June!
fast approaching events and other updates <3
Hello again, 5 months later…! Gonna cut right to the chase with some juicy updates for you :-)
My June tattoo books are still open (yay!) but I have limited availability and am prioritizing flash at the moment – the past few months have been very high energy and I’m starting to feel myself slow down and want to do nothing but be outside and spend time with friends and family. Especially because…
I’m officially moving to NYC this summer! My boyfriend is attending Pratt to finish school, and I’ll be tattooing in Brooklyn – actual announcement for that coming later this summer :-) I’m feeling really excited and nervous and also really sad to slowly watch this chapter of my life in Ithaca come to a close – or a pause, I don’t really know what to call it. Ithaca has given me so much and I feel that I’ve just begun to be able to give back… But I fully intend come back to Ithaca and tattoo about once a month or so after moving, but gah! Change is crazy.
(still looking for a 1 bed apartment, pref in bedstuy area, if u hear of anything affordable, hmu…)
Thankfully… Show Pony will continue to exist after I move! We’ve just resigned our lease for another year and are really excited to continue honing our studio into a community gallery and workshop space.
My studio mate Esmé summed up our most time sensitive studio updates so perfectly in her most recent substack that I’ve (consensually) copy and pasted below to share with all of you!
“Firstly- my shared gallery/artspace project, Show Pony, is hosting a Raffle for Rafah relief funds, which is open and running through Friday June 7 at midnight. Proceeds will be split between direct donations to Palestinian families in need (found through Operation Olive Branch) and purchasing eSIMs ( virtual SIM cards which allow people to connect to the outside world, to communicate with their families, show what’s happening in Gaza, and to access education). We will be purchasing 30 day eSIMs through Nomad- more info can be found on gazeesims.com.
Publicity for this raffle has largely been happening through Instagram, but I thought I’d shoot it out to y’all on this platform as well. There are only a few more days left, so if you’re interested in supporting, now is the time! Here’s how it works:
-$5 = one entry
-$32 = 10 entries (this is the cost of one 30-day eSIM)
-To enter, venmo @ersaccuccimorano with the letter associated with your desired raffle prize and your IG handle in the description (ex: A, @yourinstagramhandle).
- For multiple entries, specify how many entries for each prize (“2 for B, 1 for C”).
- Winners will be put in contact with artists to coordinate receiving their prizes!
PRIZES ! :
(A) $200 towards ONE tattoo session with @wilsonistheworst- redeemable in Ithaca immediately, or in NYC beginning in August
(B) Trio of Charms by Esmé Saccuccimorano (@esme.rafaelle), $120 value
(C) $75 towards custom cake by Izzy Lecek (@buttermoon_bakes)
(D) Print by Julianne Hunter (@juliannehunterart), $150 value
(E) $50 towards a hair appointment with Indigo Kane (@kaneind) at Fresh Salon in Trumansburg
(F) $40 towards a RISO Class (Fall/Summer) at the Ithaca Print Commons (@ithaca_print_commons)
(G) Ceramic bud vase by Taussen Brewer (@taussy), $45 Value
(H) Ceramic candleholder by Grace Fossett (@greasigraci), $150 Value
(I) Handmade copper earrings + intaglio on fabric print by Mia Brown-Seguin, $75 value
(J) Digital print on watercolor paper by Makenzie Morrow (@makadelic_), $50 Value
(K) Print by Savannah Flores (@savflor_btw), $100 value
Secondly- Show Pony will be tabling at a new local flea market, Backyard Flea, next Wednesday, June 12th, and on June 26th! We will be slinging prints, stickers, ceramics, zines, drawings, clothing, and more! We’ll also be bringing some fresh screen printed Show Pony Ts, the proceeds of which will be going to the same R@f@h relief funds as our current raffle.”
I’ll be hocking prints, zines, and artist books made during my residency at Directangle Press this past month! More on that later :-)
202 E. Falls Street (aka Northstar), June 12 and 26, 5-9pm :-)
Tomorrow, June 7 from 5-8pm, is the opening of Tagasode: Kimono Project at CSMA – a collaborative show organized by my grandmother, Kumi Korf. Kumi gathered nine women artists, sent them kimonos and invited them to create artwork with the kimono as the catalyst. Though the kimono itself seems a precious work of art, the prompt was to “be free”; an invitation to adventure, engage in playful chaos, and take a brave step into the unknown.
I was really excited but also daunted when my grandma asked me to participate in this show – especially on top of my normal work load, traveling, etc etc… But also because to be part Japanese as a white presenting person is something I am constantly trying to respect and understand. As a young art student I tried to investigate more by taking traditional looking portraits of myself, my mom, and my grandmother in kimonos – It was an attempt to create dialogue between my lineage, my family, and my art practice. In the center of one photo we sit in order from oldest to youngest, most Japanese to least. We’re in Kimonos at my aunt’s house posing for the camera. Behind the scenes, we’re struggling to wrap our obis and laughing together. Understanding my Japanese heritage is something I will likely always be navigating – so when my grandmother asked me to participate in Tagasode, it decided to view it as an opportunity to further connect.
In my piece for this exhibition, I made a cyanotype of one of the photos I took back in art school of me, my mom and my grandmother. I had never done cyanotype before making this piece… The photo is printed on silk from the inner lining of a kimono, framed by strips of two other kimonos and a frayed obi belt. Along the inside of the Kimono hang large sequins – tokens of glittering color I would use in my early girlhood to bedazzle crafts to make them more “me.” When I think of my family and lineage, I think of the strong willed, creative, wildly hilarious and colorful women I am so lucky to be related to. They have shaped me, nurtured me, encouraged me. I wanted to create a piece that celebrates them and the ongoing complexities and questions that come with being part Japanese.
To get pumped for making work for this show, my grandma and her bestie, Christa, had me over for a “business lunch” last month. Stepping into the chaos of my grandma’s studio always gets me so excited to make shit – but it’s also the excitement that comes from connecting with women about creating, especially connecting with my family in this way. It really is so special to spend time with my grandma and continue to create and relate together through art, especially at her age and all the health issues she’s endured the past few years. My grandma is my biggest role model for shaking all the negative shit art school injected into my brain about needing to make things for some grand purpose. Her practice reminds me to make because we need to make – in whatever way, with whatever materials we feel pulled towards. To experiment and fail and laugh, but also to know when it’s time to get serious and make good work. I dunno how great my piece actually is, and yeah it was kinda stressful to make, but it’s made – and I’m happy it’s here.
Well I have so much more to talk about but I guess I’ll save it for another post – I’ll try to write sooner than 5 months from now..!
Thanks for reading :)
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Love to see it <3 I hope I can make it to the exhibition when I'm in Ithaca in July!!