By Aya Chiong-Bisbee
For The North American Post
Japantown Neighbors would like to share information and receive community feedback about an upcoming project taking place in Seattle’s Nihonmachi. With funding from a Seattle Department of Neighborhoods grant, the Japantown community has come together to develop neighborhood pole banners to honor the legacy of Japantown. There will be about 50 banners installed on light poles on South Jackson, South Main and South Washington Streets and on 5th, 6th, Maynard and 7th Avenues South. The banners will feature 7-10 unique designs, projected to be installed in late spring 2023.
This project is being directed by Japantown Neighbors, a group of business owners, property owners and community members, in partnership with an advisory committee made up of eight local community members representing different backgrounds and generations from our Japanese American and Japantown communities.
At this point in the project, there are six draft designs, with room for refinement and more to be developed. Please share your feedback on the draft designs via the form linked below by January 9, 2023. The community feedback received will help inform the final designs to be installed.
Further info on artist Kenji Hamai Stoll: yokenji.net & “New Mural by Erin Shigaki and Kenji Hamai Stoll” (napost.com, Aug. 2022).
View the draft designs and share feedback here by January 9th:
https://tinyurl.com/JapantownBanners
(Those submitting feedback will automatically be entered into a raffle for neighborhood prizes.)
