MENGWEN
CAO 

曹梦雯


photographer, artist, educator
creating multimedia affirmations
for transformation 



︎ COMISSIONED WORK   
    ︎︎︎ COMMERCIAL
    ︎︎︎ EDITORIAL
    ︎︎︎ PROJECTS

︎ PERSONAL PROJECTS 
    ︎︎︎ IDareU2Feel RADIO, 2021~ongoing
    ︎︎︎ LIMINAL SPACE, 2017~ongoing
    ︎︎︎ I STAND BETWEEN, 2017
    ︎︎︎ HERE WE ARE, 2016    
 
    
︎ TEACHING

︎ NEWSLETTER

︎ ABOUT


︎ MENGWEN.CAO@GMAIL.COM
︎ @MENGWENCAO

COPYRIGHT © 2024 MENGWEN CAO
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED




Mark

MENGWEN
CAO 

曹梦雯


photographer, artist, educator
creating multimedia affirmations
for transformation

Mark






API LGBTQ+ Multimedia Project, 2022-2023


Role: project lead, instructional designer, instructor and facilitator, website designer

in collaboration with API rainbow parents, PFLAG New York
guest instructor: Rochelle Kwan and Hannah Yoon





API LGBTQ+ Multimedia Project is a series of ten multimedia and communication skills-building workshops that promotes intergenerational conversation and healing. Through teaching participants multimedia technical skills as well as communication and interview skills, workshop participants create multimedia portraits of API parents with LGBTQ+ children who have gone through challenging journeys of navigating their children’s coming out, moving from struggle to acceptance to unconditional love.

Each participant was paired with a parent (not their own) to learn about each parent’s background and experiences as an LGBTQ+ affirming parent. Through a series of prompts and exercises, participants learned visual-thinking strategies to analyze image structure and composition, practiced the power of intentional gazing, and learned deep listening skills to make meaningful connections. Building on these skills, participants utilized a blend of image, text, sound, and storytelling to create multimedia portraits of API parents with LGBTQ+ children.



The Photographer’s Guide to Inclusive Photography
- Authority Collective & Photoshelter


Role: contributing writer and photographer





As photographers, we have a moral obligation to listen to and understand a story first before trying to tell it. But are we considering how our perspectives or personal experiences may affect our approach to telling the story?

Authority Collective partnered with Photoshelter to bring you The Photographer’s Guide to Inclusive Photography, a collection of first-hand accounts, insights and learned lessons from industry leaders Tara Pixley, Laylah Amatullah Barrayn,Hannah Reyes Morales,Tailyr Irvine, Danielle Villasana , Mengwen Cao and Jovelle Tamayo.

Inside, you’ll find:
  • Definitions and historical context for issues related to photographing race, gender, the Global South and more
  • Ideas for how to engage more generously with communities that are not your own
  • A list of helpful resources and questions photographers should ask themselves before their next project



COPYRIGHT © 2024 MENGWEN CAO
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED