Peace and Harmony

It is already late August. I feel signs of change and the end of summer, while dizzying information flies every day.

I got sick from COVID-19 at the end of March 2021. Since I had no underlying illness, I trusted my immune system to fix it without using any medicine. I was surprised to be advised to vaccinate, at the same time that a blood test confirmed that I had COVID-19 antibodies.

“Reclining Liberty” by Zaq Landsberg located in Morningside Park

 

After my recovery, when I visited Morningside Park in my neighborhood, there was a Statue of Liberty with her eyes closed, lying on the lawn. This is the current state of New York City. I moved here 25 years ago, in search of freedom.

Vaccine passports, which were ridiculed as conspiracy theories last year, are becoming a reality. Discrimination against non-vaccinated individuals has begun during the unusual promotion of vaccines.

Vaccines are free in New York and are readily available at drug stores and elsewhere. Moreover, vaccinated people are given various benefits, such as free tuition, or $100 for getting the first COVID-19 vaccination.

In Europe, including France, where the original Statue of Liberty is from, there are demonstrations that appeal for freedom, not only for non-vaccinated people, but also for vaccinated people. It's hard to win freedom, but it's easy to lose it. History tells us about persecution and concentration camps against: Jews by the Nazis, and against Japanese immigrants by the US during World War II.

My father, who has dementia, was hospitalized in May. Family visits to him were banned during COVID-19. The medicine he was given did not help him. His otherwise strong, healthy body rapidly deteriorated. He was separated from his family, stopped eating altogether, and his life was at stake. However, after my mother was granted a special once a week visit, my father started eating again. 

After being hospitalized for three months, my father was unable to walk and talk. Luckily, he improved enough that he was eventually able to leave the hospital on August 12th. Before my father was hospitalized, he told me to get along with my three sisters, and not forget about him. I pray for my father's recovery by making origami cranes.

Since last year when COVID-19 made it difficult for me to return to Japan, I folded Japanese paper into origami cranes, while thinking about my parents, and praying for a healthy and peaceful future in my apartment.  From that experience, the art project "Peace and Harmony" was born to help heal our divided minds and bodies.

This project was realized thanks to the support of the City Artist Corps Grants. I’ve been holding workshops on dyeing paper, folding paper into cranes and flowers, collecting them and connecting them with threads to make peace ornaments from August through September.

August 6th was the 76th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing, at Hiroshima. Coincidentally, on that day, my first “Peace & Harmony” workshop was held at Centro Civico Cultural Dominicano. I met the organizers from CCCD in west Harlem a few weeks ago, on July 16th. It was the anniversary of the world's first nuclear test, at the Trinity site in New Mexico, United States.

The radiation damage caused by atomic bombs is not only in Japan, but also in the United States, and everywhere. In this workshop, I also talked about radiation exposure in the United States itself, on Hiroshima Memorial Day.

One of the gems and charms of Japan, that I noticed when I moved to New York City, was Japanese paper. After that, I got a job using Japanese paper. I learned the process of making Japanese paper (washi) as an intern in my home prefecture of Tochigi, at the Karasuyama washi factory. Many challenges, realizations, and successes in making paper, are applicable to many other experiences in life. I share these experiences in my workshops. We have been enjoying: the supple, elastic, and natural feel of Japanese papers, and the conversation between the participants.

Because both radioactivity and COVID-19 are invisible, there’s a wide variety of conflicting information, misinformation, suspicion, and disagreement about health hazards. In an uncertain world, it is important to protect freedom of speech and human rights, exchange information freely, respect each other’s differences of opinions, and create a society that coexists with nature. 

The workshop "Peace and Harmony" provides participants with the opportunity to restore connections with others, communities, and ourselves. We’ll combine each participant’s individual ideas, into one unified artwork. 

Peace and Harmony 

FREE Japanese Paper Workshops, No prior experience needed. 

All ages are welcome. 

Online:

Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop

Japanese Paper Dyeing

Wednesday August 11, 6:30-8pm

Origami: Art of Paper Folding 

Wednesday August 18, 6:30-8pm

In-Person:

Centro Civico Cultural Dominicano 

619 W 145th St, New York, NY 10031 

Japanese Paper Dyeing

Thursday, August 5, 3pm-5pm 

Origami: Art of Paper Folding 

Friday August 6, 5pm-7pm 

Manhattanville Community Center

530 W 133rd St, New York, NY 10027

Japanese Paper Dyeing

Tuesday August 17, 2-5pm (children)

Thursday August 19, 10am-12pm (senior) 12:30-2:30pm(children)

Tuesday August 24, 10am-12pm (senior)

Origami: Art of Paper Folding 

Tuesday August 31, 10am-12pm (senior) 

First Quincy Street Community Garden

397-401 Quincy St. Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, NY 11221

Saturday August 28, 12-4pm 

Japanese Paper Dyeing

Origami: Art of Paper Folding 

Children's Art Carnival

62 Hamilton Terrace, New York NY 10031

Japanese Paper Dyeing

Saturday September 11, 1-3pm

Origami: Art of Paper Folding 

Saturday September 18, 1-3pm

Saturday October 2, 12:30-2:30pm ( Block Party)

Tenants Association

610 West 145th St. New York, NY 10031

Origami: Art of Paper Folding

Tuesday September 14, 6-7:30pm

No More Hibakusha 

for a future without nuclear weapons

COMMEMORATION Hiroshima and Nagasaki 2021

Sint Michiels Vredeskerk, Naamsestraat 57 a in Leuven, Belgium. 

Exhibition runs through the end of August.

When I visited Belgium in 2019, I wanted to connect with people involved in nuclear issues and peace activism. A friend introduced me to Yuko Matsubara, and I learned from her about peace activities in Leuven. Yuko introduced me to Ria Verjauw and we went to the Sint Michielskerk church. Ria Verjauw and I have a great friend in common, named Nydia Leaf, who is a New York City peace activist. We already have a peace circle and connections to each other. I hope this peace circle continues expanding.