Akron Soul Train

Join us at the gallery tomorrow, Thursday, June 11, for ArtWalk!

The gallery will be open with extended hours for ArtWalk from 11-7pm featuring “Siting Ritual: Holding Renewal, Inscribing Resilience” by Artist in Residence Kristen Mimms Scavnicky, “Working Woods: Altered But Not Erased” by Artist in Residence Josh Maxwell, and “Through Our Nikkei Eyes by CapSOUL Emerging Artist Nick Lee”

Then, join us from 7-9pm at Outside the Box at TrueNorth (110 N. Main Street, Akron’s Northside District) for the immersive installation “Inflection”.

CapSOUL Emerging Artist Nick Lee’s exhibition, “Through Our Nikkei Eyes”, will be on view from Wednesday, June 10 - July 18!

“Through Our Nikkei Eyes”, is a group exhibition featuring artists of Japanese descent working across the United States. Through painting, sculpture, animation, printmaking, and documentary, the exhibition explores the layered identities and lived experiences of Nikkei communities—Japanese and Japanese-descended individuals living outside Japan. This exhibition showcases Lee’s work in conversation with artists Gwen Waight, Joey Leppo, Akira Maynard, Matthew Hashiguchi, and Ritsuko Lee.

Lee’s work centers portraiture as a means of visibility and representation, challenging reductive perceptions and affirming the complexity of identity. “As Western perceptions of Japanese people are often that they are “foreign” or “unknown,” I use portraiture to assert my sitter’s full personhood. My paintings invite the viewer into a world of vibrant color palettes and playful compositions, asking them to get to know the community I am depicting,” explains Lee.

The exhibition also reflects Lee’s engagement with public art as a platform for cultural storytelling, connecting personal narrative with broader community awareness in Northeast Ohio.
 
About Nick Lee:
Nick Lee (b. 1996) is a painter from Akron, Ohio. Lee received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Kent State University in 2021 and he is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Iowa. Lee’s work is inspired by the diversity of human experience. As a Japanese-American, he strives to better represent minorities like himself in American portraiture and Western art. Another motivation for his work is self-discovery. Lee uses symbolic Japanese objects in his paintings to connect with a culture that was never taught to him growing up. Lee is the 2023 recipient of the Distinguished Citizen for Art Education for the Northeast Ohio region by the OAEA. Lee is also the recipient of the 2024 Arts Alive Emerging Artist award by Summit Artspace.

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to Kim’s Community Pierogi Dinner this past Saturday at Jilly’s!

A huge thank you to Jilly’s Music Room for hosting us and serving up those delicious gluten-free pierogis! 🥟

We’d also like to give a special shoutout to our wonderful musical guests, Bellows & Backbeat (Robert Buzecan on accordion and Bob Young on drums), for filling the evening with fabulous music!

The night was full of laughter, delicious food, shared stories, and so many beautiful new connections. It was wonderful to see our community come together and enjoy such a warm and welcoming evening!