On Jan. 17, in a bustling hallway on the main floor of the Washington State University (WSU) Compton Union Building–known by students as the “CUB”–some people had stopped to stare. In between the crimson pillars was a long panel half-painted in earthen shades, periwinkles and soft warm tones. Off to the side, the accompanying sign read: “AAPI Mural.”

The AAPI Mural was one of the events taking place on the Pullman campus in celebration the National Day of Racial Healing, which encourages conversations and healing around race.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., mural designer Jeimei Lin worked in collaboration with Fine Arts graduate student Reika Pratt, Fine Arts undergraduate student Kau’i Marley Samio and Pullman High School junior Heidi Lee. WSU junior and double-major in Fine Arts and Mathematics Roslyn Djang also joined in after seeing the mural while on her way to get lunch.

Associate professor of Painting/Inter-Media and mural facilitator Joe Hedges expressed how the mural provided public visibility to AAPI students’ identities and challenges they may face.

He said it was inspiring to see artists from different parts of the AAPI community coming together to celebrate their identities and helping with the mural.

“It’s those little things whether it’s painting a mural or stopping to share a moment of real solidarity,” he said. “It’s those little things that add up and move the needle and make things a little better for the next generation.”

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AsAmNews

Washington State University printmaking professor Kevin Haas has collected artist’s books for roughly 25 years. With each new acquisition, a unique creative exploration is revealed. For example, Margot Lovejoy’s “Book of Plagues” examines the AIDS crisis, the fear and stigmatization surrounding it, and government indifference to the epidemic, with parallels to current crises. Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo made her book “We Are All Speaking at the Same Time” during 2020, echoing the Black Lives Matter protests, to celebrate and bring awareness of the LGBTQ and black, indigenous, and people of color communities and their voices.

Other books are meant to be playful, such as Eroyn Franklin’s “Just Noise,” which illustrates the bickering, arguments, and love that are part of a relationship.

“I am still thrilled when I discover these surprising, interactive, and affordable works of art,” said Haas, a member of fine arts faculty. “Getting to experience artist’s books firsthand and for the first time can be pretty magical. We don’t usually get to hold works of art in our hands like we do with artist’s books, so the viewing experience is very personal.”

What is an artist’s book?

The term “artist’s book” refers to publications that have been conceived as artworks in their own right, Haas said. Emerging from experiments in design and publications by artists in the early 20th century, the field of artist’s books took hold in the 1960s as artists sought out alternative ways of presenting their work. Artist’s books provide opportunities for artists to explore text, images, sequence, juxtaposition, time, and interaction, creating everything from cheaply made zines and handmade books to decks of cards and other printed ephemera.

“The book format is attractive to artists, since it allows their work to be accessible to a wide audience, as well as being very affordable,” he said.

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WSU Insider

There’s a new picture developing of Pullman’s visual arts scene, one that adds an additional focal point besides Washington State University and its venerable Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.

Over the past few years, several new arts-related entities have emerged in town: the new nonprofit Pullman Arts Foundation, the arts-forward Hotel McCoy, Terracotta clay arts studio, and a new art gallery. Added to Pullman’s existing venues, these newcomers are helping highlight the college town’s evolving arts community.

“Part of the genesis of [Pullman Arts Foundation] was, honestly, the difficulty of creating some kind of public art project here in Pullman that connected with the Black Lives Matter movement,” says WSU art professor Joe Hedges, who co-founded the nonprofit with his wife and fellow artist, Jiemei “May” Lin.

In addition to murals at Kamiak and Jefferson elementary schools and the Palouse Discovery Science Center, the foundation also realized it could fulfill other needs for artists, arts supporters and the community-at-large, Hedges says.

“We had started to meet people that were really engaged locally and really cared about the arts,” he adds.

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Inlander