Seiko Purdue

Kumihimo Wishes: Current Times

We can’t wait to open a fantastic exhibit this summer, Seiko Purdue’s Kumihimo Wishes: Current Times. It will be the first large scale installation that we’ve featured in years! But before it opens, Seiko is inviting the community to participate.

From the artist: “I have a small craft project that I would like to share with you. It is called Kumihimo in Japanese, a traditional rope making technique. I am providing a kumihimo foam disk and hand dyed yarns. I would like you to enjoy rope making and contribute it for an exhibition at Jansen Art Center.

I am planning to hang 365 pieces of kumihimo with the disks that I have collected from people, as well as one big Kumihimo piece. During the pandemic time I have been thinking about the power of craft work more. Handwork really helps while being isolated. As a Japanese artist, I thought about sharing “Kumihimo,” which has a long history. Japanese people use a Kumihimo to tie over the sash when they wear kimono. It is a necessary item to hold the kimono. I would like you to enjoy the natural dyed yarns as well.

Kumihimo Wishes: Current Times will enable me to begin a public participation project in a socially distant way; I would like to challenge myself to collect people’s handworks and their hopes. In my all Wish projects, I honor people’s wishes in artistic forms. The braided various colors from natural dyes with people wishes will celebrate the (hopeful) ending of the pandemic.” – Seiko Purdue

How to Participate:

• Register button below to reserve your kumihimo kit
• Pick up your kit on Saturday, February 27 at the Jansen Art Center
• Enjoy the process!
• Return your finished kit to the Jansen Art Center, time TBD
• Come back this summer to see the exhibit from June-August 2021