Artist & Activist
Kip Fulbeck: Biography at a Glance
- A pioneering artist, spoken word performer, author and filmmaker exploring multiracial identity
- Featured on CNN, MTV, the “Today” show and PBS
- Has performed and exhibited in more than 20 countries and throughout the U.S.
- Author of “Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids,” “Permanence: Tattoo Portraits” and “Part Asian, 100% Hapa”
- Art professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara
- Received the community builder award at the 2014 Hapa-palooza Festival in Vancouver
Biography
Kip Fulbeck is a pioneering artist, spoken word performer, author, and filmmaker exploring multiracial identity. He has been featured on CNN, MTV, The Today Show, and PBS, and has performed and exhibited in over twenty countries and throughout the U.S.
He is the author of several books including Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids, Part Asian, 100% Hapa and Permanence: Tattoo Portraits, as well as the director of a dozen short films including Banana Split and Lilo & Me.
Part poet, part comedian, and part pop culture critic, Fulbeck moves past “diversity” as a conversation only about race, instead inspiring audiences to tackle the larger questions of who we are as individuals, how we define ourselves, and how we engage with those around us. Audiences worldwide describe him as inspirational, motivational, and eye opening.
Fulbeck is a professor of Art at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he received the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award and has been named an Outstanding Faculty Member five times.
In recognition for his work promoting multiracial awareness, he was awarded the inaugural Loving Prize at the 2009 Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival and also named a Cultural Pioneer at Harvard University. In 2014, he was named a local hero by Southern California’s KCET public broadcasting service and also received the Community Builder Award at Vancouver’s Hapa-palooza Festival.
From the lectern, Fulbeck can cover a variety of topics ranging from identity, race and diversity to tattooing and tattoo cultures to finding your voice through personal narrative.
A complete overachiever despite being only half-Chinese, he is also an avid surfer, guitar player, ocean lifeguard, pug enthusiast, and the 2011 Masters Swimming National Champion in the 50 freestyle.
Topics
From Yellowface to Yellow Peril – Artist Kip Fulbeck Exposes the Roots of Anti-Asian Hatred
Hate crime incidents decreased 7% in 2020. That’s the good news – unless you happen to be Asian or Pacific Islander. Because for API Americans, hate crimes increased by over 150% last year. Why?
Artist, spoken word performer, and UCSB professor Kip Fulbeck has been investigating the roots of Asian American discrimination for over 25 years. He’s a renowned expert who speaks worldwide on the subject – citing pop culture, current events, and even cringy dating app profiles to illustrate how pervasive Asian stereotypes affect our views of people around us. No matter your politics or background, Fulbeck’s insightful observations and hilarious personal stories leave you questioning your own preferences, biases, and behaviors.
Fast-paced, provocative, funny, and positive, Fulbeck believes education and entertainment go hand-in-hand. The recipient of UCSB’s Distinguished Teaching award and Faculty Diversity award, he’s also been named a Local Hero by KCET PBS and a Cultural Pioneer at Harvard University. He’s been featured on CNN, MTV, The New York Times, The Today Show, and numerous NPR programs.
