Don’t miss the two special exhibitions at the Northwest African American Museum! In the main Northwest Gallery are Daniel Minter’s delightful hand colored woodcarvings, the basis for illustrations for several of his children’s books. Inye Wokoma’s display in the smaller “Paccar Gallery,” beyond the permanent installation, creates a collage about the life of his family in the Central District and by extension the complexity of gentrification and its forces. Minter’s original carved wooden blocks and linoleum cuts used as the basis for reproductions allow us insights into the physicality of his unusual technique. Minter comes from Southern Georgia. His art poetically invokes and preserves the stories and symbols of the rural deep South as a way of bridging the distance from the original African diaspora to the present and preserving them for the future. “New Year Be Coming, A Gullah Year” illustrates poems by Katharine Boling inspired by the rhythmic cadences of the Gullah people of coastal Georgia and South Carolina. Each month represents a different activity that culminates finally in the New Year with its traditional food of “hopping john” (made from black eyed peas.) Daniel Minter, illustration for Bubber Goes to Heaven by Arna Bontemps early 1930s. “Bubber Goes to Heaven” is based on a 1930’s story by famous Harlem Renaissance writer Arna Bontemps. Bubber falls unconscious while pursuing a raccoon up a huge tree and dreams he goes to heaven. The story is, of course, a metaphor for seeking freedom. Minter underscores the fantastic and spiritual elements with foreshortening and distorted proportions in complex black and white linear drawing. “The Foot Warmer and the Crow,” fills a long wall: “A wise old crow comes to the aid of Hezekiah, a slave seeking to escape his cruel owner, Master Thompson, by advising him to discover the weaknesses of his owner.” Minter dramatically depicts the three characters with exaggerated perspectives and stunning, but simplified, color contrasts. Daniel Minter, colored woodblock for illustration in The Foot Warmer and the Crow, by Evelyn Coleman, 1994 “The Day Daddy Left” is set in the Depression. According to Minter, it is about, “a family during the depression, everyone is looking for work, there are soup lines. The family has to move to a shantytown and the father has to go away in order to work on a WPA job. A little girl in a wheelchair from polio becomes friends with a new girl in the community and shows her around.” (It is not available in English). “Seven Seals of Thread, A Kwanzaa Story” tells the story with linoleum cuts: “In an African village live seven brothers who make life miserable with their constant fighting. When their father dies, he leaves an unusual will: by sundown, the brothers must make gold out of seven spools of thread or they will be turned out as beggars.” A collection of Minter’s tools and plates, further demonstrate his process. This is a rare opportunity to understand his working methods. Inye Wokoma’s “An Elegant Utility” also pursues preservation and story telling, but with documents, texts, tools, photographs, videos, maps and a massive family tree that spreads out on one wall. Inye Wokoma, photocollage drawn from images and objects in “An Elegant Utility” Here is the artist’s own description: “I live in the first house that my grandfather purchased within a year of migrating to Seattle after World War II. It is a home that resonates with the collective memories from 70 years of family life. Because of this, when I am in my home I feel centered and alive. My home is surrounded by five other houses that used to belong to family members, the people that used to live there have moved away. On the streets outside my home, I often feel lost. The houses where family used to live are like shells, echoing with ever fading memories. My home is still here, I keep the energy alive but the community that made it is largely gone. I have chosen to stay in this community and in this home. This choice forces me to grapple with three defining questions: How did I get here? Why am I still here? Where am I going? “An Elegant Utility” . . . is about passion and pragmatism, holding the line and pushing the boundaries. It is about tradition, irreverence and the places where the two are indistinguishable. It is about race and land, economics and self-sufficiency, conflict and love. It is about who we imagine ourselves to be and who we aspire to be. It is about how black family was maintained and black community was built, one choice at a time, one relationship at a time. I am embracing one sliver of my family history as an expression of black people’s collective struggle for freedom in Seattle. I am telling one version of this story, the story of black resistance and self-determination in Seattle as expressed through the life of Frank Green.” (Inye’s grandfather) “My intention in this work is to meditate on the value and communal strategies that allowed us to confront the challenges of racism in housing and economic policy and still build vibrant community. This work is a very intimate treatment of that larger historical narrative. It is a way of investigating the forces that shape our current reality (gentrification/displacement) in ways that access personal and academic, intuitive and rational ways of knowing. …To say that gentrification pushed black people out of their community grossly oversimplifies a long and complicated history which prevents us from fully understanding where we are today.” So eloquent is Wokoma’s statement that I need hardly amplify it! His work makes a crucial contribution to our understanding of what is happening in the Central District. He asks us to spend time here, meditate, celebrate and weep. Wokoma’s highly original approach to using artifacts, poetry, text, photographs, and the vintage tools that he found in his grandfather’s workshop, gives us a rare insight into what roots, home, family, freedom from oppression and finally, displacement mean today. Northwest African American Museum “Daniel Minter: Carvings” April 8-September 17 “Inye Wokoma: An Elegant Utility” January 28-May 28 2300 S. Massachusetts Street Seattle, WA 98144 Hours: Wed 11am-5pm, Thurs 11am-7pm, Fri-Sun 11am-5pm 206-518-6000 – naamnw.org ~Susan Noyes Platt, www.artandpoliticsnow.com

Rumors of El Niño returning for summer 2017 have been percolating through meteorological echo chambers for the past few months, but beginning in mid-April, mainstream media outlets like the New York Times started spilling the beans to the public at large, alerting Americans of all walks of life that another El Niño may return for the summer and persist through the winter. Indeed, climate models are in reasonable agreement that a weak-moderate El Niño will develop over the next few months. If this were to happen, it would be the most rapid switch from El Niño to La Niña and then back to El Niño since the July 1963- April 1966 time period, when we swung from El Niño to La Niña and back again over three consecutive winters, only spending a combined 6 months over that time period in Neutral, or as some prefer to call them, “La Nada” conditions. The tropical Pacific, which can be thought as ground zero for El Niño, is currently giving us mixed signals as a whole. While the Eastern Pacific appears to be in full-on El Niño mode, the Central Pacific is still firmly in Neutral conditions, and the atmospheric circulation over the most of the tropical Pacific still looks more reminiscent of a La Niña! Nino 3.4 SST Anomaly Predictions from a variety of different dynamical and statistical models. Taken from the Climate Prediction Center’s most recent El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion For some reason, it is much harder to accurately forecast El Niño and La Niña events before spring than after spring. There are many hypothesized reasons for this – one is that spring is the time when El Niño/La Niña are decaying, and that it is easier to predict the evolution of an El Niño/La Niña when one is already underway. Evidence for this theory is supported by the fact during the springtime, dynamical models – models that predict the future state of the land, ocean, and atmosphere by plugging in a set of “initial conditions” into a given suite of equations, outperform statistical models – models that predict the future by drawing statistical correlations between the present and historical conditions. This is likely because there is a relative dearth of statistical correlation in the springtime compared to other times of the year, particularly during a time like this when the atmosphere and ocean are doing different things. Not surprisingly, climate models show quite a bit of variance in solutions over the next several months. Still, nearly all the dynamic models show a weak-to-moderate El Niño developing, while the statistical models give us a weak El Niño or a La Nada. But most importantly, no model shows a La Niña event occurring. Given our current information, the chance for La Niña returning for next winter appears small – around 10%. The fact that nearly all dynamical models show an El Niño developing is certainly telling, but the existence of a La Niña-esque atmospheric circulation in the Western Pacific has thus far precluded the forecasters at the Climate Prediction Center from issuing an El Niño Watch. The current probabilistic forecast has a 50% chance of El Niño conditions developing by September. Yup, all that writing just to tell you that our state of the art climate models are just as useful as a coin flip! But hopefully you learned something along the way. El Niño conditions usually bring us warmer and slightly drier than normal weather, which I’m sure will bring a sigh of relief to many after the hectic winter and spring rains we’ve had this year! ~Charlie Phillips Charlie Phillips, a Madrona resident, received his B.S. in atmospheric sciences from the University of Washington and works in Portland as a meteorologist forecasting wind energy along the Columbia River Gorge. Check out his weather website at weathertogether.us .

Join your friends and neighbors on Saturday, June 17, 10am-12pm, for a fun and impactful neighborhood work party! We will start at Charles Street (Lakeside Avenue S and S Charles Street) and then move to Dearborn, Norman, Judkins and King streets as time allows. Bring long sleeve shirts, gloves, work pants, protective eye wear and your own water, tools, shovels, clippers, buckets and smiles! We will provide snacks! It is a pleasure to be back working with volunteers on this special shoreline street ends that Leschi first opened for public access 20 years ago! Thank you to John Barber for his leadership and to Jim Snell, Adam Tycaster, Diane Snell, Diane Morris, Joyce Moty and others for their consistent work. We are hoping that others will want to take the lead to steward these very special places. If you are interested in being a community lead for any of these street ends, please let me know. This involves routine cleanup/maintenance and overseeing an annual work party. We have found it to be a wonderful community builder! Twenty years ago, Leschi’s String of Pearls was a model for the opening of other street ends throughout the city, for the development of new city policies and for the model permit system that is now in use. For information or questions, please contact: Karen Daubert, karendaubert@msn.com , 206-310-1792 or John Barber, barber.seattle-posa@mac.com , 206-324-1548. ~Karen Daubert And for more information, be sure to visit leschicommunitycouncil.org/articles/category/parks

The vice-president position is currently open and the President’s position will be vacant when Yuki Igarashi steps down in June. This is our second notice of the planned election in June, as required by our bylaws. We will vote at the June 7 meeting! Job descriptions President: The President shall: preside over all meetings of the Council and of the Executive Board; appoint executive board members; and be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee. Vice-President: The Vice-President shall: assist the president as needed; perform the duties of president in the president’s absence; and act as chairperson of the Nominating Committee In addition, you must reside in Leschi or work in Leschi, you are able to attend two meetings a month, the General meeting on the first Wednesday of the month and the Executive Board meeting, which meets within a week after the general meeting. Tradition has it that the President submits a brief message for the monthly Leschi News September through June. This is negotiable; it could be rotated among the Board members. If you are interested in either of these positions, please contact Yuki Igarashi at YEIgarashi@gmail.com or leschinews@comcast.net . ~Diane Snell

Come to our Council meeting in May to find out what HALA is and how it could drastically change the character of our neighborhoods. LURC, the Land Use Review Committee, will explain it all for us in understandable language and show us where and how the Central District could be affected. May 3, 7pm — Central Area Senior Center, 500 30th Ave. S.

Many of us had the pleasure of knowing Wade Vaughn, but many might not know the breadth and depth of his passion for Leschi. Wade passed away early this year and I was reminded of his selfless giving back to our community. Wade was known as a masterful historian; his Leschi Diaries make for interesting reading, not only because of the variety of stories about our neighborhood, but also because he makes Leschi come alive. But he was so much more. He was a gifted artist as he roamed the neighborhood with his sketchbook and turned his drawings into postcards and cards, which he gave to friends and neighbors. He was a photographer and his photos were featured for years in the Leschi News. He was an active volunteer; if there was a work party scheduled, he was sure to show up tools in hand and he especially enjoyed the Leschi String of Pearls, which is where we first bonded. And he was a creative homeowner – as I recall he designed and built the Leschi home that he and Shirley lived in for over 50 years. Wade also designed all of the “Welcome to Leschi – a Community of Diversity” signs that you will find at our entryways. When I was president of the Council, we held a design competition and his was the one that was unanimously approved. Each time I pass one of those signs, I am thankful for Wade and his gift to the community. It is people like Wade that make Leschi so special and make me feel proud to be part of this community. ~Karen Daubert

In loving memory we will celebrate the life of Wade Vaughn: 9/26/1929 - 1/31/2017 You are invited to join family and friends on Saturday May 6, 2017 for a Remembrance Celebration of the life of Wade Vaughn. There will be an Open House from 2pm - 4pm at 316 Randolph Ave. Seattle WA 98122. (Parking will be tight - the house is on a dead end street). Come and visit with the Vaughn family members and say farewell to a wonderful Leschi neighbor who spent many hours in our neighborhood creating a better place to live. He was the writer of many Leschi books including the Leschi Diary. Please join us!

Last month we published a letter written to Mayor Murray and signed by four neighborhoods in the Central District, including Leschi. We urged the Mayor to consider opening the community centers for homeless families (these centers are true emergency centers designed for shelter during earthquakes). We eventually received a response, which did not address our suggestion. It does, however, pull together the various approaches the city is taking. ~Ed. We appreciate you writing and would like to share some information with you regarding the City’s response to our homeless community. Our region has made extraordinary investments and has informed best practices used by other communities across the country. Still, more people are living unsheltered in Seattle than ever before. And the prevalence of black and brown people in our community who are homeless is particularly disturbing. This is a humanitarian crisis that requires us to take a step back to honestly assess what is working and build upon those practices, while having the courage to shift away from the practices that are not. Mayor Ed Murray has made this idea the cornerstone of his three-pronged strategy for addressing homelessness and its systemic causes, including his announcement in September of an initiative named “Pathways Home.” The first prong of his strategy focused on crisis response and emergency stopgap measures, when the Mayor declared a state of emergency to bring more resources to help those without shelter on our streets. From designated RV safe lots and authorized encampments on City property to planning the launch of a low-barrier, 24-hour navigation center, the Mayor has taken unprecedented steps to recognize the plight of those who are living unsheltered and minimize the harm of their circumstances. The second prong has focused on affordability. Here, Seattle has led the nation. We committed to a living minimum wage of $15-per-hour. We’ve committed to the creation of 50,000 new housing units over the next decade, including 20,000 affordable units. And in August, Seattle voters renewed and doubled the Seattle Housing Levy, which preserves more than 2,100 affordable housing units and provides rental assistance for more than 4,500 families. The third prong is focused on systems transformation. “Pathways Home” is based on recommendations from an in-depth review of our homeless system by national experts, commissioned by the City of Seattle, King County, United Way of King County and All Home King County (formerly the Coalition to End Homelessness in King County) – http://allhomekc.org/. It is a person-centered, systemic plan that funds work proven to move people out of homelessness, and will involve a reinvestment plan for the nearly $50 million that the City manages and invests annually. In the past, the City’s response to a clogged shelter system has been to invest in more shelter capacity. And in fact, 70 percent of the money spent by the City on homeless services is spent on emergency shelters. But every dollar spent on emergency, temporary shelters is a dollar not spent on helping people stay or get into permanent, stable homes. A more customized approach might include mental health or addiction treatment, a job or rental assistance, or flexible funding that helps you avoid the shelter system or quickly get back into housing – which is exactly the approach Pathways Home takes. By developing a coordinated, by-name list of people waiting for housing, the city meets people where they are, and partners with other funders and nonprofit agencies to creatively and actively problem-solve the barriers that keep people outside. We believe this will help us reduce homelessness for long-term shelter stayers and those living outside. By reducing barriers to our emergency shelters – such as restrictions on partners, pets or possessions, or clean-and-sober requirements – enhancing the services accessible to people needing emergency shelter, expanding low-barrier, 24-hour shelter options, and restricting our emergency shelter beds to those who are not just homeless but lacking shelter, we can bring more people in off the street, properly identify their individual needs and shift them on to a stable housing situation. We will also increase investments in diversion for every family at risk of becoming homeless and for more rapid rehousing of families without shelter. No family with young children should experience the distress of being outside. We can and must do better. Lastly, we must institute performance-based contracting to make sure the City is investing in what works. Our accountability to results depends on the City clearly establishing performance standards in every contract and for service providers operating with a laser focus on those standards. The City has not established performance expectations, nor have we competitively bid our homeless services contracts in over a decade. This must change. Planning is currently underway for a significant funding process this summer when the Human Services Department will release a Request for Proposals for multiple “Pathways Home” strategies, including rapid re-housing, diversion, permanent supportive housing, shelter, outreach, transitional housing, and more. It will be the largest reinvestment of human services funding in the city in at least 10 years. Seattle will continue doing all we can and will work with our partners at the county, state and federal level to support residents like you. I hope that this information is helpful, and that you will continue to be interested in the work we are doing. ~Jane Klein, Sr. Executive Assistant City of Seattle, Human Services Department

President–Yuki Igarashi The Council is still looking to connect with anyone interested in volunteering in the capacity of President or Vice President of the Leschi Community Council! Elections will be held at this June’s neighborhood meeting. Terms are two years, and primary responsibilities include attending the monthly neighborhood meetings, monthly board meetings, and voting on various causes, such as the donation or distribution of Council funds to neighborhood projects or the involvement/support of the LCC for other events and organizations. Time commitment is approximately 2-4 hours/month. Secretary/Newsletter Editor–Diane Snell I learned to love Leschi through the eyes of Wade Vaughn in his Leschi Diary and his many photographs. That feeling was sustained by the dedication of the folks who worked so hard in our many parks. I feel grateful for the supportive nature of our current Board—it’s a collaborative effort. I enjoy the interactions with Leschi News readers who comment by email, letters and even phone calls! The guiding principle for me is to highlight the successes and needs of Leschi and to inform the neighborhood of proposed actions by those that affect us: Metro, as well as city and county government. Treasurer–Janet Oliver I feel honored to have the confidence of the Board and the Community and lucky to be able to contribute to the continued good work of the Leschi Community Council. This is a learning period, and the help from Diane Snell, Yuki Igarashi, Yousef Shulman and former treasurers Amy Fink and Kim Murillo is so appreciated! Keeping track of the financial dealings of the Council has helped me learn more about all we are accomplishing and the difference we are making in Leschi. Land Use Resource Committee–Jeff Floor There have been rumblings afoot, wondering what this whole “HALA” thing (Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda) is all about, so for the monthly program this May, we’ve turned to the Central Area Land Use Review Committee (CA-LURC) for an explanation. We’ll look at the program’s origins and intentions, what the citywide proposals are, and bring it home to the Central Area to understand what is on the table in our neck of the woods. Bear in mind, this is not a city event - just local folks who have been digging into the devilish details. Parks and Greenspace Chair–John Barber A small group of volunteers from the Leschi Community Council has been maintaining over the last 20 years the Leschi String of Pearls, which is a set of small park-like public areas along the shore of Lake Washington at four street right-of-ways: South King St., S Dearborn St., S Charles St. and S Norman St. It has becoming an increasingly daunting task as most of our group is aging. The last few work parties have had the support of the LCC Stairway Clean-up Crew of volunteers. Thank you so much for your help. The Stairway Clean-up Project will return to its original purpose starting in May. And, help is on its way. Karen Daubert, former President of the LCC, Adam Tycaster, of the volunteer Tree Ambassador Program, and Plant Amnesty, a group of arborists and professional pruners, have volunteered to help in the path forward. We are happy to welcome their support and to ask other neighbors who love gardening to help in our efforts. The Leschi News will continue to announce work parties and keep you posted on future plans and activities. Thank you, all!

Spring has arrived! Along with the longer days and gradually rising temperatures comes NEW WINE. Just a smattering of new arrivals are featured this month, so be sure to come into the store to see what else is new. RED 2013 Château Fortia Tradition Châteauneuf-du-Pape ($36.99) “This Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the total expression of the power of symphony. With each mouthful, you sense the release of the most beautiful sonorities. This wine draws its power and mellowness, its color and its solidity from the three principal grape varieties - Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.” –Vinous / Antonio Galloni, 90-points. 2015 Kevin White Red Blend Yakima Valley ($16.79) Woodinville winemaker Kevin White, who works full time at Microsoft, was in 2015 named by Seattle Magazine as the “Winemaker to Watch.” He has created quite a stir by releasing a red Rhône-style wine priced under $20.00, which easily competes with wines at twice that price. 31% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre. 44% Syrah, 31% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre. Cases Produced: 375.” –Winemaker notes. WHITE 2015 Villa Sparina Gavi di Gavi Italy ($14.99) “A dense and layered white with dried pineapple and peach character. Medium to full body. Bright and layered finish. Love the richness and density with freshness. Drink now.” - James Suckling, 92-points. 2015 Grand Fief de la Cormeraie Muscadet Sèvre et Maine ‘Sur Lie’ ($13.99) The term ‘sur lie’ sorts the wheat from the chaff in the world of Muscadet. An extended period of lees contact after fermentation leads to a greater complexity of flavor and character. With ripe fruit aromas, a pleasant richness and fine minerality, this is a classic Loire white. Bottled with a slight natural spritz to help retain freshness. PINK 2016 Tranche Pink Pape Estate Rosé Blackrock Vineyard Yakima Valley ($14.99) “Pale salmon in color with a light pink hue. Delicate aromas of rose petal, white peach and honeydew, with lifted notes of sweet pink grapefruit and lemon peel. The wine falls effortlessly onto the palate as light mountain berry and stone fruit flavors combine with fresh citrus qualities and a crushed river rock minerality. Driving acidity provides excellent focus and direction, drawing out the palate to a lingering, mouthwatering finish. A blend of Grenache, Counoise and Cinsault.” 2016 Miradou Rosé Côtes de Provence ($11.19) Miradou Rosé de Provence from the heart of Provence is quickly becoming a rising favorite among wine lovers in America, yet has long been enjoyed in bistros, cafes and restaurants throughout the south of France. Why, because the wine is food friendly, it’s the “gold standard” of Rosé de Provence quality. A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. 2016 Barnard Griffin of Sangiovese Rosé Columbia Valley ($10.59) “Mouthwatering raspberry, orange and pomegranate flavors are balanced by the perfect amount of juicy acidity. Dry, tangy and vibrant! Just a touch of lime and mineral notes checks in on the long finish. Taste for yourself why Barnard Griffin Roses have won eleven Best of Class and numerous gold awards at prestigious wine competitions since our first Rose release in 2002.” - Winemaker notes. Cheers! Enjoy! Kenneth Benner, a Seattle area native, is a trained chef and has worked in such restaurants as Barbacoa, B.O.K.A. Kitchen + Bar, and Dahlia Lounge. Ken is the wine buyer at Leschi Market. He has a passion for learning, a meticulous palate, and a tenacity for searching out the best for his customers while offering some of the most highly coveted wines in the area. His wine column is intended to inspire and explore new choices in wine, learn about wine with his readers, and share his knowledge and experiences in the wine world. Check out the latest at www.LeschiMarket.com or request to be added to email updates or send questions, comments, or suggestions to ken@leschimarket.com and follow the wine department directly on twitter at twitter.com/leschimarket .

BOOK REVIEW Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Oregon State University Press, 168 pages. The rain fell here in February, and fell and fell, overflowing sewage treatment plants, flooding basements and dampening even the heartiest of human spirits. But some things are happy for the deluge. Look around and see the verdant energy of the native and urban mosses. In her new book detailing the wonders of moss, Robin Kimmerer takes readers from the Adirondacks to the Amazon, from Oregon to Wisconsin, as she introduces readers to this vital organism, which populates the boundary layer between the earth’s surface and atmosphere. There is much to be learned about moss. It has no roots and receives all its nutrients from water. It gathers in cracks and fissures, sometimes living alone, sometimes in concert with other mosses. It provides shelter to seeds, and is scattered by chipmunks and human footsteps. There are 22,000 species of moss. And consider their reproductive choices: mosses might reproduce sexually, asexually, as well as by cloning themselves. And they can survive for months, even years, on a lab shelf, desiccated, in an anabiotic state only to return to life as we know it, with a few drops of water. And who knew that sphagnum moss can absorb 20 to 40 times its weight in water, and was used for diapers before Pampers?! Far more than a collection of facts about moss, Kimmerer’s thoughtful and wide-ranging essays touch on her native heritage, her neighbors, and her family and students, weaving together the scientific, the spiritual, and the social. Her work received a well-deserved John Burroughs Medal Award for Natural History Writing. Its gift is its graceful widening of our knowledge and our perception of the world around us. And for those of you who, like me, want to know about the moss on your rooftop: Roofing professionals have led homeowners to believe that mosses lead to degradation of the shingles and eventually to leaks…. Allegedly, the moss rhizoids penetrate tiny cracks in the shingles and accelerate their deterioration. However, there is no scientific evidence to support or refute this claim. It seems unlikely that microscopic rhizoids could pose a serious threat to a well-built roof. One technical representative from a shingle company acknowledges that he’s never seen any damage by mosses. A mossy roof can actually protect shingles from the cracking and curling caused by intense exposure to the sun. Support Neighborhood Businesses: Gathering Moss is carried by Third Place Books in Seward Park, www.thirdplacebooks.com. Call ahead to be sure there is a copy on the shelf: 206-474-2200. ~Anne Depue

“Artists are like raindrops—each one. You have to recognize this as the natural role of impacting society through art.” ~Akio Takamori Akio Takamori I begin by honoring ceramic artist and long time University of Washington Professor Akio Takamori. Takamori died this January but he continued to work right up to his last day. Takamori expanded the boundaries of ceramics through his sense of humor, his political engagement and his technical virtuosity. His final show “Apology/Remorse” at the James Harris Gallery included ceramic sculptures and ink drawings of public figures apologizing, most famously Willy Brandt at the memorial to the Warsaw ghetto when he simply knelt in silence. Takamori has dressed him in a Japanese kimono. Akio Takamori “apology,” 2015, ink on paper, 40” x 32” Courtesy of James Harris Gallery Apparently, he got the idea for a series of works on this theme when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan publicly apologized for Japan’s acts during World War II. Akio also found photographs of a Japanese CEO apologizing in a deep bow to his employees. How do we read these images? Are they honoring people for apologizing, exposing hypocrisy, or speaking from the artist’s heart. Perhaps all three. I think of Georgia McDade’s poem about the futility of apologizing. There is certainly an air of absurdity in the deep bow of the CEO, the formal gesture giving nothing to its audience but a public statement. But perhaps the theme resonated at the end of his own life (about which he certainly had nothing to apologize). There might be many interpretations. Other works in the exhibition featured classical Venus figures with the head of a Japanese man, a timely disruption of expectations of what beauty and sexual identity signify. Takamori was born in Japan in 1950, during the US occupation of Japan, and came here as an adult. He studied ceramics at Alfred University, the top school for ceramics in the country. His figurative work, both small and large, mixes humor, irony and technical virtuosity. You can see one group of his figures outside Whole Foods in Seattle. We will miss him. We need his quirky humor and defiance of expectations more than ever today. “My interest is humanity,” he told The News Tribune of Tacoma in 2006. “That doesn’t change, even over a thousand years. Everyone from a 2-year-old to an old man still has love, compassion, appreciates beauty.” Akio Takamori James Harris Gallery February 16 – April 1 Lauren Iida Lauren Iida’s grandparents were detained during World War II at Tule Lake. As a Japanese American, this personal history has profoundly affected her art and her view of the world. Some of her work has been based on photographs from that time. She works in paper cut out, which she described to me as a meditative process. Her current exhibition includes a series of stunning works, complex and filled with imagery, that include both symbolism and specific references from her life. Her story suggests her deep feeling for those who struggle to survive, but she doesn’t just feel concern, she collaborates with people who might seem to have no way forward to help them create viable lives. Lauren Iida in front of her paper cut out “Hold On,” photograph by Susan Platt Iida stopped in Cambodia in 2008 on her way to Thailand, but stayed because at that time Thailand was unsafe for tourists. But she immediately became involved through friends there in helping garbage scavengers, bringing them food and emergency aid. Then she began a business with women who had been trafficked or exploited in low wage jobs. She designed a line of women’s clothing and taught the women how to sew the designs that she then sold to tourists. They all lived together in a “slummy” neighborhood as she described it. The business supported all of them for four years. That gives you an idea of what kind of person she is. Fast forward to now and she is translating children’s books into Khmer to help children to read and learn English. She also plans to translate children’s books into a local minority language in a rural area of Cambodia. In the midst of these activities, she returned to Cornish College of the Arts to complete a degree; we can see evidence of her academic training in her figurative work. But cut out paper has more affiliation with Asia than with European art traditions. Her installation at ArtXchange Gallery until April 29 includes a net that hangs over our heads filled with symbols that represent her memories and her beliefs, as well as references to Cambodian culture. My favorite piece is “Hold On” that refers to the clothing business. A woman in the foreground hold a dress against an intricately detailed white cut out ground filled with garments. Lauren Iida “How to Trap a Memory” ArtXchange Gallery March 2 – April 29, 2017 Marita Dingus Marita Dingus, incredible transformer of thrown away trash into luminous art, filled a room with a family of almost life size somber, burdened people in her recent exhibition at Traver Gallery. In the center of the circle is Nkondi, a threatening African spirit that can harm other people. This spirit at the center of the circle is a tangle of reddish copper and other materials of that hue. Could this be a reference to our new President as an Nkondi? I think so. The evil that he spreads corresponds to the way that Nkondi works: part of the Congolese witchcraft tradition that enlists spiritual forces in order to harm others. Marita Dingus, “The Gathering,” installation at Traver Gallery, photograph by Susan Platt The exhibition also included many of her small figures, but none seemed joyful. We are in trying times. If you want to see Marita’s joyful phase go to the Douglass Truth Library and view her giant copper babies flying across the wall. Marita Dingus “The Gathering” Traver Gallery March 2 – April 2, 2017 Susan Noyes Platt, www.artandpoliticsnow.com