Sept. 7, 2021

Contact Sherri Lisota at 608-796-3753 or sjlisota@viterbo.edu

“WILL YOU BE THERE: THE PAINTINGS OF NISHIKI SUGAWARA-BEDA” EXHIBIT TO OPEN IN THE VITERBO UNIVERSITY GALLERY SEPT. 21

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The Viterbo University Gallery will host the exhibit “Will You Be There: The Paintings of Nishiki Sugawara-Beda” beginning Tuesday, Sept. 21.

Sugawara-Beda teaches painting as an assistant professor of art in the Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Portland State University and a Master of Fine Arts from Indiana University.

In addition to the art exhibit, Sugawara-Beda will lead a workshop in Japanese calligraphy Tuesday, Sept. 21 from 9:30 a.m.–noon in Fine Arts Center 314. She will conduct it virtually. The workshop is free and open to the public, but space is limited and registration is required. Email Viterbo faculty member Sherri Lisota at sjlisota@viterbo.edu to sign up.

Born and raised in Japan and having immigrated to the U.S. as a young adult, her work deals with the examination of various cultures. To speak to the core of humanity, she seeks the connections among cultures from both the past and present. She is a visual artist who works primarily on painting and sculptural installation. She is currently researching Japanese traditional activities including Chado (tea ceremony) and Tenkoku (seal).

Sugawara-Beda’s work has been featured in solo exhibitions as well as numerous group shows, nationally and internationally. She has been shortlisted for various art competitions, including the Door Prize in Bristol, England, the ArtGemini Prize in London, and the Prince Street Gallery 7th Annual Juried Exhibition in New York. Her work has been published in the 87th issue of New American Paintings; Fresh Paint Magazine; Expose Art Magazine: Special Edition; AEQAI; and 100 days 100 women. She is a 2018 Idaho Art Fellow, awarded by the Idaho Commission on the Arts and funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Viterbo exhibit will run until Wednesday, Nov. 10. There is no admission fee to the gallery, which is located on the third floor of the Viterbo Fine Arts Center. The gallery is open from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. when school is in session. For the full schedule of Viterbo University gallery exhibits, visit https://www.viterbo.edu/art-track/viterbo-university-gallery.

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