#Thad Higa

[uwmspeccoll]

It’s Feral Friday! 

This week we’re taking a look at This Land is My Land, a newly acquired addition to our collection from book artist, concrete poet, & graphic designer Thad Higa. This 100-page work is “a fictional narrative from the imagined headspace of current day, online white supremacists, nationalists, and their sympathizers”. It was digitally printed, features Coptic binding with uncovered boards as well as two multi-page foldouts, and was self-published in a limited edition of 50 numbered copies in Oakland, CA in 2023. 

Higa is an Okinawan-Korean American cultural worker born in California in 1989 and raised in Hawaiʻi. His practice “investigates the intersections of language, technology, capitalism and eurocentrism, and their roles in controlling perceptions of reality and legibility.” In This Land is My Land, Higa “weaves together all manner of rhetorical devices and strategies, creating an experience familiar to anyone who has read the comments on an online article or listened to attendees at a Trump rally.” The structure of the book inherently encourages interaction, emphasizing the participatory and performative nature not only of reading & text-based communication but also of the formation and enaction of political identity.  

His work has been highlighted on the Lantern Review, Artists’ Book Reviews, Art Review, Art Papers & Hawai’i Public Radio, and featured in the exhibitions whistling the avant garde (Small Press Traffic, San Francisco CA, 2023) and O, (FiveMyles, Brooklyn NY, 2021).  

--Ana, Special Collections Graduate Intern 

View more Feral Friday posts. 

View more Artists’ Books posts. 

View more Concrete Poetry posts. 

View more Graphic Design posts. 

[jodyart]

If you’re lucky enough to be on the Big Island Aug-Oct, you can see Keana and buy one of my zines at Donkey Mill Art Center! 

REGENERATE! Book Arts in Hawai'i

On View: Wednesdays-Saturdays, August 31-October 12 during gallery hours from 10:00am-4:00pm

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 7, from 6:00pm - 8:00pm

The Donkey Mill Art Center is proud to present REGENERATE! Book Arts in Hawai'i. This exhibition surveys contemporary artist books in the Hawaiian Islands. Curated by Oahu-based book artists Minny Lee and Thad Higa, REGENERATE! focuses on the book as a document of change.

In an era of transience and portability, artists approach books as one of the most malleable and dynamic vehicles of art. There are books from printmakers, concrete poets, dancers, musicians, photographers, graphic designers, and any artist seeking to regenerate their own form in printed matter. Books of our time range from narrative to non-narrative, abstract to didactic, encyclopedic to poetic. REGENERATE! also includes a reading area where visitors can spend time with a selection of works from the show.

In coordination with the exhibition, artists talks and workshops will be held at the Donkey Mill for anyone interested in learning how to share their art, ideas, and passions in book form. We hope you will join us.

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San Diego Unified School District

Head of the Class: Candidates Face off in San Diego Unified School Board Elections

School board elections are always important, but this year, they're perhaps more personal than usual as voters may make cast their ballots based on decisions school boards made during the pandemic.

Six people are running for two open seats in two sub-districts of the San Diego Unified School District.

One of those seats is in Sub-District B, which covers the northeastern section of the district and includes Patrick Henry High, in San Carlos; Canyon Hills High, in Tierrasanta; and Kearny High School; along with the schools that feed into these high schools.

The three people running for the seat are Early Education Commissioner Shana Hazan, retired principal and teacher Godwin Higa and vehicle service technician Jose Velazquez, who was not available for an interview in time for our deadline.

“Closing the achievement gap is my top priority," Hazan said. "I know that with clear goals and thoughtful plans, we can do better for our kids."

“It’s very important to me that my platform will be addressing the toxic stress that our children go through, and really change the way we do business and teaching and learning,” Higa said.

UC San Diego political science professor and department chair Thad Kousser said research shows that when voters make their decisions, they're based on past performances of incumbents, and voters will consider the experiences of the past two years.

“COVID-19 is with us," Kousser said. "It will remain with us. The question of where to go with schools, what the right balance is, is going to be a defining issue for school boards."  

Higa gave the district a grade of A for how it handled the pandemic.

“I believe in the science,“ Higa said, "so, no matter what people say, I’m going to follow what the district did. If the mandate is to protect students and staff, I will do the same thing as the board.”    

“As a mom, I wish our schools would have opened earlier so that more kids could have been in the classroom safely learning with their peers and their educators,” Hazan said, adding that she thought the district did a good job making sure children had laptops and that, when students did return to classrooms, the schools were ventilated and testing was made available.  

Another issue that Kousser said is facing school boards is that of ethnic studies, and how it will be taught in the classroom.

Hazan said she would like to see ethnic studies integrated into classes already being taught.

“We know that there are already a lot of classes that our high-schoolers have to take, and so I think, you know, one of the best things we can do is integrate ethnic studies into history to reflect the diverse experiences of our communities,” Hazan said

Higa said he thinks it's important that students understand the different races and religions.

“All our schools are supposedly diverse, and so we need to make sure that we understand each other and have a really a more positive learning environment,” Higa said.

Kousser said school boards will also have to deal with the issue of declining enrollment: “Depending on the future of the state budget and school district budgets and where we go with California’s population, we may have these controversial debates about closing schools that have roiled the politics of school boards in places like Chicago and Oakland."

Higa acknowledged that some reasons for declining enrollment, including high inflation, the cost of living in San Diego and the birth rate, are out of the district's control.

“I  think we really have to look at creating the situation for learning based on whatever budget you have, and be very creative and make sure we're treating kids with the utmost respect and compassion,” Higa said.

Hazan said she doesn't believe we need to close schools if the district can “listen to parents, listen to students and make sure that our schools provide the absolute highest quality education.”

The primary is June 7, with the two candidates with the most votes moving on to compete in the general election. *Reposted article from NBC 7 by Rory Devine, May 10, 2022

[gallery19chicago]

Meed4: The Power of Identity - Meet The Applicants

Gallery19 is excited to start introducing our applicants for our fourth annual juried competition, Meed4: The Power of Identity. A call for entries was put out, and a wave of applicants answered our call! We’d like to thank all that have answered us so far.

Now introducing, Thad Higa

Thad Higa (b. 1989) originates from San Jose, California, and was raised in Hawaii. Studied Creative Writing in Seattle, Washington. Ate some donuts in Oregon. Hawked some homemade books in New York. Currently resides in Honolulu.

(work pictured: Millenary Bodies, detail 4)

I am a book, text, and visual artist whose techniques focus on the evolution of concrete poetry, typographic design, and the narrative language of objects (Book Telepathy). My work tries to interrogate language, it's control on our sense of identity and reality, and the relationship between visual and written language in the Age of Information.

(work pictured: Millenary Bodies)

[gallery19photocompetition]

Meed4: The Power of Identity - Finalists

Gallery 19 is ready to announce our three finalists for our competition: Meed4: The Power of Identity! This year's juror, Tersa Magaña, got back to us with her decision, and we are happy to introduce them to you all. The three finalists for Meed4: The Power of Identity are: Thad Higa, Melinda Ruth and Corinne Whittmore.

Thad Higa (b. 1989) originates from San Jose, California, and was raised in Hawaii. Studied Creative Writing in Seattle, Washington. Ate some donuts in Oregon. Hawked some homemade books in New York. Currently resides in Honolulu.

Melinda Ruth is an up and coming sketch artist focusing on portraits and realism. She was born in Scranton Pennsylvania and grew up in Dallas Texas with her two older and one younger sister. As a child, she was drawn to bright colors and vibrant imagery. She often aimed to wear as many colors as possible despite others finding her style hilarious. Art was always one of her favorite classes and drawing was always her preferred medium. The summer before 3rd grade, Melinda's parents separated which became a major turning point in her life. The depth of her parents' volatile relationship came to a head when her mother endured an altercation with her father that resulted in her mother being hospitalized. With a high school education and limited work experience, Melinda's mother made the challenging decision to remove herself and four daughters from the household. As a result of the separation, Melinda's family was immediately met with the financial skint of a single mother raising 4 daughters with little to no help.

Despite the ups and downs Melinda Ruth experienced growing up in poverty, she still saw art as a way to express herself. Eventually, after graduating from high school, she decided to minor in Studio Art at the University of Houston. It was through her studies she developed the techniques needed to create realistic portrayals of the human experience. As an African American female, Melinda has centered her art on challenging the negative messages society fosters of blacks, while encouraging her people. Melinda has faced a number of challenges in overcoming limitations due to her upbringing as well as the opportunities presented when others reach back into the community to promote prosperity. Therefore, as a practicing social worker, public health doctoral student and artist, Melinda Ruth seeks to use her art and any platform awarded to give hope and a voice to those whose voices have been silenced.

Corinne Whittemore is an artist, single mother, graphic designer and educator. She grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, received her MFA in Visual Communications from the University of Arizona and has been teaching at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for the past five years in graphic design. Corinne has worked in the field of graphic design for over fifteen years as a Production Artist, Graphic Designer, Marketing Coordinator and Freelancer on both the East and West Coasts. She lived, most recently, in Virginia Beach, VA before moving back to the Valley in 2014. Having grown up in the Valley, Corinne has first-hand experience with its unique border culture and has focused her research and artwork around the hybridity of the borderlands. She has continued to exhibit her work locally, nationally and internationally.

[gallery19chicago]

Meed4: The Power of Identity - Finalists

Gallery 19 is ready to announce our three finalists for our competition: Meed4: The Power of Identity! This year's juror, Tersa Magaña, got back to us with her decision, and we are happy to introduce them to you all. The three finalists for Meed4: The Power of Identity are: Thad Higa, Melinda Ruth and Corinne Whittmore.

Thad Higa (b. 1989) originates from San Jose, California, and was raised in Hawaii. Studied Creative Writing in Seattle, Washington. Ate some donuts in Oregon. Hawked some homemade books in New York. Currently resides in Honolulu.

Melinda Ruth is an up and coming sketch artist focusing on portraits and realism. She was born in Scranton Pennsylvania and grew up in Dallas Texas with her two older and one younger sister. As a child, she was drawn to bright colors and vibrant imagery. She often aimed to wear as many colors as possible despite others finding her style hilarious. Art was always one of her favorite classes and drawing was always her preferred medium. The summer before 3rd grade, Melinda's parents separated which became a major turning point in her life. The depth of her parents' volatile relationship came to a head when her mother endured an altercation with her father that resulted in her mother being hospitalized. With a high school education and limited work experience, Melinda's mother made the challenging decision to remove herself and four daughters from the household. As a result of the separation, Melinda's family was immediately met with the financial skint of a single mother raising 4 daughters with little to no help.

Despite the ups and downs Melinda Ruth experienced growing up in poverty, she still saw art as a way to express herself. Eventually, after graduating from high school, she decided to minor in Studio Art at the University of Houston. It was through her studies she developed the techniques needed to create realistic portrayals of the human experience. As an African American female, Melinda has centered her art on challenging the negative messages society fosters of blacks, while encouraging her people. Melinda has faced a number of challenges in overcoming limitations due to her upbringing as well as the opportunities presented when others reach back into the community to promote prosperity. Therefore, as a practicing social worker, public health doctoral student and artist, Melinda Ruth seeks to use her art and any platform awarded to give hope and a voice to those whose voices have been silenced.

Corinne Whittemore is an artist, single mother, graphic designer and educator. She grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, received her MFA in Visual Communications from the University of Arizona and has been teaching at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for the past five years in graphic design. Corinne has worked in the field of graphic design for over fifteen years as a Production Artist, Graphic Designer, Marketing Coordinator and Freelancer on both the East and West Coasts. She lived, most recently, in Virginia Beach, VA before moving back to the Valley in 2014. Having grown up in the Valley, Corinne has first-hand experience with its unique border culture and has focused her research and artwork around the hybridity of the borderlands. She has continued to exhibit her work locally, nationally and internationally.