Artist Chiyoko Myose will present “Origami Cranes in Blue” at the Steckline Gallery for the November Final Friday show from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 30 at Newman University. The event is free and open to the public.
Myose is originally from Japan and moved to the U.S. 20 years ago.
“Even though two decades have passed, I still feel I am in the space between these two places,” explained Myose. “Moving from one place to another, leaving things behind and facing a new landscape and culture makes me feel like a traveler and a sojourner. As a sojourner, I am consoled by the belief that life is like a journey; we are all sojourners on the Earth. My artworks explore various perspectives into my search for meaning within the sojourner’s journey.”
Myose holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Doshisha Women’s College in Kyoto, Japan, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Wichita State University. Along with local and regional exhibits, Myose has also shown her work in Japan and Italy. She has won several awards for her work, which typically consists of painting and installation art.
This show’s inspiration was drawn from Myose’s sojourner’s journey as well as her recent trips to Japan to visit her mother who has been ill. The visits have invoked thoughts about the meaning of life and the journey of life. While on the airplane, Myose developed the idea for this show.
“The origami crane represents my thoughts on the status as a sojourner traveling and searching for a home. The material of thread often represents a notion of relationship and connectivity in my visual language. I am expressing relationship with people, time and place and asking a question which is personal to me, ‘What makes a home a home?’ or ‘What is the place to fully call home?’
“The cranes glow even in the dark space because of the existence of lights. It reminds me that a sojourner has hope even in the current uncertainty of the place.”
Though her work is personal, Myose knows there are many others who relate to her story, and she hopes they connect with the piece.
“I am hoping that the audience will spend some time in this piece and become a part of it. It’s up to them what they are going to feel and think about in my piece, but it would be nice if this will become the place for them to think about their own life journey and to know how precious our life is. Installation art is often ephemeral. After the show ends, the piece will disappear. There is a certain beauty in ephemerality. It tells us each moment never comes back. Each moment of our life is important. Our life is precious.”
Myose is looking forward to the Art for Lunch talk, Steckline Gallery’s unique event that allows students to hear the artist describe their work. Myose feels that the ability to speak to the students demonstrates how much the gallery cares about the content of the work.
“At my artist talk, I plan to talk about things I don’t usually write on an artist statement. It makes me feel a little bit nervous, but I feel honored to be able to share those background stories,” said Myose.
The Art for Lunch presentation will be noon to 1 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 4, in the gallery. A light lunch will be served on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests are also welcome to bring their lunch. This event is free and reservations are not required.
The Steckline Gallery is located inside the De Mattias Fine Arts Center on the Newman campus, 3100 McCormick, Wichita, KS 67213. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment. For more information, email Director of Steckline Gallery Shannon Johnston at [email protected].
