Mari Shibuya

Mari Shibuya is a fourth generation Japanese American who lives and works as a facilitator, muralist, and artist in Seattle. As a facilitator, Mari focuses on the power of creativity, arts-based practices and storytelling as an avenue for empowering individuals to find their voice, create connection, inspire transformation and develop leadership. As an artist, Mari strives to create work that reflects on our interconnectedness and makes space for us all to contemplate the forces that give rise to our human experience and cultural history. To find out more about Mari, visit www.marishibuya.com.

Updated February 2020

Stories from This Author

Healing the Intergenerational Trauma of WWII Incarceration through Art

Feb. 25, 2020 • Mari Shibuya

As one of Densho’s 2019 artists-in-residence, Mari Shibuya recently completed a mural that visualizes the histories of three Pacific Northwest Japanese American families. In this article, she reflects on her artistic process, what she learned about what it means to be Japanese American, and why this history remains so important today. * * * * * “Incarceration is the question you almost asked about the bruise you don’t remember getting.” It lives in our bodies, in the stories of our …