great impact by sparking awareness, appreciation, celebrations, community, contributions, and conversations.
HOW? NOW!
We invite everyone to nominate your favourite local or global Chinese diaspora SHEroes and HEroes who lead by example, model the way, contribute to building better selves, world, and future for everyone.
Parents, 'Aunties and Uncles', ask your children, nieces, and nephews whose theirs are, and nominate them. They can even be a fictional character from a movie (nominate the actor) or book, comic, video game, animation, etc (nominate the creator, author, or artist )
We'll curate a diversity of your nominations across different backgrounds, ages, countries - and invite your SHEroes and HEroes to participate:
First, their portraits will be printed as A0-sized paper posters, and then collectively as a community, we will install this global art exhibition at the Chinese Museum in Melbourne Australia.
Second, this art project will also go global (simultaneously and after) curated through other Chinese diaspora communities and museums around the world who will localise and amplify its meaning and impact. Click here to learn more and see a similar example of what we did before.
HOW can I participate?
Everyone everywhere can participate, CLICK HERE
Parents, Uncles and Aunties, ask your children, nieces, and nephews who their favourite Chinese diaspora SHEroes and HEroes are, and nominate them!
Nominate your own! Your SHEro or HEro can even be someone many years younger than you.
Stay updated with developments and photos and stories
Get invitations to attend our festival (online) and exhibition launch
Join our global community project team
If you are connected to a Chinese diaspora museum or community outside mainland China, and would like to express this project for and in your local community, email us
WHEN? Timeline
Aug 15 Nominations are opened now. Curation is ongoing and will end when all exhibition space is allocated, so nominate now.
Dec-Jan: Portrait taking and art poster printing.
Feb (Saturday TBC) Join us at The Chinese Museum in Melbourne:
Morning: Community installation of the InsideOut Project (by the SHEroes and HEroes or their representatives, and their family and friends)
Afternoon:
Official launch
Live TED-style Talks by Local 'Everyday SHEroes and HEroes'
Ideas Worth Doing brainstorming session
After-event launch tea event
Jan-Feb Global Festival of 'Everyday SHEroes and HEroes Everywhere All at Once' featuring talks and conversations online.
WHO is an Everyday SHEro and HEro?
CRITERIA #1 A "Chinese disapora" anyone with any Chinese ancestry living outside mainland China: Chinese -Australians, -Americans, -Canadians, -New Zealanders, -Indonesians, -Malaysians, -Singaporeans, etc. eg "Chinese-Australian" is an Australian with any Chinese ancestry and heritage who could be born in Australia or overseas.
You do NOT need to know them directly. The person could be living, or no longer here with us and if so, permission would need to be sought from their descendants or Foundations to use a suitable image
AND CRITERIA #2 Your nominee could be an individual, talent, celebrity or even a fictional character. Ever since early legends like Bruce Lee, many Chinese diaspora actors have portrayed fictional heroes on screen and in print, like Michelle Yeoh, James Hong, Donnie Yuen, Ming Na-Wen, Simu Liu, et al. If your SHEro or HEro is a fictional character in a movie, animated, comic book, nominate the actor, writer, or creator. Behind the scenes are also countless "hidden dragons" Chinese diaspora SHEroes and HEroes who are screenwriters, book authors, animators, directors, illustrators, artists, etc. Together they all contribute to raising the profile and social capital of the community and diaspora.
OR a leader/founder of a social impact enterprise, non-for-profit organisation, community group, or institution. They do NOT have to be famous, they can also be your local unsung community leader. A Social Capital / Social Impact SHEro and HEro is someone who enhances people and/or build community and movements in diverse ways: Well-being, identity, belonging, education, personal or professional development, health, happiness . This can be through diverse public ways: Starting community groups, programs for teens or elderly, sport and hobby societies, being a social innovation entrepreneur, champion, role model, leader, etc. They could be doing this through social impact enterprises, institutions, formal or informal group initiatives, movements, not-for-profits, or even individual projects and action.
LEARN MORE TED PRIZE INSIDEOUT PROJECT since 2011
Portraits of people who have been overlooked
Questions? email us at SHEroesHEroes@IdeasWorthDoing.org