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| MAIN | HISTORY |
NEWS | VIEWPOINTS |
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ART/CULTURE | |
Wes Senzaki (part 3 of 4)
from East Wind Magazine Vol. 1 No. 1 (1982)
When we first started, there were basically just classes. We started doing silk-screen posters and that evolved into graphic services. It's expanded beyond posters to leaflets, brochures and other art services to community organizations. There are special art projects such as the Asian Women Artists Project, Senior Citizen Art Project and Nihonmachi Garden Project. We're also involved in exhibitions and cultural events like the Oshogatsu Festival and Nihonmachi Street Fair.
When we first started we were totally volunteer. We had some funding from private foundations. At one point we had state money and paid people to work at JAM. But there have been cutbacks. It just means that we will rely more on volunteers and collaborate closer with other progressive art groups.
My Art
I feel fairly comfortable with my work now. As the years have gone by I can see the improvement in my work and hopefully that'll continue. Not being formally trained, the only way you can do it is to keep producing. I think the greatest leaps I have made in the quality of my art have been since working with JAM. This is what PROGRESSIONS (an exhibit of posters and drawings by Wes Senzaki and Richard Tokeshi at S.F.'s Chinese Cultural Center in March, 1982) is all about. We're not working in isolation. We're working with other artists and organizations in the context of a community and it's a process of constant sharing. I learn much from other people as I hope they learn from me.
Up 'til now, I've been focusing more on my art in terms of developing craft and skills. I think at one time my political understanding was at a much higher level than my technical art skills. I've been feeling though that my art skills have come up to a level pretty much on par with my political understanding. In order to get any further, not only in my art but in my politics, I have to do more study to get a deeper understanding of what's going on and what needs to be done. My art will always get better as I practice it, but the same holds true for my politics. It will only get better as I practice it.
