Artist's Talk - Ellen Bepp: The Ghosts We Carry

All are welcome to join us for Ellen Bepp's Artist's Talk starting with a traditional Japanese drum and flute procession starting at 2 pm. Ellen will be discussing the 10 pieces on view in The Ghosts We Carry. Addressing ideas of identity, cultural preservation and social justice, Ellen Bepp’s mixed media work in The Ghosts We Carry reflects on the experience and legacy of a difficult period in our American history, WWII incarceration camps and their aftermath with a keen awareness of current events. More than 120,000 people of Japanese descent were remanded to these camps in a wave of fear that swept America in response to attacks on Pearl Harbor, including Heart Mountain in Wyoming, where Bepp’s family was incarcerated.​ Incorporating fragments of familial writing, traditional textiles, imbedded text and Japanese imagery, Bepp’s work reflects on the xenophobia, racial slurs and casual taunts aimed at Asian Americans as well as the pain and despair of the camps. Beyond the fear and lo