Shizue Seigel: Artist Statement

Long before art schools, literary journals or museums existed, artistic expression arose through community. Elders, storytellers and artists passed on traditions, divined dreams, and distilled wisdom from everyday life. Today’s reality shows, Internet blogs and burgeoning interest in personal history and genealogy demonstrate a public hunger for reality-based self-expression. It is my goal as an artist and a teacher to channel this interest into collaborative efforts that draw collective meaning from our diverse experiences as Americans and as citizens of the world.

I am a Japanese American writer and visual artist who has interpreted community stories through text and images for almost 15 years. I weave oral history, cultural traditions, family stories, letters, documents, photographs, and resonant objects into creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, painting, digital collage and photography.

In addition to my own creative work, I assist and empower non-artists through community-based projects, private commissions and classes.

Everyone has a story—uniquely shaped by personality, experience and socio-political context. By sharing our stories and absorbing those of others, we enlarge our experience and increase our collective compassion. Today, more than ever, American stories help us hone our social and political understanding and develop our will and capacity to take an active part in creating a better society.