YOKO MURAO

Yoko Murao has been practicing, teaching, and exhibiting in the Pacific Northwest for over 35 years. She has taught at Seattle Asian Art Museum, Lakeside Upper School, Urasenke Tea School, Zen Center, and many Seattle Public Schools. Her work has appeared in several of the annual Mainichi-Ten exhibitions (Tokyo Metropolitan Museum), including the Zenbei-America Cultural Center in Los Angeles, the Portland Japanese Garden, as well as the Kobo Gallery and RAW Gallery in Seattle.

 

Two months after the Japanese tsunami, Murao created a memorial exhibition called "Galaxies of Hope" at Mithun Architectural Firm in Seattle in collaboration with Slab Art. This interactive installation, dedicated to the people of Japan, acknowledges the quaking of the earth while also acting as dynamic witness—through leaf-like messages gathered via the Internet from supporters world-wide. Hanging in bamboo branches, these messages of hope continue to arrive daily from all corners of the world.

 

Murao has worked with commercial artists (graphic designers, fabric designers, and publisher) by creating custom-made work and installation for residential, professional office space, parks, temples, as well as personal gifts.