Togetherness & Oneness
Juried Show with Awards
Juror: Paulina Pobocha, Curator at the MoMA
Sat., May 22 – Sun., July 10, 2021
Opening Reception: Sat. May 22, 4–6pm
Artist’s Talk: Sat. July 10, 3-5pm
“It was the darkest period of our life, first with the deadly coronavirus pandemic followed by another horrifying social pandemic both of which have spread all over the USA and beyond as fast as a tidal wave, and nothing seemed to lift our spirits in hope for humanity.” Yuko Nii
Scientists have been warning us for more than the half century about the danger of the global warming. The climate change is caused partially by human activities by mistreating Mother Nature. The result was what we have awakened a worldwide deadly coronavirus pandemic. And we have had another horrifying social pandemic, resulting in a fragmented society.
This show is called, “Togetherness & Oneness.” Now we need to recover from our badly damaged lives. When Mother Earth is ignored, because we do not live harmoniously with her, and when society is fragmented, we need to think seriously about the causes and work hard to bring ourselves back to a “Unified Oneness.” We have to learn how to make positive changes in life. I believe this will happen only when all of the world’s citizens work and move forward together for a better and more peaceful tomorrow.
In working together for a common goal with common values, we also must accommodate our differences, id est, different cultures and different ideas. The question is “How do we improve a fragmented society?”
To achieve the ideal world of “Togetherness” and “Oneness” might be impossible, but trying to achieve the “Ideal” is possible. Think of the words “Togetherness” and “Oneness.” We have numerous words we use to express the concept such as “getting together,” “gathering together,” “working together,” “uniting together,” “melting together,” “welding together,” “binding together,” “bonding together,” “coming together,” etc. Those words express ways to strengthen one’s own “independent” position or situation by engaging others to gain support for the things we wish to realize, to realize the possible from the seeming, “impossible.” We must listen to the inner voices of others as we see them expressed in art, and welcome and consider these different ideas and expressions. Just as art works are expressed in many different forms, colors, and mediums, so individuals express their ideas about life in many different ways. Yet this rainbow of art and ideas should work together to create a symphony that uplifts and inspires. Different people with different ideas and different cultural backgrounds should be able to work together to create a “great harmonious diverse society.”
The “Togetherness” and “Oneness” show is a collaboration with and curated by a couple of individuals selecting works from artists working in different mediums. Their art reflects the products of nature, including Glass art, Textile & Fiber Art, Ceramics, and Mother Nature expressed in 2-D, & 3-D and also Video Art, sharing the spirit of “Togetherness & Oneness.” It celebrates a “Melting Pot” of artistic expression in the following categories all under one umbrella to achieve this great harmony.
1) Wedging Together: Ceramics collaborated with Nicholas Newcomb, NICHOLAS NEWCOMB POTTERY & SCULPTURE, curated by Yuko Nii, WAH CENTER
7 Participants: Julianne Ahn, Will Coggin, Aimee Franco, Rene Murray, Nicholas Newcomb, Robin Roi, Janine Sopp
2) Melting Together: Glasswork curated by Renee Radenberg, INDEPENDENT CURATOR
12 Participants: James Akers, Sandra Forrest, Jennifer Hecker, Julianna Kirk, Kenny Litwack, Laura Madsen, Jeanne Messing, Renee Radenberg, James Renner, Gloria Schuster, Emily Skehan, Maia Stern
3) Weaving Together: Textile & Fiber Art, consulted with Nancy Koenigsberg, TSGNY Org., curated by Yuko Nii, WAH CENTER
10 Participants: Emily Dvorin, Mo Kelman, Nancy Koenigsberg, Saberah Malik, Dorothy McGuiness, Yasuko Okumura, Hisami Sakamoto, Leslie Horan Simon, Hillary Steel, Pamela Zave
4) Bonding Together with Mother Nature: 2-D, 3-D & Video curated by Yuko Nii, WAH CENTER:
52 Participants: Ellen Alt, Ayako Bando, Bienvenido Bones Banez, Jr., Orin Buck, Linda Buitti, Pamela Casper, Jin Yong Choi, Ian Clyde, Allison Cuomo, Theresa DeSalvio, Val Dyshlov, Sandra Giunta, Glen Goodenough, Richard Hatter, Natsuko Hattori, Sachie Hayashi, Miho Hiranouchi, Kumi Hirose, Kotatsu Iwata, Susan Jacobs, Mercedes Jelinek, Emma Anne Johnson, Yuko K., Eileen Kennedy, Hyemi Kim, Emiliday Manzueta, Margarita Marfori, Cecillia Martinez, Janet McDermott, Mieko Mitachi, Kenichi Nakajima, Dominyca Obelenyte, Hiroko Ohno, Vincent Ortiz Cortez, Karen Palsdottir, Yupin Pramotepipop, Regina B Quinn, Germania Reyes, Scott Allen Roberts, Robin Roi, Nobuko Saji, Larry Scaturro, Tasneem Shahzad, Hana Shannon, Joel Simpson, Jos Stumpe, SUPRINA, Larry Szycher, Rumi Tsuda, Mary Westring, Fumio Yamaguchi, Atsuko Mu Yuma
5) Gathering Together: Textile & Stitching Performance by Yana Schnitzler, YANA SCHNITZLER HUMAN KINETICS
SPECIAL EXHIBIT
Yana Schnitzler’s Tales of a Phoenix: The Letting Go Project harnesses the power of ritual to bring women from across the world together in a unified release of old patterns that no longer serve their personal growth. Over the past year, women contributed pieces of fabric inscribed with their intentions of what they wish to let go of. An ongoing project, Schnitzler now stitches these testimonies together into a room-filling skirt, representing the global collective feminine voice. With pieces from over 40 different countries and states, the work creates a tapestry of personal stories from all walks of life and cultures, offering a glimpse of where women stand with the struggles they face. Tales of a Phoenix: The Letting Go Project is made possible, in part with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Further support was provided by Chashama and The Feminist Art Projects.
“When someone knocks, open the door and greet yourself!” – A Buddhist saying.
Yuko Nii, WAH Center’s Founder & Artistic Director & Yuko Nii Foundation’s Founder
1) “Togetherness & “Oneness” Opening scenes, photos by Tasneem Shahzad, 5.22.2021
https://photos.app.goo.gl/M4BdzqjsNsN37nA9A
2) “Togetherness & Oneness” Opening Scenes, Video by Hyemi Kim
3) ”Togetherness & Oneness” Installation Scenes, photos taken by Yuko Nii
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4t6WMeLvPwTDX3Hd9
4) Togetherness & Oneness Artist Talk
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