Meet Sarah Fukami

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Fukami.

Sarah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised in Colorado and received a BFA from the University of Denver in 2014. I have completed residencies at RedLine and PlatteForum, and participated in exhibitions locally and nationally. My work revolves around the formation of identity and perception of history, particularly in relation to the immigrant experience. The internment of my Japanese-American family during World War II piqued my interest in the topics of ethnicity, nationality and the identity crises that occur when they conflict.
Beginning with the use of personal resources such as photographs, objects and documents, my work has extended to the larger context of Japanese-American history by exploring government archives and photographs in order to investigate the stories of nameless Japanese-American citizens. This has also led to an interest in the dissemination of history, and how it is manipulated and understood throughout time.
I was trained in painting and printmaking when I became interested in Plexiglas, a material that allows me to layer several aspects of a subject while simultaneously delineating them physically between surfaces. This allows the viewer to focus on the individual facets, as well as step back and view the work as a whole. I am still experimenting with it along with my printmaking practice; most recently incorporating laser cutting into both. As my work progresses, I hope to address issues of identity and history that continually reach outward in an attempt to grasp a better understanding of human perception and experience.

Has it been a smooth road?
Now that many artists attend university art programs, the transition from being a student to being a career artist can be very difficult. School is an environment in which one is constantly being encouraged, guided and challenged. It is easy to flourish with this kind of support system behind you. The reality of being an artist may not include some or even any of these things at certain points, particularly right after graduating. I believe this tends to be when those who give up their art practices, do so. Living as an artist is simply tough, and even harder when isolated. There is no one to give you prompts, to critique your work; frankly no one really cares. That is the moment in which one decides whether or not to put in the effort even when no one is watching. Whether it is worth the struggle in order to create.
I was fortunate enough to participate in RedLine’s artist-in-residency program only a short time after graduating with my BFA. A huge shout out to that wonderful organization for being such a vital part of my development as an artist! Before my residency I was making work, but not in a way that I felt was pushing my practice very much. In that sense, I highly recommend that new artists out of school to delve into their communities and find a place and people to create with. That could be a studio space, a gallery, a program or even something informal like group critiques. It is so important to get out there and find the support you need as an artist, whatever that is. It is an absolute shame that such a small percentage of art school graduates actually go on to a career in the arts, and some even stop creating altogether. This endeavor does not even include the financial obstacles of making a living that follow the choice to be an artist. However, I do think that more people would have the chance to succeed by navigating the immediate post-graduate life successfully, and I hope that more artists are able to prosper in their practices in the future with this knowledge.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I was born and raised in Denver, and I love this city which is why I stay. Colorado is beautiful and inspiring scenery, and the fact that the mountains are so accessible from the city is one of my favorite aspects of living here. The arts community has been very kind to me, and there are so many fantastic creatives and organizations in the state that really cultivate a great environment in which to work. At the same time, the changes in recent years have been abundant in a way that has altered the cultural landscape particularly in Denver. Gentrification hurts many communities here in fatal ways, and I just hope that those who come to enjoy our city are mindful about who they might be pushing out in order to move in. Further, I think our government could do much more to support underserved populations, education and the arts instead of selling out to greedy developers. Despite all this, I understand that evolution is inevitable and I believe that we can still cultivate a prosperous community for all if we acknowledge and take steps to solve these very serious issues.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sarahfukami.com
• Email: smfukami@gmail.com
• Instagram: @sarahfukami.art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artofsarahfukami/

Image Credit:
Sarah Fukami, Wes Magyar

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