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“Go Home”, works by Paul Akira Miyamoto
May 5, 2021 - June 5, 2021
Reach, oil on canvas, 30 x 24”, 2021
The Lake George Arts Project’s Courthouse Gallery presents “Go Home“, a solo exhibition of work by Paul Akira Miyamoto.
The exhibition is installed in the gallery from May 5 – June 5, 2021, and available for the public to view.
In place of an on-site gallery reception, LGAP hosted a Live Online Talk with Paul Akira Miyamoto on May 4, 2021. View an edited recording of the talk HERE.
Miyamoto’s grandparents came to the United States from Kumamoto, Japan, and worked as itinerant farmers throughout the central coast of California and the desert of the Imperial Valley. During WWII they, along with Paul’s parents and oldest sibling, were sent to Poston Camp in Arizona. The internment of naturalized citizens as well as Americans of Japanese descent, from 1941 to 1946, informs much of Paul’s work of late. The figures in his paintings recall the Issei, a term used for first generation Japanese Americans who emigrated from Japan, but were not eligible for U.S. citizenship. The distilled forms of field workers, often placed in landscapes drawn from his own memory, portray the strength and endurance of past family members, but could easily represent present-day immigrant farmworkers.
He says: “My paintings reflect a relationship to the geography of my past and the silent rage and emotional shame that earlier generations were never able to express. The mountains illustrate the barriers to independence, the furrows signify the possibility of regeneration, and the clear, expansive skies invite hope for the future.”
Promise, oil on canvas, 30 x 24”, 2021
Paul Akira Miyamoto earned both his Master of Fine Art and Bachelor of Fine Art degrees at Otis College of Art & Design. In addition to his studio art practice, he was a Clinical Professor of Visual Communication at RPI for more than 20 years and still maintains a graphic design practice. His recent exhibitions include: Rear View: Life Examined, Albany Public Library; Artists of the Hudson Mohawk Valley, Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, NY; Body Language, Albany International Airport Gallery and An Armory Show, Opalka Gallery, Albany, NY. His work has also been included in exhibitions at MIA Gallery, Miami International Airport, Miami, FL; Brooklyn Zen Center, Brooklyn, NY; Contemporary Art Center, North Adams, MA; Albany Center Galleries; and The Art Center for the Capital Region, Albany NY. His artwork is in the collection of the MWPI Museum of Art, Utica, NY, Utica, NY and in numerous private collections. You can learn more about his work at www.paulmiyamotoart.com.
See Miyamoto family photos, Poston Camp photo and read Paul Miyamoto’s Full Artist’s Statement HERE
View slide show of works in the exhibition HERE
View checklist of works for sale HERE
Read Lake George Mirror Article about Paul’s exhibition HERE.
Read David Brickman’s review in Get Visual HERE.
Listen to North Country Public Radio‘s interview with Paul HERE.
View Mountain Lake PBS interview HERE.
View Look TV’s recent episode of “Where’s Dayna?” HERE.
Did you know it is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month? Thank you to Kaori Otera Chen at the NY State Writers Institute for a great reading list, as well as a shout out to visit Paul Miyamoto’s exhibition.
No Home, oil on canvas, 30 x 24”, 2021
The Courthouse Gallery is located at the side entrance of the Old County Courthouse, corner of Canada and Lower Amherst Streets in Lake George, NY. Our office hours are Wednesday through Friday 12 – 5 pm, Saturday 12 – 4 pm. Gallery hours same, but only during exhibition dates. Visit our calendar for more information.
This exhibition is funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; the Town and Village of Lake George; Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation; 518 Profiles; the Glen & Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation, and LGAP members. Please Join us today!
Please NOTE: Regular Gallery hours may change due to COVID-19 public health concerns and protocols. For updates please call 518-323-5499 or email laura@lakegeorgarts.org
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