We are bringing together local Asian/Asian American artists for a month-long collective art exhibit at the Saranac Building Lobby—where the marker of the historic Trent Alley/old International District can be found—to bridge our intergenerational community stories. Honoring the life and contributions of Japanese Americans in the United States, the exhibit will also feature renowned artist Patti Warashina’s piece “Woman with Pear”—a newly acquired sculpture from Marmot Art Gallery.
In the lobby of the Saranac Building, where the Trent Alley marker stands as a witness to Asian community history in Spokane, we’re building a bridge we can step into. Be the Bridge is a shared space where art carries what words can’t always hold. Each piece in the exhibit is its own span of memory and imagination, and together they form an arch that only exists because our voices are placed side by side. Not one artist, not one story—but a collective narrative made stronger by interconnected past, present, and future. The strength of us is together.
This exhibit is mapped by crossings. Some arrive all at once the moment you step into the room and feel yourself pulled toward a sculpture, a wash of color, a texture that carries you back to home or history. Others unfold quietly like a pause beside a stranger lingering with the same piece, the sense of shared lineage, the feeling of being seen by an image you didn’t know you were waiting for. Here, art becomes the pathway where intergenerational stories meet, where grief and joy can sit side by side, and where belonging takes shape.
As part of our Asian American Heritage Month programming, this collective exhibit invites us to bridge generations through what we create and what we witness, to bridge art and action, to bridge isolation into community. Every visit is a crossing. Every shared moment strengthens the arch. Be the Bridge.
ARTISTS
PATTI WARASHINA
Patti Warashina is a ceramic sculptor born in 1940 in Spokane, Washington. She earned her BFA (1962) and MFA (1964) from the University of Washington in Seattle. After 30 years of teaching art in the Midwest and Seattle, she retired in 1995 as Professor Emerita from the University of Washington, where she taught for 25 years. In 2012, she was honored with a 50-Year Retrospective Exhibition at the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA), Pomona, CA. The exhibition was titled “Patti Warashina: Wit and Wisdom” and was accompanied by a book with the same title. The following year, in 2013, the exhibition moved to the Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA, which received a National Endowment for the Arts grant to help fund the exhibition. A second book on Warashina’s career titled “Patti Warashina” was published by John Natsoulas Press in 2021.Patti Warashina has been widely recognized for her exceptional contributions to the arts, receiving awards and honors such as three National Endowment for the Arts Grants (1975, 1986, 2013), the 2009 Regis Masters Award from the Northern Clay Center, the 2018 US Artists Fellow Award, the 2020 Smithsonian Institution’s Visionary Artist Award, or most recently, the 2024 University of Washington Golden Graduate Award, among many others.
JIEMEI LIN
Jiemei Lin was born in Hangzhou, China, and lives and works in Washington State. Jiemei works with digital and traditional media to create paintings, murals, and illustrations. Her works frequently take on themes of individual and cultural identity with a particular emphasis on design and color. An award-winning children’s book illustrator, Jiemei’s illustrated works represent and communicate with all audiences from underrepresented groups in her visual language. She has been designing and executing large-scale public murals in the Pacific and inland Northwest as a public artist. These murals function like vignettes or moments of stories, inviting the viewer into the scene to imagine possible narratives. Currently, Jiemei teaches illustration and digital design at WSU as an assistant professor.
BRIANNA MILLER
Brianna Miller is a Filipina American Illustrator & Designer based out of Spokane, Washington and originally from Salem, Oregon. In 2014, she graduated from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon with a degree in Communication Design. In 2015, she was an Artist in Residence for TEDxSalem where she presented a talk about the installation piece created for the event. From 2016-2017, Brianna was a PrattMWP Artist in Residence & Community Arts Instructor in Utica, NY. Currently, she lives in Spokane, Washington as a Freelance Artist. Her commissioned projects range from album artwork for musicians, to posters for festivals, and movie media slipcovers. Recent clients include the New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Vulture, and Visit Spokane (2026 Official Visitor Guide).
REMELISA CULLITAN
Remelisa Cullitan is a Filipino American visual artist living and working in Spokane, WA. Their work focuses on the body. Their queer and biracial experiences shape their work’s narrative. Remelisa graduated from Eastern Washington University with a Bachelors in Fine Arts and a Bachelors in Art History. They are the Youth Arts Specialist at the Spokane Public Library, where they are able to share their love for art with young artists in the community.
MARGARET ALBAUGH
Margaret Albaugh is a Chinese American photographer and visual artist. Her personal work is informed by social issues, primarily identity, race, and gender norms. She is inspired by topics that scratch at contentious or thought-provoking issues and is intrigued by the nuances of human nature and the internal workings of individuals. She often marries her background in psychology with photography.
KIARA LIME
Kiara Lime is a queer Filipino-American illustrator and comic artist based out of Spokane, Washington. She holds an Associate of Fine Arts degree from Spokane Falls Community College and a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Illustration degree from Pacific Northwest College of Art/Willamette University in Portland, Oregon. Shaped by these two studies, her work centers around emotional characters, sentimental storytelling, and exploring Asian-American and queer identities. Her biggest visual and narrative influences come from the multitude of things she loves such as anime, 20th century fashion illustration, romantic dramedies, and more. She has shown her work in a number of group exhibitions, art markets, anime conventions, and online-based charity fandom zines.
KATRINA BROWN (김홍주)
Katrina Brown (김홍주) is a textile artist that creates fiber pieces which explore our relationship to the natural world, as well as her Korean-American heritage. She has lived in Spokane since 2013. She received a B.A. in Political Science, with Cross-Cultural Studies & Environmental Studies emphases from Whitworth University and works as the Program Manager of Terrain’s retail shop, From Here. Katrina currently serves as the vice-chair of Asians for Collective Liberation (ACL) Spokane. Her skills and interests have also led her to serve on the board of directors of Main Market Cooperative and volunteer with organizations such as Spark Central and LINC Foods (the Local Inland Northwest Cooperative).
LAIN BUNDALIAN
Lain Bundalian is a queer Asian-American & Native Hawaiian designer and illustrator whose practice bridges collaboration and research. As the founder of Loveless Press, LB has established a zinemaking praxis rooted in radical accessibility: each publication is freely distributed with the belief that art and information should belong to everyone. Drawing from the visual movements of the past, LB investigates their histories and cultural impact to reimagine aesthetics for contemporary audiences. Through deep research and exploration, they fuse analog and digital archives, weaving nostalgia with forward-looking energy to honor both present and future. LB earned a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Technology and Culture, with an emphasis in digital design from Washington State University.
AZADEH WEBER
Azadeh Weber is an Iranian-American artist whose work draws on the rich visual language of Persian art to honor heritage and sustain cultural continuity across generations. Through intricate geometry and reinterpreted traditional motifs, she creates contemporary compositions that reflect the depth, elegance, and resilience of Eastern artistic traditions. Her practice serves as a bridge between past and present, offering viewers a space to reconnect with identity, memory, and the enduring beauty of inherited forms in a rapidly changing world.