The Yuko Nii Retrospective

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THE ART OF YUKO NII

Part 1

November 5th to December 4th 2016 DUNE

Part2

Dec 10th - January 8th 2017

STONE

An exhibit in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of

The WAH Center 1996-2016

135 Broadway, Brooklyn, New York

www.wahcenter.net

OPENING RECEPTION NOVEMBER 5TH 4-6 PM GALA DINNER followed by performances 7-11 PM

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This is # of 200 copies signed by the artist

Copyright Yuko Nii Foundation 2016

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Yuko Nii Artists Statement My approach to art might be considered a combination of Zen ideas with Western philosophy. Zen teaches that the word is timeless, the moment of “now” is eternal, and the past and the future are merely illusions. Normally when we see things as “having happened” or about to happen, we are just seeing different aspects of the one eternal Now. The view from our individual aspect in the eternal gives us the illusion of linear time with past and future. But actually all events occur at the same time, the one time. Looking from the oneness of things to the duality through which we view the world, by which we are able to distinguish among things and act within it, I am always consciously aware of that Western concept of dualism (opposites) such as hot/cold, soft/hard, expansion/contraction, stable/unstable, tranquility/uneasiness, etc. It is through the relationships and interactions of these opposites that life takes form to create living activity and dynamism. And it is the tension between these opposites that gives u a feeling of expansion and lyricism. As Kandinsky tried to interpret music into the visual language of painting, I wanted to express the concept of the philosophical synthesis of Zen and Western philosophy in my painting. It gave me a great challenge. First, I chose stone as my subject matter, not as a copy from nature, but from imagination, for stone for me exists in the timeless, eternal world. I also feel close to stone, perhaps because it is a part of nature that has been so familiar to man throughout the ages, and also because I am originally from Japan, a country whose traditions, life, philosophy and spirit coexists harmoniously with that of stone. In my stonescapes, monumentally large stones are piled one upon the other, making precarious balance, or falling down, or shooting up into the air. This feeling of uneasiness or instability of movement is lessened by the eternal soft lighting behind the canvas, thus creating a tension between stability and instability, tranquility and uneasiness, giving the feeling of expansion and lyricism. At the beginning, the stones in my paintings were quite large. But as I continued to paint more of the stone series, the size of the stones became smaller and smaller, changing to pebbles, and finally became grains of sand, just as nature causes weathering phenomenon over a long period. After that, I started painting dunescapes. Dune is how nature shapes grains of sand. It is interesting to note that stone and dunes are made of the same substance, but they are quite different in appearance and characteristics. Stone seems immutable, solid, heavy, powerful and monumental, which suggest a masculine nature - “Yin.” And stone goes through long weathering process to transform into sand and dunes with soft lyrical flowing appearance which suggest a feminine nature -“Yang.”

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In my stone and dunescapes I use a technique called “dotism.” For the stone work, I used the “dot” technique only on the surface of the stones, leaving the atmospheric background plain with no “dot” texture as we see on the stone. But for the dune series, I applied dots not only to the dune images, but also to the atmosphere in the overarching sky. I realized that since atmosphere is in fact composed of millions of invisible molecules, it was therefore appropriate to express that molecular quality of the atmosphere with numerous dots, and that this also helped bind the entire surface of the painting together By painting innumerable dots with complimentary colors side-by-side, optical repulsion and fusion elicit a tension and excitement in the eye and mind. The dunes’ undulating surface, like ocean n waves, dissolving and reforming, evoke a sense of uneasiness which is enhanced and held together by the precisely controlled use of dots, creating a poetic lyrical quality. The concept has to do with the substratum of life itself, eternal newness and change, all at once and together one, the parts and process creating a monumental whole. For in Zen, all is one thing, even the multiform transformational dualism of Western thinking. The dunes represent open spaces with infinite possibilities, endless empty stillness within which change take place at an immutably slow pace, well beyond our ability to perceive. When I paint I am totally absorbed, and hours go by as if in fugue, I am neither hungry nor thirsty. I feel I am in a deep meditation, in a timeless world, far removed from immediate natural human concerns. Stone and dunescapes allow me to find inner peace, retreat from the hasty crowded world we live in.

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Yuko Nii and Her Career in the Arts

Introduction by Terrance Lindall

Without a doubt, Yuko Nii is a great transformational leader, comparable to other great leaders through the ages, and someone who has achieved a place of high stature for all time. No one has devoted his or her life, artistic talents and skills and keen judgment to the community more fully than Yuko Nii as she brought life to her art center, the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center (WAH Center). Her intention behind founding the art center was to fulfill her wish to express her sincere thanks to her generous American benefactors who offered their kind help when she needed. While thinking about how she could return her thanks, an idea was formed in 1996 upon seeing a beautiful historical building in Williamsburg, which excited her tremendously. By purchasing the building and founding the not for profit, multifaceted, multicultural art center, she knew that she could help many artists who wished to explore their artistic talents. She went forward to make her dream come true. Once she opened the WAH Center, she has totally committed to her job as an artistic director, creating, curating, accepting proposals from outside curators, and overseeing all art programs and related business matters. She also thought of another way to support artists by establishing a permanent collection as an important historical record of the constantly changing artistic climate in the contemporary New York art world. Since 1998 she has been selecting and collecting artworks, mainly those shown at the WAH Center and elsewhere in New York City. She also devoted herself to writing philosophy and essays, encouraging other artists with her honest and wise opinions. She pursues her vision carefully and considerately, making good choices in shaping her vision and by living a good life for the common good of her fellow humans and doing her best in every endeavor. It’s historically important that the public should acknowledge Yuko Nii’s significant contribution to the art world. Her accomplishments should serve as an inspirational model for other people, especially artists, both men and women. She is not like the wealthy or worldly known American artists such as Jack Lenor Larsen, Joan Mitchell, Isamu Noguchi, Georgia O’keefe, Jackson Pollack, Andy Warhol and others who have established their own museums or foundations. Yuko, a woman artist from Japan, has sacrificed her great artist’s career in order to devote the rest of her life to a benevolent cause. To wit, she purchased a monumental New York City historical landmark which is on the National Register of Historical Places with her own limited resources and turned it into a not-for-profit art center, the WAH Center.

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The WAH Center’s mission is based upon her unique worldly view. She calls it her “Bridge Concept” and it has been slowly realized over the last 20 years. Moreover, because of the WAH Center’s limited resources, she has personally labored and made great effort on a daily basis to create exhibits and performing arts programs and many other artistic events with the kind help of many generous volunteers, some of whom have been with the center for more than 18 years, which in itself is remarkable. This must be due to other hidden qualities that Yuko possesses. As far as I know, no women and no Asian artists have made such enormous achievements in the recent history of the New York art world. Yuko likes to quote Heidegger who said, “We all wear mankind as our skin.” Although It is true in that we are encultured to our species and more locally to our group, some of us seek to explore beyond what is known around us and they seek new horizons. One such person is Yuko Nii who seeks beyond what is there, and explores new possibilities where her mind and heart lead her. She did this by coming to America, a land where no boundaries of identity hold back a creative individual who believes in one’s self, their mission and their special identity. Yuko Nii left her county Japan at age of 20 determined to pursue an artist’s career in America. In 1963 she transferred from Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo to Macalester College n St. Paul, MN, and after graduated from Macalester College with a BFA in 1965, she came to New York in 1966 to enter Pratt Institute’s Graduate School, majoring in painting and minoring in art history. In exploring her new world in Minnesota and New York City, she encountered numerous hardships but also many wonderful creative and idealistic people, most of whom were older, more mature, and experienced. In celebrating the WAH Center’s 5th anniversary, Yuko’s WAH Center had a special exhibition “Friends & Mentors” to honor those outstanding individuals, and she produced a catalogue in which she said:

“Even during those difficult times, the wisdom I learned from my friends and mentors never escaped me. The accumulated wisdom was a sustaining force behind me. As Jack Lenor Larsen demonstrated, in order to realize one’s vision, one must do much of the work by oneself to make sure that each small detail is in place. From Isamu Noguchi, I learned that one must not limit one’s boundaries, but, “have an open view of the world to face challenges in many new directions.” Her art professor at Macalester College, Jerry Rudquist taught me what it was to be a good leader, “never discourage, rather encourage others.” From Toshiko Takaezu, I learned that while exploring the bridging of Eastern and Western traditions and the synthesis of many artistic disciplines, “one must take only the essentials, and balance them most harmoniously.” The wonderful creative couple, Ansei and Toshiko Uchima, taught me that in creating something, “don’t waste time arguing; it only results in exhaustion, to no good end. Work lovingly!” And Esteban Vicente taught me, one must work “persistently and consistently, with sureness of heart and mind.” And I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to my greatest friends and mentors, my parents, who have provided me comfort and security, as well as deep love and understanding throughout my life, and who taught me values.”

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Thus, Yuko learned the valuable wisdom from her great friends and mentors, which has nourished her development/growth to be a mature human being. As E.E. Cummings said, “To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. “ Thus Yuko never stops challenging herself in pursuing her dream and ideal goals. As she was not given everything she has achieved, she knew she had to start with nothing but intelligence, creativity, insight, and perseverance. While she was pursuing painting as her main career, she taught art and art history at a private high school in Manhattan and woodworking in Brooklyn. After quitting teaching she supporting herself as a printmaker, graphic designer, stage set and costume designer, fashion designer, and as a writer in journalism, poetry, fiction, essays and philosophy, and writing for newspapers and magazines. She said that all of this hard work has enriched her life with deeper understanding and appreciation for all human beings. It must be noted that all of that energy and creativity that is reflected in her creation of her art center springs from the same well that has created the remarkable and monumental paintings we see in this exhibit. Above all, her own art, her magnificent paintings, reflect her life, being serene, philosophical, graceful, imaginative, and spiritually endowed. Here in this exhibit, “The Art of Yuko Nii,” we see the strength and spiritual vision that has carried Yuko far in life through great adventure and high achievement. One can see in her art why others have cherished her great qualities not only as an artist but also as a human being.

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DUNES 1970-1996 In this exhibit we start with her most “recent” paintings on the theme of Dunes. I put “recent” in quotes because Yuko stopped painting around 20 years ago when she opened her art center. The very last dune series Yuko worked on was “Spectrum Planet Dune” series which consists of 9 paintings (84” x 60” each), spreading horizontally along a 63 foot length with the spectrum colors in order from left to right: Black, Purple, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red and White. Since she had already done the imaginative Earthy Dune Series, the four seasons “A Quartet Dune Series,” and also the “Planet Dune Series,” she was challenged by the idea of the “Spectrum Color Dune Series” since she is a painter always dealing with the spectrum of colors on her palette. Yuko’s subject matter gradually transitioned from her stone series to imaginative dunes and she continued to use the dotting technique in this next phase. This transition was a very natural step just as, in natural weathering process, stone transforms into pebbles and eventually and naturally to grains of sand, forming dunescapes. In her stone work, Yuko used the “dot” technique only on the surface of the stones, leaving the atmospheric background plain with no “dot” texture. But when she started the dune series, she applied dots not only to the dune images, but also to the atmosphere in the overarching sky. She realized that since atmosphere is in fact composed of millions of invisible molecules, it was therefore appropriate to express that molecular quality of the atmosphere with numerous dots, and that this also helped bind the entire surface of the painting together. Yuko went on to say, “…by painting innumerable dots with complimentary colors side-by-side, optical repulsion and fusion elicit a tension and excitement in the eye and mind. The dunes’ undulating surface, like ocean waves, dissolving and reforming, evoke a sense of uneasiness which is enhanced and held together by the precisely controlled use of dots, creating a poetic lyrical quality. The concept has to do with the substratum of life itself, eternal newness and change, all at once and together one, the parts and process creating a monumental whole. For in Zen, all is one thing, even the multiform transformational dualism of Western thinking.” The scale of the work is as important as the technique itself. The paintings are large enough (over 5 feet) so that the viewer standing before the work can actually feel himself or herself in the physical presence of the dune landscape, though imaginary. It is almost a virtual reality done without the use of goggles and computers. Monet’s water lilies have the same effect although done with a totally different “impressionist” technique.

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Primary Dunes, 40” x 100”

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Dunes of Reversal, 40” x 100”

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Myth of the Egyptian Dunes, 38” x 48”

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Face of Shadow, 38” x 48”

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Dunes of Eternity (left), 60” x 72”

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Dunes of Eternity (right), 60” x 72”

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Dunes of Change I & II, 30” x 100”

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Dunes of Change III & IV, 30” x 100”

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Dunes of the Ere-Long Highway, 60” x 84”

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Sliding Dunes, 60” x 84”

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Shadowing Dunes, 60” x 84”

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Surfing Dunes, 60” x 84”

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Dunes of Rising Sunset, 38” x 96”

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THE SPECTRUM DUNES SERIES

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PART TWO: STONES DURING AND AFTER PRATT INSTITUTE PERIOD 1966-1976 During Yuko’s sojourn in Minnesota Yuko worked primarily in abstract geometries or expressionistic abstract forms. However, after leaving Minnesota in 1966 to attend Pratt Institute Graduate School, Brooklyn, NY for her MFA, she developed a different style whose subject matter involved more concrete and philosophical concepts. There, at Pratt, Yuko chose Stone as her subject matter, and applied her own invented technique that has been mentioned previously as “dotism,” to her stone paintings. Yuko states, “…most stones appear to be solid and heavy units, but they are in fact composed of numerous grains of mineral chemically compounded and bonded as solids to form what we see as the stone object. Yuko’s numerous “dots” appearing on the surface of stone depict this abundance of bonded granular minerals in a stone, and also the texture on the stone surface . Yuko’s stones are not copies from nature. She is not a landscape artist. The subject of stone is purely symbolic and imaginative. It is an artistic imagination special to Yuko that derives from an amalgamated philosophy combining Eastern and Western traditions. Yuko says, “ …stone for me exists in the timeless, eternal world. In my stonescapes, monumentally large stones are piled one upon the other, making precarious balance, or falling down, or shooting up into the air. This feeling of uneasiness or instability of movement is lessened by the eternal soft lighting of the atmosphere above, thus creating a tension between stability and instability, tranquility and uneasiness, giving the feeling of expansion and lyricism.” The “expansion and lyricism” of which she speaks is akin to poetry. In fact Yuko both read and wrote much poetry in her lonely hours of study or when not at work painting in her studio. As she worked on her stones, the idea of what they meant eventually extrapolated into the concept of dunes, an extension of the life of stone in another spiritual form or dimension, lyrical, forever changing, like life itself.

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Entrance to the Stone World, 30” x 36”

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Edge of Evening, 58” x 72”

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Up to the Open Space, 26” x 36”

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Summit

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Three Points of Perspective, 35” x 40” each

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41 Totum, 57” x 72”

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The Burden Bearers, 60” x 72”

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Being and Non-being, 58” x 72”

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Enigma, 22” x 26”

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The Stage of Surrealism, 58” x 72”

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Flux, 58” x 71”

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Over the Abyss, 59” x 71”

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The Plain of Worldly Content, 58” x 72”

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Ports on the Plain, 57” x 72”

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FLUID WORKS After graduating from Macalester College, she attended the Minneapolis Institute of Art in MPLS. MN for one year, and she started figurative work as well as expressionistic forms which led her more “Fluid” style, that carried on into her early period at Pratt Institute. Here we see that she is transitioning and formulating into the more fluid concepts that will dominate her art for a brief period when she started at Pratt Institute. These paintings are large 5 x 6 foot abstract paintings that are lyrical and expansive, reflecting the poetic and symbolic side of her nature.

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Gate to the Universe, 56” x 64”

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Gulf Between Heaven and Hell, 56” x 64”

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Stream of Night, 56” x 64”

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Genesis, 56” x 64”

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:lu.F 't!A

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MACALESTER COLLEGE PERIOD GEOMETRIC ABSTRACTION, 1963-1965 She started her new life in America. Her paintings changed from the traditional classic paintings she pursued in Japan to the totally new geometrical abstract expressions. Yuko won first prize in the Mid-Western College Competition 1965 with this painting:

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Connection

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Yellow, Black and White

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Untitled Print

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Color on Paper

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Preview of Exhibit 2016

Watercolor on Paper

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Untitled

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Untitled

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Untitled

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Untitled

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Untitled

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Hummingbird

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Approachment

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Figures

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Figure, Ink Wash,

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Struggle

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BRONZE SCULPTURES

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Yuko’s pottery at Pratt Institute were architectonic, solidly massive like buildings. They are engineered. One can imagine them build as huge modernist structures with doors sand windows, able to withstand earthquakes.

Unglazed Pottery

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Glazed Pottery

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Costume and Set Designs

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Performance “Movement,” 1981 White Space Gallery Soho, New York City

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About Yuko Nii Since her graduation with MFA from Pratt Institute in 1969, she taught for 7 years as a part time teacher of studio art and art history at a private high school in Manhattan, and she also taught woodworking in Brooklyn. After quitting teaching, in 1976, Yuko committed herself totally to the creative fields, pursuing painting as her main career, and supporting herself as a printmaker, a graphic designer, a stage set and costume designer, a fashion designer, and as a writer in journalism, poetry, fiction, essays and philosophy, and writing for newspapers and magazines. Even when she was in Japan, she

was interested in the architecture, design and construction fields, and she learned them from observing the renovation of her own home in Tokyo and learning from her elder friends in design, and her interests stayed with her for many years. From her early 30 years of age, while still pursuing her painting career and a part time art teacher. Yuko wanted to have her studio away from New York City during the summer so that she could concentrate on her work in a quiet, and much cooler northern parts of the country. She bought old run down buildings for reasonable prices, and renovated them with her own designs and her own labor changing them into super functional buildings as her studio and residences in a store front and rented out to the 2nd floor. She did this in Michigan, Upstate New York, Long Island, and Brooklyn. The most recent site for herself and for some other artist-in-residence buildings was Williamsburg Brooklyn, which, at the time she bought them in mid 1980’s, was a ghetto with high crime rates and violence. By working with local community members and officials as well as the local police precinct, the area slowly began to be much safer. Eventually Yuko bought the national and city landmark Kings County Savings Bank Building in this distressed area in late1996 and founded the not for profit, multipurpose art center, WAH Center (Williamsburg Art & Historical Center). After that, the transformation of the neighborhood increased rapidly with more artists moving in practically every day. The WAH Center was started and continues even today to be as a volunteer organization, and recently began utilizing the help from student interns from nearby colleges. Many of those artist volunteers have stayed to help the WAH Center for 17 and 18 years of that 20 year existence. They have stayed because of their strong faith in Yuko’s charismatic inspiring leadership. Seeing her hard working and sincere dedication for this great ideal inspired them to help. Because Yuko’s responsibilities kept her so busy, she needed an assistant to ease her heavy duties. In the Fall of 2011, the WAH Center hired a part time paid employee for the first time who started working as Yuko’s assistant, allowing Yuko to focus on the long term success of the WAH Center.

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While Yuko emphasizes the importance of a close communication with her interns, she gives them heavy responsibilities so they can gain meaningful real-life experiences and understand how a multifaceted art center functions. In addition to helping Yuko, Yuko’s assistant oversees the interns’ performances by giving them various assignments so that the interns have wider “hands on experiences,” helping them grow professionally and preparing them for their careers after the WAH Center.

Yuko ensures that her assistant and interns/volunteers benefit by getting valuable experiences and knowledge while at the WAH Center. Yuko’s clear vision is a great benefit to not only the WAH Center, but also to all those who work, volunteer, and show their art at the WAH Center.

Chris Gray of the New York Times said, in October 2000, that the WAH Center“…has pursued a furious schedule, with symposiums, chamber music concerts, art exhibitions, juried shows, poetry series, dance festivals and related presentations.”

Since the WAH Center opened in late 1996, there have been over 250 fine art shows and over 150 performance programs including dance, music and theater, lectures, and symposiums, involving more than 3,500 artists, The numerous articles have been written about Yuko Nii and the WAH Center in local, national and international magazines and newspapers, and it has also been covered on television and radio.

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Yuko Nii’s Awards 1) February 7, 1997, then New York State Governor George Pataki presented Nii “Congratulations Letter” on funding the WAH Center which provides innovative programs and exhibitions by turning the historic Kings County Savings Bank into a multi-purpose arts center that serves the need of artists and art aficionados of diverse backgrounds. Presented by Assistant to Governor, James Barcia. 2) March 26, 1998, then Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden named Nii one of “Brooklyn’s Women of the Year” for her “unparalleled devotion to her art and commitment to the artist community of Williamsburg/Greenpoint.” And he said that the WAH Center’s activities have resulted in “tremendous cultural & economic activity throughout the northern Brooklyn area, an area recently designated as an ‘historic district’ and an ‘economic development zone.’”

3) March 8, 2001, then New York State Governor George Pataki George Pataki named Nii one of “New York State's Women of the Year,” and awarded her, honoring her as a “Woman of Excellence with Vision and Courage.” He also congratulated Nii on turning the historic Kings County Savings Bank into a multipurpose art center that serves the needs of artists and art aficionados of diverse backgrounds. 4) March 13, 2003, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz gave Nii “The Betty Smith Arts Award” for her dedication to the preservation of the rich artistic and cultural community of Brooklyn. 5) March 13, 2003, New York City Councilwoman Tracy Boyland gave Nii “The “Outstanding Citizen Award” for

her being worthy of the esteem of both the community and the great City of New York.

6) May 29, 2008, during Asian Heritage Month Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz Marty Markowitz gave Nii “The Asian Cultural Award” for her “dynamic leadership and demonstrating outstanding commitment to the betterment of our community.”

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7) July 31st, 2008, the official Brooklyn Historian, John Manbeck, said in an article in the Brooklyn Eagle: “Art in Williamsburg has made great strides. In fact, all Williamsburg has progress undoubedtly because of its attraction to artists. Much of the credit must be placed on the doorstep of the director of the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, Yuko Nii. The Center operates out of the former Kings County Savings Bank Building (1867) and celebrated and infusion of a $500,000 capital funding grant from the city.” 8) February 16, 2009, then New York State Governor David Paterson named Nii one of New York States’ “Women of the Year” and awarded her for “being an influential role model who made historical contributions to the growth and the strength of the nation.” 9) March 7, 2009, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg presented Nii a proclamation on the occasion of her “Women Forward” art exhibit, recognizing “the invaluable contributions of women artists by broadening women’s opportunities in the arts and creating new possibilities.” (No photo attached) 10) June 19, 2011, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz presented “Proclamation” congratulating Nii on the success of the important fundraising event, “Artists Rescue Team for Japan” for the victims of Earthquakes, Tsunami and Fukushima’ nuclear plant in Japan on March 11 and thanking for allowing all to enjoy the vast richness of the arts community and raise a culturally-aware family. 11) October 27, 2012, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz congratulated Yuko Nii on “The 16th !Anniversary Grand Harvest Celebration,” The WAH’s local, national and international programs have inspired, educated and entertained the public at large, and have demonstrated how a single organization can play a transformative role. It is due to the many outstanding organizations such as the WAH Center that Brooklyn now stands as the cultural capital of the nation.

12) March 21, 2013, Pratt Institute President Thomas F. Schutte and the Office of Alumni Relations awarded Nii Pratt Institute’s 2013 Alumni Achievement Award, specifically the “Community Commitment Award” as one of the Pratt Institute’s outstanding graduates who have “distinguished themselves in their fields, having earned a high degree of respect among their colleagues and the general community, and whose impact has been felt on a regional, national or international level.”

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Other Endorsements “A remarkable person, dedicated to the art world and her fellow artists, as well as being a fine artist herself.” Curtis Harnack, President, School of American Ballet and Former President, Yaddo “A clarity of vision and mastery of technique so characteristic of the best Japanese artists.: Stuart C, Henry, Director, The Berkshire Museum “The work of Yuko Nii carries a feeling of intensity and personal poetry. Her landscapes are in fact a landscape of her inner self.” Tamon Miki, Chief Curator, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo “During 20 years of solid friendship, Yuko and I have worked on several projects together, building a bridge of the arts between Japan and the United States. She is a seriously hardworking, totally committed and great artist. Additionally she is also a free spirited, fun loving person with a great sense of humor! Because she is so well balanced and because of her creativity and energy, I have no doubt that the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center will be a great success!” Kenneth Noland, artist “I have known and worked with Yuko on various projects over the years and she is a person of great intelligence and integrity as well as a great artist.” Robert Panza, Executive Director, Visual Artists and Galleries Association “Yuko Nii’s giant contributions of energy, vision and generosity transformed almost overnight a disintegrating landmark building into a vital center for the arts in Williamsburg, a historic Brooklyn community that now enjoys the largest concentration of resident artists within the art capital of the world, New York City. Yuko’s extraordinary achievement is itself a landmark for Brooklyn and marks her for recognition as a living treasure of Brooklyn and the nation!” Robin Radin, Harvard Law School, Program on International Financial Systems, Associate Director “An exceptionally gifted fine artist, a farseeing visionary…sincerely concerned about the well being of the human race.” Max Roach, Jazz Percussionist “A person of great ability and integrity as well as a fine artist.” Shoji Sadao, Honorary Life Trustee, The Isamu Noguchi Museum “I have known her for 20 years as a fine artist, friend and a very lively, active, and committed person who gets things going and gets them done.” Esteban Vicente, artist

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Permanent Collection Yuko has pursed her other wish to establish a permanent collection as an important historical record of the constantly changing artistic climate of the contemporary New York art world. Thus, she has started acquiring contemporary works, mainly from the exhibitions held at the WAH Center, and also works not exhibited at the center, but donated by our generous friends. And while many works are from artists in New York City, we also have works by artists from across the United States and abroad. Yuko is most thankful to have received so many works donated by generous artists, and she is especially delighted and honored to have works by some particularly outstanding artists who are highly respected in the International Art World, such as Ilya Bolotowsky, Judy Chicago, Yayoi Kusama, Faith Ringgold, Jerry Rudquist, Toshiko Takaezu, and more. For the most part, however, these artists are working professionals of high talent some of whom have been already recognized, having had wide exposure in the New York art world and beyond, and some of whom have started receiving recognitions since they had their first exhibitions at the WAH Center, which artists are very grateful that their works have been acquired for the WAH Center’s permanent collection. Yuko follows the progress of these artists’ careers with great interest.

The Not for Profit Yuko Nii Foundation (YNF) Yuko founded the not for profit Yuko Nii Foundation (YNF) in 2008. The WAH Center’s permanent collection was transferred to the foundation’s permanent collection of which mission is to hold, maintain and preserve the art, artifacts and properties, including the landmark building, which Yuko donated, while the WAH Center’s mission is to be purely a “presenting” art programs to the public. The YNF’s permanent collection has been steadily increasing in number (more than 450 ) enriching it’s variety of medium, styles, expressions. In 2009 the WAH Center presented to the public the permanent collection show in 2 parts from October to December. It was indeed very impressive rich panoramatic show by outstanding contemporary artists.

Yuko Nii’s Listings in Professional Publications Yuko is listed in Marquis Who’s Who in America – 60th Edition 2006, in Marquis Who’s Who of American Women – 26th Edition 2007, and Marquis Who’s Who in the World – 24th Edition 2007.

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Exhibits and Other Publications Yuko’s creative activities include painting, printmaking, graphic design, stage set, costume and fashion design. She distinguished herself also as a writer in journalism, poetry, fiction, essays and philosophy, publishing a book with Terrance Lindall, entitled BLUE EYED SATORI, and writing for newspapers and magazines. Nii's work has been shown at numerous museums, art galleries and universities in the U.S.A. and Japan, including one person shows at The Berkshire Museum, Massachusetts, Fairleigh Dickinson University, NJ, International Monetary Fund, Washington DC; Ginza Kaiga-kan, Tokyo; and including many group shows in such venues as, the Brooklyn Museum, New York, The Bronx Museum, New York, the Hudson River Museum, New York, the Parish Museum, Southhampton, New York, The World Trade Center, New York, Lincoln Center, New York, and The United Nations General Assembly Building, New York. Nii's works are in public and private collections including those of the Cincinnati Art Museum, The Berkshire Museum, The Alternative Museum, Equitable Assurance Collection, JP Morgan Chase Bank Collection, Bankers Trust, Security Pacific Bank, N.L. Industries, The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Bony Corp., Nihon Davis Standard Corp., and many outstanding public and private collections. Nii's works are included in a number of publications, including Looking at Landscapes (Criterion Press) and she has been reviewed often in publications including the New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and many newspapers. She has appeared on several television and radio programs here and in Japan. Nii was an advisory panelist for the 1978 CAPS Grants under the Cultural Council Foundation of New York City and JPMorgan Chase 2007 Regrant Program. And she was twice (in 1981 and 1983) an artist in residence at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, New York. Nii’s “Friends and Mentors” belong to an established circle of the international art world, and include Jack Lenor Larsen (Textile Designer), Isamu Noguchi (Sculptor), Toshiko Takaezu (Ceramist), Ansei Uchima (Print Maker and Painter), Toshiko Uchima ( Collagist and Box Assemblage Artist), Esteban Vicente (Painter and Collagist), Siah Armajani(Conceptual Artist), Hillary Harris (Film Maker), Max Newhouse (New Media Artist), Kenneth Noland (Painter), Max Roach(Jazz Percussionist), Leon Kirchner (Composer) and many more.

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The Yuko Nii Foundation Building

Documents

The Yuko Nii Retrospective