On Saturday June 27th, ArtXchange invites you to join us for the final day of American/Asian: A Tale of New Cultures. Mingle with the artists, view the show, and participate in History, Healing, Hope, an educational art-making workshop created by Judy Shintani (currently exhibiting in American/Asian) and Legacies of War. No art-making experience is necessary! This event is FREE and open to the public.

History, Healing and Hope through Art

What role can art play in healing the wounds of war? Artist Judy Shintani and Legacies of War are joining forces for the History, Healing, Hope from 1-4pm. Starting at 1pm, Judy Shintani and Sakuna Thongchanh (Legacies representative) will speak about their partnership and projects before embarking on a Remembrance Art workshop on the theme of ‘Healing the Wounds of War.’

This community-driven workshop will allow participants to create personal art around their past and present stories to add to a large “Memory Tree” installation that Judy will create from the community pieces. The resulting “Memory Tree” will be featured in Legacies’ “Our Shared Journey” traveling exhibit.

No art experience is necessary to participate! Art-makers are invited to bring photocopied images of friends, family and meaningful places. All other materials will be provided at the event.

Learn more about Judy Shintani and Legacies of War by clicking below!

American/Asian: A Tale of New Cultures once again attracted a great crowd for the June First Thursday. The star of the evening was Chiyo Sanada, who performed an outdoor demonstration of her process of creating large-scale calligraphy art. Chiyo and the other participating artists in American/Asian gathered and mingled with the gallery visitors.

American/Asian continues through the end of June. On Saturday, June 27th, ArtXchange is hosting a closing celebration for American/Asian. Join us for one last chance to see the show, meet the artists, and for a special community workshop by Judy Shintani and Legacies of War. More details coming soon!

Click below for even more photos from American/Asian: A Tale of New Cultures June reception!

Join ArtXchange Gallery for the First Thursday Artwalk June 4, from 5-8.

As part of our continuing exhibition American/Asian: A Tale of New Cultures, participating artist Chiyo Sanada will be giving a live performance of her large-scale calligraphy, combining ancient techniques with contemporary styles. You might remember Chiyo from her fun workshop last May, during our Compassion exhibition - many participants were lucky enough to receive 'A's from Chiyo, an accomplished calligraphy teacher.

Performance begins at 6:30pm - free and open to the public! In the event of rain, Chiyo will do an indoor calligraphy workshop.

Chiyo Sanada was born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan. Sanada began studying calligraphy at age seven and started teaching calligraphy, or "shodo," after graduating from Hiroshima Bunkyo Women's University in 1995 with a degree in Japanese and Chinese calligraphy. Chiyo Sanada is currently exhibiting large-scale calligraphy artwork at ArtXchange Gallery.

American/Asian: A Tale of New Cultures is now exhibiting at ArtXchange Gallery! This new exhibition honors national Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month and presents the work of 13 regional artists that tells the tale of how each embraces his or her own identity as an APA. The opening event was a huge success, busy from start to finish.

 

"Thirteen regional artists display their work in honor May's Asian Pacific American Heritage month. Their mixed-media pieces deal with themes of heritage, disorientation, equilibrium, transplant, clash and freedom. For example, Seattle artist Jonathan Wakuda Fischer displays works in spray paint, styled after 18th-century wood blocks that fuse former beauty icons - like geishas - with modern urban symbols such as turntables. Evergreen State College graduate Tenzin Mingyur Paldron also showcases a documentary that explores issues of gender and sexuality in Asian-American subculture." - Marian Liu, Seattle Times, May 7, 2009

 

The participating artists are MalPina Chan, Jonathan Wakuda Fischer, Deborah Kapoor, Tenzin Mingyur Paldron, Chiyo Sanada, June Sekiguchi, Arun Sharma, Judy Shintani, William Song, Joseph Songco, Barry Wong, Dean Wong and Frederic Wong. ArtXchange thanks all of the wonderful artists in American/Asian!

 

Preview the exhibit online or download a free 20-page exhibition brochure!

 

American/Asian continues through June 27! Join us for the First Thursday Artwalk, June 4, from 5-8 pm for the continuing exhibit and participating artist Chiyo Sanada will be doing a live performance calligraphy demonstration!

 

Click below for even more photos from opening night!

If you missed Cora Edmonds' interview on KUOW, you can listen to it here on the KUOW website. Reporter Jeremy Richards interviews Cora about the Namaste Story, how the Namaste photograph has created a network of like-minded individuals around the world, and the Namaste Children's Fund.

 

Namaste Reunited closes Saturday, May 2, but Cora Edmonds' striking images will still be available at ArtXchange Gallery and information about her work in Nepal can be found on the new Namaste Children's Fund website. Thanks to coverage by Seattle's KUOW public radio station, the Seattle Times, and great word-of-mouth buzz, the Namaste Reunited exhibit has been a big success. Not only has the Namaste circle expanded to include many new friends, but ArtXchange and NCF raised funds to benefit many new children in Nepal through generous donations and 15% of the proceeds from Cora's photography.

Click below to check out more photos from Namaste Reunited events!

 

As if you need another reason to visit Simply Desserts besides their exquisite cookies and cakes, this popular Fremont bakery is displaying new encaustic works by ArtXchange artist Deborah Kapoor. More of her work, from her "Keepers of Nature" series, are on display at Red Square Yoga in Queen Anne.

Simply Desserts is located at 3421 Fremont Ave North, Seattle, WA 98103.

 
Random Prayer for the Universe I and Random Prayer for the Universe II
encaustic, washers and ink on wood panel, 10"x5"x1.5", $400
encaustic, mirrors, and ink on wood panel, 8.5"x5"x1.5", $350

Kapoor is currently creating a new body of 2-D and 3-D encaustic work in anticipation of a full solo show at ArtXchange in July/August this summer.

The highly anticipated First Thursday opening for Namaste Reunited brought many friends, fans, and new visitors to ArtXchange. Namaste Reunited is Cora's first new body of work to be exhibited since her popular Himalayan Faces series in 2001.

The main portion of the exhibition exhibits Cora's photographic work from Nepal. Many viewers have heard the story behind her Namaste photograph and the exhibition picks the Namaste story up in 2007, when Cora and Phil Crean returned to Nepal to search for the young boy in the photograph. The story unfolds through a mixture of documentary photography, stunning art images, and personal photographs from the journey.

Following the successful reunion between Cora and the Namaste Boy, Gyeni Bohara, the exhibition presents sections detailing the work of Namaste Children's Fund. NCF, founded by Cora and Phil in 2008, serves Gyeni's home village of Thehe as well as other non-profit projects in Nepal. Many exciting projects are already well underway, and Namaste Reunited presents this work to the public through photographs, text, and multimedia. New photographs sent by NCF directors in Nepal show the progress being made on these exciting projects!

The final documentary portion of the exhibition follows Gyeni's first visit back to Thehe since leaving to attend boarding school. Cora and Phil accompanied the young boy in fall 2008, documenting the emotions and pride of Gyeni's family and Thehe citizens as they welcomed Gyeni back to his home. 

Also on display are stunning fine art photographs from Cora's travels around the world, from Nepal to Thailand, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Egypt, and more. View the entire exhibition online here!

15% of the proceeds from all Cora Edmonds' photography is donated to the Namaste Children's Fund, providing scholarships directly to children in need and improved educational facilities to remote areas of Nepal. 100% of funds raised for NCF go directly to the projects and none are diverted for overhead support. To learn more about NCF, visit the new website at www.namastechildrensfund.org!

A new exhibition featuring photography by ArtXchange director Cora Edmonds! Namaste Reunited will share the story behind Cora's iconic 'Namaste' photograph and exhibit new photographs from Nepal documenting the journey of Namaste Boy Gyeni Bohara as he pursues his education. The exhibition will also exhibit photogaphs documenting the work of Namaste Children's Fund, the NPO founded by Cora and Phil Crean (kick-off party photos here). Cora will also be exhibiting new photographs inspired by both ancient and modern cultural landscapes.

Join us for the First Thursday Artwalk on March 5, from 5-8 pm. For those who can't attend the artwalk, join us for an alternate reception Saturday March 21, 5-8 pm.

ArtXchange Gallery is accepting submissions for a May/June 2009 group show to celebrate the rich history and diverse culture of Asian Pacific Americans (APA) in the Pacific Northwest.

In observance of the national APA Heritage Month in May, ArtXchange is seeking artwork that illustrates the beauty and diversity of Asian Pacific American heritage. Pieces should reflect how one embraces their identity as an Asian Pacific American, as well as exhibit the uniqueness of their multi-cultural experience.

The exhibition will run for two months. The opening and art reception will be held during the Pioneer Square First Thursday Artwalk in May, and a second reception will be held during the First Thursday Artwalk in June. Music or performance works could be exhibited on the First Thursdays.

Click below for further information and submission procedures!