ASU to Host Dual Art Exhibit by Renowned Painters

ASU will also host an opening reception for the dual exhibit at 5 p.m. on Sept. 6. Lee will then deliver a Gallery Talk lecture on Friday, Oct. 11, from 3-5 p.m., and Sugawara-Beda will deliver a Gallery Talk lecture on Thursday, Nov. 7, from 3-5 p.m. The reception and Gallery Talks will also take place in the Mayer Museum and are open and free to the public.

Lee, a native of South Korea, has a diverse art-making practice using mix-media, vibrant colors and collective patterns to demonstrate dimensional harmony of both earth and technology, and she is committed to making art about expression, power and community. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Texas, including at the Fort Worth Community Art Center and Greater Denton Art Council, and her work is represented in the Ro2 Art Gallery in Dallas. She holds a bachelor's degree in art and performance from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Master of Fine Arts in painting and drawing from the University of North Texas, where she is also an adjunct professor. Examples of her artwork are available at yunjunglee.com.

Sugawara-Beda draws upon her Japanese heritage to explore themes related to culture, language and spirituality rooted in Zen Buddhism. She experiments in ancient Japanese materials and techniques, including Sumi ink, Kakejiku landscapes and rice paper, to merge them with abstract and expressive forms familiar to the modern Western aesthetic. Her exhibition venues range across the U.S., including in South Carolina, California, Michigan and New York. She has won multiple awards for her art, which has also been published in New American Paintings, the London Post, Art Spiel and various other journals. She is an associate professor of art at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Examples of her artwork are available at nishikibeda.com.

ASU's Henry Edwards Distinguished Lectureship in Art is supported by the Edwards Family Trust that was established in 1992 by Joseph Henry Edwards and Winona Edwards of San Angelo. It provides funding for the ASU art program, including support for scholarships for outstanding visual art students, the lectureship in the visual and performing arts, and an artist residency program.