EXHIBITION: March 1 - 31, 2023

Marie Okuma Johnston (she/they) is a mixed media illustrator who creates in order to unpack her experiences navigating a world where she’s neither quite American or Japanese. She incorporates Japanese imagery into her artwork, tying in her love for Shinto/Buddhism folklore and customs together with modern society. Her artwork is done in storybook or cartoonish formats with common household mediums to create a familiar and comfortable feeling for the viewer while challenging them with uncomfortable subject matters around capitalism, modern day events, and systemic injustices.

Marie was born in Kitakyushu, Japan and moved to Spokane, Washington at a young age. Three years later, she began spending her summers back in Kitakyushu, Japan. Marie got her B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and minored in Music Performance (Cello) at Western Washington University and got her M.A. in Student Development Administration in Higher Education at Seattle University. She began exploring her artistic interests through her community leadership with the Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee and has since transitioned into her full-time art practice.