and we are having a party by celebrating Hanami (blossom viewing). When the turtle was installed we planted cherry trees. For Hanami we will have a cake for the turtle, write haiku about turtles and cherry blossoms on wooden tags (emas) and hang them from the trees, invite people to have picnics and organize a cherry blossom walk (hosted by local businesses). Musicians have also been invited to come and play songs.
a very cool gallery in Portland is having a book sale. I sent in a “collection of poems” by a friend of mine.
I’m now represented by LoCA arts in Seattle. They are an online gallery.
My work can be found here: https://loca.art/collections/michiko-tanaka
Project done for Tukwila Parks and Recreation and Urban Artworks. Located at Crystal Springs Park in Tukwila by the tennis courts. It features two greats of the tennis world: Serena Williams and Roger Federer.
I spent a year making this mural for the Vang-Johnson household. I got to work with here two daughters, Lily age 6 and Ella age 3. Her two nieces visiting from Minnesota also helped. The unicorns were for her three girls (Ruby, age 1 wasn’t able to help.) The quetzalcoatl represented their son. Other magical creatures came from cultures around the world.
Using just packaging, twine and yarn I made this installation for The Edmonds Arts Commission. The temporary installation will last three months.
I’ve been working for the last year with The Fremont Troll Knoll and Mach 2 Arts to create an installation in the park next to the Fremont troll. Urban Earth Nursery helped me with moss application information. The turtle was inspired on a trip to Osaka. I was walking in the Dotonburi, the Japanese Las Vegas, when I stumbled across a moss Buddha. I thought to exchange the Buddha for a turtle and make it into an environmental installation. People are invited to sprinkle water on the moss turtle and make a wish.
https://www.fremonttrollsknoll.org/updates/welcome-turtle
On December 29, 2020, we welcomed a new art installation to the east side Troll’s Knoll – the moss turtle. This sculpture installation was made possible by a grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. The moss turtle installation was designed by artist Michiko Tanaka (Yellow Laboratories) and fabricated by Mach 2 Arts. The installation is still in progress as we are working to fully cover the turtle in moss. The moss turtle is a symbol of the environment – once the turtle is fully propagated with moss, we will be adding a water basin so visitors can show their appreciation of the environment by caring for the moss and sprinkling it with water.
Stop by and say hello!
For my latest installation, I was interviewed by the International Examiner
Hadley House residents voted on 4 out of 8 potential murals to be painted in the stairwell of their condo. These are the four that were painted. The murals are details from paintings done in the style that was concurrent with Brutalist architecture (a style in which the building was designed.)
