Sponsor
Lauren Iida and Lawrence Matsuda in the Artist Studio
Date & Time
Friday, May 30, 2025
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
This event is in the past.
Tickets
Included with admission;
FREE for Burke members
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Lauren will create a paper sculpture representation of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This paper sculpture will have images of Sadako, a victim of the Hiroshima Bombing. Lawrence will be working on a display of emas. Visitors are invited to write messages of hope or remembrance on emas, which will join Lauren's final art piece, hanging next to her paper sculpture.
Sadako Sasaki was a victim of the Hiroshima Bombing. In 1954 she developed leukemia, and before her death in 1955, Sadako folded 1,000 paper cranes to share a message of peace and healing.
A memorial statue was unveiled in Hiroshima in 1958. At her feet are the words: “This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world”.
Seattle
In 1990, a Peace Park located near the north end of the University Bridge was dedicated with a bronze statue of Sadako Sasaki. The park was conceived by Floyd Schmoe, winner of the Hiroshima Peace Prize in 1988. Visitors would often adorn the statue with origami cranes.
Unfortunately, in 2024, thieves cut the statue’s legs and stole the sculpture, and today only part of her legs and sandals remain.
Emas are Japanese placards meant for hanging at shrines in Japan. Visitors write their wishes on emas and hang them on a rack. After a period of time, the emas are taken down and burned so that the wishes go to heaven.
About the Lauren Iida
Learn more about Lauren's work on her website and on Instagram @laureniidastudio.
About Lawrence Matsuda
Lawrence Matsuda was born in the Minidoka, Idaho Concentration Camp during World War II.
He and his family were among the approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese held without due process for approximately three years or more. Matsuda has a Ph.D. in education from the University of Washington. He is a retired teacher, counselor, principal, assistant superintendent, visiting professor, and school design consultant. Currently he is a writer and educational consultant.
In July of 2010, his book of poetry entitled, A Cold Wind from Idaho was published by Black Lawrence Press in New York. In 2014, Glimpses of a Forever Foreigner was released. In 2015, Matsuda collaborated with artist Matt Sasaki and produced a graphic novel, Fighting for America: Nisei Soldiers. An American Hero-Shiro Kashino which is chapter one of the novel was animated by the Seattle Channel. It won a 2016 regional Emmy. In 2016, he and Tess Gallagher collaborated on Boogie Woogie CrissCross, a book of poetry published by MadHat Press. In 2019 his novel based on his mother’s life, My Name is Not Viola, was published by Endicott and Hugh Books. In 2023, his book Shapeshifter-Minidoka Concentration Camp Legacy won an Honorable Mention in the Idaho Book of the Year competition.
