The Cloud Pavilion 雲の幄舎 (kumo no akusha)

acrylic, gold leaf on birch and maple panel, fused glass, overall 15 feet x 24 feet x 6 inches, 2024

Referencing Japanese screens sumptuously leafed in gold to reflect light, this work
conveys histories, hopes, and relationships of both Kimball Elementary students and
Beacon Hill residents. The fused glass pieces serve as portals into imagined futures
and are by Joby Shimomura, a Kimball grad. Community members chose this artwork through the Washington State Arts Commission in partnership with Seattle Public Schools State Art Collection.

Shigaki is a 4th generation Japanese American artist. Her work is often grounded in the WWII incarceration of her people, and she is passionate about pursuing the power of solidarity. Erin’s activism includes work on the Minidoka Pilgrimage to the American prison camp where her family was incarcerated and with Tsuru for Solidarity, a nonviolent, abolitionist project of social justice advocates. She is the recipient of grants and commissions from 4Culture, Seattle OAC, Wing Luke Museum, the Warhol Foundation and others. She holds a BA from Yale.