A: To me, The CJM is a place of connection where people of all ages are welcomed and can share a physical space to witness how artists creatively see and experience the world, and come together and enjoy hands-on art making of their own. Over the years I have appeared at The CJM in multiple contexts. I participated in the Sukkah Studio project, where I invited visitors into a sukkah at The Museum for a cup of tea, a refreshment, and conversations about the idea of creating new traditions. We also painted hand-formed paper tea cups (as part of my One Cup at a Time art project). I also taught book arts workshops to hundreds of San Francisco Unified School District educators at The CJM as preparation for the Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Competition, and served as a juror for the award; taught printmaking to CJM teen interns; and was part of numerous Family ArtBash days at The CJM, offering hands-on bookmaking and art activities such as participation in my series The Typewriter Project.

A: Right now, I am thrilled to be in Minneapolis, Minnesota as a recipient of the inaugural Boundless Residency at Minnesota Center for Book Arts. During this residency, I will further my work to create singular artists books for my Kaikei (Accounting) series. Using Japanese Meiji era (1868-1912) thick, hanging, tabbed, accounting books as a point of departure, I am developing my own method of recreating these binding techniques using contemporary materials and conceptual applications. For each Kaikei book, I create hundreds of orizomegami (hand-dyed papers), then couple them with a haiku (poem) written especially for each volume, such as this haiku I wrote for Kaikei No Niji (Accounting of Rainbows):

remember to look
carefully after the storm
to find rainbows there

A: When I encounter difficult or problematic situations that repeat themselves, I pay attention to and study them from many perspectives and search for common denominators. This is where I find inspiration. From there, I try to trace them back to an underlying root cause—or as I like to put it, "I look for the seed or the kernel". The resulting food for thought exercises may lead to some sort of resolution, may remain unresolved, or may emerge as inspiration for art projects, such as my recent Capacity installation at Minnesota Street Project.

A: When I was in first grade, an elementary schoolmate's mom was the first person who let me participate in making potato latkes. As I recall, I got handed a wooden spoon and my job was to mix the shredded potatoes, onion, egg, flour, and salt in a bowl. Since it was someone else's job to do all of the other steps, I don't remember much about this cooking experience, except that the latkes and the applesauce they were served with were delicious! Nowadays, my favorite Jewish-ish food is Potato Latkes: Japanese Croquette Style with Wasabi Kewpie Dressing.

Recipe

Step 1: Mix together the ingredients of your favorite potato latke recipe in a large bowl. Set aside.

Step 2: Prepare three small bowls as follows:

• Beat an egg in one bowl
• Add 1/2 cup of gluten free flour to one bowl
• Add 1/2 cup of gluten-free panko or dried breadcrumbs to one bowl

Step 3: Take a small handful of latke batter from the large bowl and squeeze out the excess moisture. Form into a ball. 

Step 4: Dip the ball into the beaten egg, then roll in flour, then roll-press in the panko. Make sure to cover all sides of the ball. 

Step 5: Add the ball to a pan of oil, and flatten lightly with a spatula. Cook until all sides are golden. Remove and drain on a plate of paper towels. 

Step 6: Mix 1/2 teaspoon of wasabi (Japanese green horseradish) into 1/4 cup of Kewpie mayonnaise (or regular mayo or sour cream). Transfer the mixture into a small squeeze bottle and add a decorative squiggle on top of each potato latke (Japanese croquette style). Enjoy!