Arts and Culture

Bay Area Artist, Peace Activist Lewis Suzuki, 95

Published

9 years ago

February 29, 2016

Courtesy of Rafu

Noted artist and peace activist Iwao Lewis Suzuki passed away recently at the age of 95.

“With more than 30 family, friends, and family of friends in attendance, we had four services at his home in Berkeley, Calif., where he died,” his son Masao said in a Facebook post. “The first was a Japanese American Buddhist (Jodo Shinshu) service, the second was the singing of the ‘Internationale’ in Tagalog and English, the third was a Vietnamese service, and finally a Catholic rosary, reflecting the beliefs of his friends and family.”

An important figure in the watercolor movement known as the “California Style,” Suzuki once said, “I feel that art has a place in enriching the life of humanity … Through my art, I try to strengthen that part of culture. And I feel that the arts should project the future of human society. To me, it cannot be non-objective or abstract in that sense.”

Suzuki’s father initially entered San Francisco in 1912 by jumping ship, after which he made his way to Los Angeles and supported himself as a musician. Eventually returning to Japan and marrying, he and his wife moved to Los Angeles, where he opened a dry-cleaning business, and where Lewis was born on Nov. 29, 1920.

In 1929, Suzuki’s father died, and his mother returned to Japan with her six children. There, Suzuki excelled in the art programs in his primary school, attended Kawabata Art Academy in Tokyo, and began exploring the possibility of studying art in the U.S.

In 1939, a fellow passenger on a commuter train saw him looking at a catalog of American art schools, and upon learning that Suzuki had been born in the U.S., strongly suggested that he leave Japan immediately.

Suzuki later recalled that the man showed him photos of the atrocities committed by the Japanese in Nanking, and warned that if Suzuki stayed in Japan he would be forced to join the military and participate in such acts.

He gave Suzuki the name of a man to contact in Los Angeles, which Suzuki did when he returned to California later that year.

The man, Edo Mita, helped him get settled in Los Angeles, where Suzuki completed high school, took classes at Otis Art Institute, and worked as a houseboy.

Edo invited Suzuki to Marxist study groups at his house frequented by Japanese members of the film industry who discussed their concerns of Japan’s growing militarism.

After the U.S. declared war on Japan, he joined the army and taught Japanese at the Military Intelligence Service Language School in Minnesota.

Suzuki became politically active in issues of peace and justice, and believed in the role of art in furthering these causes. He traveled to Hiroshima, which had been devastated by an atomic bomb, and would later create a graphic work, “No More Hiroshimas,” and other peace posters for the American Friends Service Committee.

In 1952, Suzuki traveled to China with the American Peace Crusade and met his future wife, Mary Bonzo, an American citizen who had grown up in the Philippines and was in China with a Quaker group.

The couple married and settled in Berkeley, where Mary was attending school. Suzuki worked as a cabinet-maker while also painting, teaching and exhibiting.

Eventually, he was able to make art full-time.

He was a member of the politically active Graphic Arts Workshop from 1953 to 1963 ad was also a participant in many art fairs held throughout the state.

Shows at shopping malls and parks, he said, were a way to connect with people who may not visit a gallery or have a strong knowledge of art.

Working primarily in watercolors, his works were loosely painted, brightly colored still lifes, landscapes, seascapes and city scenes. A trip to Manila in 1986 prompted him to paint “Smokey Mountain,” which depicts the dire conditions of the community that existed on the city’s landfill.

Suzuki’s bold and imaginative use of color won him numerous awards, including two at the Society of Western Artists show at the De Young Museum in San Francisco.

He served on the Berkeley Art Commission and was recognized by the City of Berkeley in 2010. Until recently, he continued to work at his studio on Grant Street in Berkeley, participating in such events as East Bay Open Studios and Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios.

As a peace activist, he was a delegate to the Asian Pacific Peace Conference in Beijing and to the World Peace Conference in Vienna.

In 2011, Suzuki was inducted into the Community Hall of Fame at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley. A the event, he said, “We are the richest country in the world, but there are many people who can’t get health care or who can’t afford to pay for college … Let’s get out of Iraq and Afghanistan. One day we will have peace, where U.S. troops are not overseas and we can have freedom throughout the world.”

Survivors include his son Masao and his daughter Fumi.

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

‘Giants Rising’ Film Screening in Marin City Library

A journey into the heart of America’s most iconic forests, “Giants Rising” tells the epic tale of the coast redwoods — the tallest and among the oldest living beings on Earth. Living links to the past, redwoods hold powers that may play a role in our future, including their ability to withstand fire and capture carbon, to offer clues about longevity, and to enhance our own well-being.

Published

20 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Oakland Post

A woman stands amid towering redwood trees in a forest. Photo courtesy of Marin County Free Library.

By Godfrey Lee

The film “Giants Rising” will be screened on Saturday, Jan. 11, from 3-6 p.m. at the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, located 100 Donahue St. in Marin City.

Through the voices of scientists, artists, Native communities, and others, we discover the many connections that sustain these forests and the promise of solutions that will help us all rise up to face the challenges that lay ahead.

The film’s website is www.giantsrising.com. The “Giants Rising” trailer is at https://player.vimeo.com/video/904153467. The registration link to the event is https://marinlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/673de7abb41279410057889e

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Marin City Library and hosted in conjunction with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and St. Andrew Presbyterian Church.

All library events are free. For more information, contact Etienne Douglas at (415) 332-6158 or email etienne.douglas@marincounty.gov. For event-specific information, contact Zaira Sierra at zsierra@parksconservancy.org.

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Activism

‘Resist’ a Look at Black Activism in U.S. Through the Eyes of a Native Nigerian

In 1995, after she and her brothers traveled from their native Nigeria to join their mother at her new home in the South Bronx, young Omokha’s eyes were opened. She quickly understood that the color of her skin – which was “synonymous with endless striving and a pursuit of excellence” in Nigeria – was “so problematic in America.”

Published

1 week ago

December 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Cover of “Resist! How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America.” Courtesy image.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez

Throughout history, when decisions were needed, the answer has often been “no.”

‘No,’ certain people don’t get the same education as others. ‘No,’ there is no such thing as equality. ‘No,’ voting can be denied and ‘no,’ the laws are different, depending on the color of one’s skin. And in the new book, “Resist!” by Rita Omokha, ‘no,’ there is not an obedient acceptance of those things.

That became a bigger matter to Omokha later, 15 years after her brother was deported: she “saw” him in George Floyd, and it shook her. Troubled, she traveled to America on a “pilgrimage for understanding [her] Blackness…” She began to think about the “Black young people across America” who hadn’t been or wouldn’t be quiet about racism any longer.

She starts this collection of stories with Ella Josephine Baker, whose parents and grandparents modeled activism and who, because of her own student activism, would be “crowned the mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” Baker, in fact, was the woman who formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, in 1960.

Nine teenagers, known as the Scottsboro Nine were wrongly arrested for raping two white women in 1931 and were all released, thanks to the determination of white lawyer-allies who were affiliated with the International Labor Defense and the outrage of students on campuses around America.

Students refused to let a “Gentleman’s Agreement” pass when it came to sports and equality in 1940. Barbara Johns demanded equal education under the law in Virginia in 1951. Huey Newton and Bobby Seale formed the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in 1966. And after Trayvon Martin (2012) and George Floyd (2020) were killed, students used the internet as a new form of fighting for justice.

No doubt, by now, you’ve read a lot of books about activism. There are many of them out there, and they’re pretty hard to miss. With that in mind, there are reasons not to miss “Resist!”

You’ll find the main one by looking between the lines and in each chapter’s opening.

There, Omokha weaves her personal story in with that of activists at different times through the decades, matching her experiences with history and making the whole timeline even more relevant.

In doing so, the point of view she offers – that of a woman who wasn’t totally raised in an atmosphere filled with racism, who wasn’t immersed in it her whole life – lets these historical accounts land with more impact.

This book is for people who love history or a good, short biography, but it’s also excellent reading for anyone who sees a need for protest or action and questions the status quo. If that’s the case, then “Resist!” may be the answer.

“Resist! How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America” by Rita Omokha, c.2024, St. Martin’s Press. $29.00

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Community Art Center is Helping Immigrants Heal from Trauma

The programs are catered to youth and adults with programs called “Arts in Schools” and “Arts and Wellness.” Students are encouraged to participate in music, crafts, and dancing. In contrast, adults can join support groups to connect with others and receive mental health resources to alleviate trauma they may have previously experienced.

Published

1 week ago

December 29, 2024

Oakland Post

ARTogether is a community organization that allows immigrant and refugee residents a space to express themselves through an artful and creative outlet. IStock photo.

By Magaly Muñoz

A local community art center ARTogether is creating a safe place for immigrants and refugees one craft at a time.

After Donald Trump’s first presidential term started in 2017, Leva Zand saw firsthand the impact of discrimination towards immigrants. She wanted to give this community a space to heal through a creative outlet, which prompted her to start ARTogether.

“Folks can come together and do art activities, celebrate their culture, and basically be in a judgmental free environment, no matter what is their immigration status or how well they speak English, when they came to this country, what generation they are,” Zand explained. “The idea was how to use arts and culture for community building and connection between refugees, immigrants themselves and with the broader community.”

Located in downtown Oakland, the space is dedicated partly for galleries and art shows featuring local immigrant artists. The remaining area is a communal studio where ARTogether hosts its regular activities.

Art is used as a therapeutic medium that allows participants to process and express their emotions and experiences and build community with others in the studio, Zand said.

Zand told the Post that a lot of the issues participants come into the program with are related to feeling a lack of support or community after newly arriving to the area from their home countries. While many come from areas where traditional therapy is considered taboo, art lets people of all backgrounds express themselves in a creative form that makes sense to them.

The center can also provide referrals and direct contacts to traditional mental and physical health professionals and legal and social programs for those who need more extensive assistance.

Because of how the organization started, ARTogether has a strong ‘Stop the Hate’ messaging built into its mission. They began promoting the advocacy for anti-immigrant and anti-refugee hate before it was officially established across several demographics during the pandemic, Zand said.

“We really want to activate this space for the community to get together, to share, to strategize, to see how they can advocate at the local, state and even national level for their rights,” Zand shared.

Anticipating an influx in stress and trauma for residents after the presidential inauguration in January, ARTogether is hosting a community gathering at the end of the month in order to give people the space to express their feelings through crafts.

These gatherings, or “Gather In’s”, will be held monthly, or for as long as funding can sustain them, which Zand said might not be for long.

The organization recently lost one of its grants from the city of Oakland during the major budget cuts earlier this month that slashed funding for arts and culture programs. They were meant to receive a $20,000 grant through the city’s initial contingency budget plan but the money is now gone until Oakland can get their revenue up again.

Zand shared she worries about the state of the country come the new year and where her organization may end up as well if budget restraints continue at the local and state level.

“We are really facing uncertainty. We don’t know what is happening…We don’t know how bad it’s going to be,” she said.

This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop theHate program. The program is supported by partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to https://www.cavshate.org/