MILWAUKEE — Sometimes the most influential people in our lives are the ones we don't expect to meet. In Milwaukee, a simple social media post led to a story about mentorship, inclusion and the power of creating safe spaces in the arts community.
Watch: Milwaukee community hero recognized
A few months ago, TMJ4 reporter Meryl Hubbard posted a TikTok asking people to name their community hero. Miranda Davila commented:
“Mai Kue a tattoo artist and owner of Starseed Studio. She's done a lot to uplift, specifically Hmong artists and voices, but also was extremely kind when I was initially asking for help with my portfolio, and was looking for an apprenticeship. She doesn't gatekeep, and she wants more women, specifically women of color in the tattoo world.”
Davila, an artist herself, says Mai Kue Vang gave her genuine feedback on her work and helped her get started with finding apprenticeships and a studio.
"I had been looking for, like, literally anybody to look at my portfolio for tattooing. She was the main one who really kept up with me," Davila said.
When Vang learned she had been nominated as someone's community hero, her reaction was one of humble surprise.
"I'm like, what?! Somebody like somebody shared me, and I'm just like, what really? So I'm always like, humbled. I'm always surprised. My Achilles heel is like, I never give myself time to, like, give myself credit," Vang said.
After a career committed to non-profit work of helping survivors of gender-based violence, Vang started Starseed Studio in 2018. She has been tattooing out of her current location since 2022.
Today, Vang is still helping survivors and inspires Hmong, queer and women of color communities to explore tattoo artistry. Her main drive is creating a safe space and motivating others to pursue their dreams.
"I always encourage people of like, if you don't see a space for you, like, create it," Vang said.
For Davila, Vang's intentional approach to art makes all the difference.
"She's so intentional with the way that she creates art, and I think that's so special, especially when it's something you're going to be putting on someone forever. It's just an amazing feeling to have someone in the community here who, like truly cares about their artwork and how they give it to other people," Davila said.
Vang was one of the only people who took time to help Davila with her artistic aspirations, something that meant everything to an artist trying to find her place in the community.
"There's so many artists and you don't feel like you're necessarily part of the community sometimes. I felt, yeah, very seen by her. I felt a connection there," Davila said.
The feeling of being seen goes both ways.
"I'm just like, Oh, my God, I'm a hero? Like, okay, like, Thank you. You know. I'm in gratitude that someone sees me as their hero," Vang said.
If you have a community hero you'd like to share, you can email meryl.hubbard@tmj4.com.
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