Thank you Grocery for inviting me to be part of this evening with Kim Collmer
The Grocery Studios immersive art experience with visuals and audio in a spacious private art studio on Beacon Hill. You’ll have the opportunity to hear artist talks and engage with artists Kim Collmer and Saya Moriyasu while enjoying light appetizers and beverages.
Kim Collmer is an interdisciplinary artist working with animation, film and visual arts. Currently living in Cologne, she grew up in both the US and Germany. She received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Sculpture, where she developed her first animations combined with installation. Since then, she has expanded her work to include experimental video, collage and painting. Prior to receiving her MFA she earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees at the University of Washington in Art History and German Area Studies. Collmer has taught at the School of the Art Institute, the University of Arts Berlin and the University of Arts Bremen, and was Guest Professor at the University of Applied Arts Schwäbisch Hall, and has taught and lectured at various other schools. She has screened her films worldwide including the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the Arsenal Cinema in Berlin, Tricky Women Animation Festival in Vienna, Lausanne Underground Film Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Haus der Kultur der Welt, Berlin and many more. She curated screenings at the Directors Lounge Film Festival in Berlin for many years. Her animations have been described as having “an epic sweep” by the New York Times and she has been compared to Alexander Calder for her films’ childlike charm by the New Yorker.
Saya Moriyasu has exhibited at venues including the Deitch Art Parade (New York), Aqua Art Miami (Florida), Montserrat College of Art (Massachusetts), Henry Art Gallery Gift Shop Project, Bellevue Arts Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, and Wing Luke Museum for the Asian American Experience. After graduating with a BFA from the University of Washington, Moriyasu was awarded residencies at Skowhegan and at Pilchuck Glass School. An alumnus member of SOIL Artist-Run Gallery and represented by J. Rinehart Gallery in Seattle, Washington. Moriyasu’s Inspirations include Americana, consumerism, humor, the decorative arts, class, history, Buddhism and a love of beauty. Her work is often comprised of many small pieces that make up a larger piece, in clay, wood, prints, and other materials. Saya Moriyasu’s works can be found in the collections of the Henry Art Gallery, Seattle Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, Wing Luke Museum, Whatcom Museum, Western Gallery, Western Washington University, NW Museum of Arts and Culture, and Washington State University and more.
The Grocery Studios is the private home and art studio of Demi Raven and Janet Galore on North Beacon Hill in Seattle. The studio is a creative space where they host occasional pop-up art exhibitions, workshops, lectures, music performances, and other creative activities. Demi Raven is an oil painter, literature scholar, and firmware engineer. Janet Galore is an interdisciplinary artist, creative director, and user experience design leader working on AI at Google.