KBCS Story: Transforming Family Pain into Inspiration and Strength

Listen to local artist, Lauren Iida describe how she processes her grandparents’ hardship (that was not spoken about in the household) into a source of resilience and strength. Her art will be shown tonight at Seattle Public Library Central Branch.

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Lauren Iida is a local artist, whose work adorns public spaces including the Washington State Convention Center, Plymouth Housing in Seattle and Uncle Bob’s place in Seattle’s Chinatown International District.  Her main medium is hand-cut paper.

Iida’s Japanese American grandparents were incarcerated during WWII.  They were among 120,000  people of Japanese descent who were forcibly removed from the west coast into barracks in the deserts of the interior US.  She describes how she processes her family’s trauma, and how it’s inspired her artwork.

Iida is represented by ArtXchange Gallery. She’ll be unveiling a 30 foot paper memory net featuring symbolic objects from the book, Swimmers, written by Julie Otsuka, May 19 at 7 p.m. at the Seattle Public Library Central Branch in downtown Seattle. Otsuka will be speaking about the book.  Registration will be required for the event.

Last Updated May 19, 2023