Spring is here! The star magnolia in front of the studio is in full bloom. Days are getting longer and warmer again. The air is filled with sweet scents of the waking garden and moist earth. Things may seem kind of normal around the studio. I am taking organic gardening classes with Seattle Tilth looking forward to lots of produce from the new bio veggie garden. Of course, things are far from being normal. We just passed the one year mark with the pandemic, and mourning millions of lost lives and long covid impacts. The past year was spent in a lock down, not being able to open the studio to the public at all. I missed the exciting collaborations, being able to offer workshops, and the refreshing energy of student interns. Washington state just yesterday went into phase 3. I am still waiting my turn for a vaccine, but I am hopeful about continuing improvements in the spread of the virus.
Please continue to remain patient as I keep an eye on the health and safety situation, and revamp the studio for public access. If you are interested in any of our programs, get in touch and get on the mailing list. We will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.
It was the studio’s 4th anniversary this past month. I am grateful and excited about the community we have built and the quality of the research we’ve been able to conduct (you can read about these in earlier posts). No doubt, the world is very different now that is was in 2017, and I am reevaluating how to be a more inviting, inclusive and actively anti-racist community. Technology has also moved on: Rhino 7 just came out. This version integrates versatile parametric tools and subD editing. Wow! There are so many new tools in it that I feel like I have to learn it all over again. Our good friends at 3D Potter have also been busy with the new Scara robot models and improved versions of Potterbot. I’m getting ready for a 2022 exhibition at the Bellevue Arts Museum with Seattle artist Sylwia Tur, and also serving on the Advisory Board of the Seattle Universal Math Museum (SUMM).
Despite all this good news, I’m deeply saddened by the recent news of violence and abuses directed towards BIPOC and Asian-American/Pacific Islander artists and community members, especially the continuing disrespect of women and trans individuals of color. Evil, disruptive, and arrogant continues to be part of our world, unless we say a definitive NO, require accountability, and put ourselves to work against hate. Racist attitudes and acts have no place at this studio, in this community, and in our world. Our thoughts are with our Asian-American/Pacific Islander community, many of them are our much loved former interns, who are impacted by these racist acts.
For more information about where to report a hate incident or what you can do to help, check out Women in 3D Printing Stop AAPI Hate site.
