Woven Dialogues:

A conversation with the artists of “Knit Narratives” Exhibition

Reese Ford, Hana Ichikawa, and Stella Moore explore the act of painting as both a tactile and conceptual form of weaving in Knit Narrative, an exhibition on display at Riverside’s North Gallery. These three artists applied to RAC’s 2025 Call for Exhibitions and stood out as a powerful trio. Their proposal was selected and now Knit Narrative is on view in Riverside’s North Gallery. This past April, we spoke with Ford and Ichikawa about the show.

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RAC: Hello! Please introduce yourself!

R: My name is Reese Ford, and I am an oil painting student at the University of Michigan’s Stamps School of Art & Design. While I have loved the visual arts for many years, an additional part of my life is singing — specifically classical choral music. I’ve been involved in choir since the age of 10, including now, where I’m a member of the Music School’s Chamber Choir.

H: I am a graduating senior at the University of Michigan studying Art & Design. I mainly work with oils as my medium. I was born and raised in Michigan. Both my parents immigrated from Japan back in 1998, which is central to my conceptual exploration of my Asian American identity. 

RAC: When reviewing submissions for this year’s Call for Exhibitions, our program committee was struck not only by the quality of your individual practices, but by Knit Narrative‘s point of view as a whole – its exploration of the personal and interpersonal, and the way the show builds a collective whole out of individualized, actualized forms. Can you speak to this idea of knitting and weaving as both a material and a conceptual thread, and how it connects across all three bodies of work? 

H: We come from different backgrounds but landed in the same school. We each have a story to tell from our lives, but I don’t see it as a simple autobiography. For me, I used to think painting was a private practice, a process that is not visible to the public eye, and that mindset has quickly taken an isolating toll on me as someone who was seeking Asian American solidarity while trying to figure myself out as a person. After meeting other outstanding painters like Reese and Stella, it felt like painting was a silently shared and appreciated act of archiving the human experience.  This show is an homage to painting and its versatility as a medium. There is a conceptual stream to our works that interconnects with each other, and you can tell that visually with how we paint figures. We’re like a woven structure of leftover scrap yarns, and I think that’s beautiful.

R: There’s a unique physical and emotional tactility in this show because of the way it combines complex oil paintings with textile art. In regular viewing settings, there’s always an assumed distance between art and audience, but in this case, the textile aspect of Stella’s piece invites a more intimate experience. While not all of our works are interactive in this way, we take this idea of increasing intimacy in other forms of presentation: paintings of smaller scale that you must be close to witness, imagery of family lineages, and evidence of personal reflections upon our bodies, gender expression, and culture. 

RAC: Was there a collaborative process between the three of you in developing this show? That might look like a shared conceptual approach or a more hands-on, direct collaboration on a particular work.

R: This show has existed long before we gave it a name or a place to manifest itself in. I first met Hana and Stella in our freshman year of college, where we were in the same 3-D foundational course taught by Stamps lecturer Nate Byrne. We were at the very beginning of our academic journeys, and while we didn’t paint in that particular class, our friendship has lasted over the years and bolstered each other’s creative practices. 

We ebbed and flowed against our vast degree requirements but always held steadfast in our individual loves for painting the figure. This shared conceptual approach was what instilled in us the desire for a three-person group show, and we couldn’t be more excited.

H:  I remember scheduling a day in the summer to sit down over zoom and thread everything together with our existing work. We were all in different parts of the world. I think Stella was studying abroad in Italy, I just came back from Colorado from the Anderson Ranch Arts Program, and Reese was back home in San Francisco Bay Area after being an assistant in New York for Julie Heffernan.  We talked a lot about women in creative fields, labor, craft, etc. Depictions of feminized bodies were a pattern we saw in our works, and we wanted to emphasize that connection to gender politics.

Stella and Reese have some pieces in the show that feature textile work. I like to view them as the thread that connects our pieces together into one big painting exhibit or a “quilt.”

RAC: Which work in the show would you point to as a good entry point for first-time viewers (a piece that opens a door into the exhibition as a whole)? And do you have any words that might help audiences find their own meaning in the work? 

H:  I recommend starting with Reese’s Maternal Line and ending with Stella’s Cornfield (Navel Gazing)! They uncover the layers of femmehood, exploration of the body as a rectilinear painting structure and as a literal visual symbol, tradition, culture, and social inquiry. It goes from a narrative that is personal to the artist to broad and theoretical, both of which possess the potential to resonate with our audiences on different levels.

R: Last year, Hana and I took a course titled “Sequential Images in Painting” with our beloved professor Jim Cogswell. Our projects from that course are exhibited here — mine, “Maternal Line,” and theirs, “Gishiki.” This synthesis allowed us to consider what “narrative” really means and how it can be communicated, distorted, and built. While we both display different narratives in these works, they speak to the phrase “Knit Narrative” and how storytelling is at the heart of what all artists aim to accomplish.

RAC:  Is there a work in this exhibit that has any particular personal significance that you would like to share? 

H: I am a little disappointed that I was not able to include some of my pieces from my final senior thesis project because of overlapping exhibition schedules; however, a piece I would say that closely reflects my current research is Unravel. Using visual fragmentation and collaging different photos, I attempt to capture the imperceptible emotional processings of Western and Asian imperialism through my personal encounters with receiving racism and seeking solidarity with other Asian peers. Through the lens of self-orientalism, I trace the desire to rekindle connections with culture while confronting the cognitive dissonance of the American dream, critiquing the commodification of Japanese traditions, and challenging Western socio-political standards. Japan is both a victim of Western imperialism and a perpetrator of imperialism. I explore my personal experiences in this painting, the primary concern being double consciousness and critical thinking around racial-ethnic history.

RAC: Is there anything else you want readers to know about Knit Narrative?!I 

H: Thank you to Riverside Arts Center for hosting us and I hope we can share the beautiful, reincarnating process of expressing joy and grief through painting from this show! 

Knit Narrative exhibits through June 7th in the North Gallery at Riverside Arts Center. 

Intermediate Stained Glass Classes with Iman

Over the course of this 2-day class, students will make their own intermediate-level copper foil stained glass composition utilizing skills covered in Beginner Stained Glass with instructor guidance on advanced techniques such as symmetry, interior curves, and visual contrast. Students will have a choice between a few different lengthed instructor-provided projects or can bring a design of their own! Depending on the pace of work and length of project, students have the option to sign up for an additional 3rd session if more time is needed (see schedule below).

Length of Project per Session

Register for the 6-hour Intermediate Studio Sessions broken up over 2 days (Session 1 + Session 2) with the option to add on Session 3 for students who need more time or wish to complete a larger project. 

• Session 1 + Session 2 (6hrs total):

• 9 – 12 piece project up to 8 x 8 in. Students can work at whatever pace they like however a suggested schedule would be to spend the 1st session (4hrs) cutting/grinding and beginning foiling, and the 2nd session (2hrs) finishing foiling and soldering. In the event that students do not finish and spots are available, students have the option to register for the 3rd session on Sunday as well. 

• Session 1 + Session 2 + Session 3 (8hrs total): 

• 12 – 16 piece project, up to 8 x 8 in. Students can work at whatever pace they like however a suggested schedule would be to spend most of the 1st session (4hrs) cutting/grinding, the 2nd session (2hrs) foiling, and the 3rd session (2hrs) soldering.

Additional Information: 

Eligibility: This course is best suited for students who have taken a class with Iman previously or have other prior copper foil stained glass experience. Reach out to Iman@glassbyiman.com to see if this course would be a good fit for you.

What to Bring: Safety glasses, gloves, and aprons will be provided. Please bring closed-toed shoes.

 Safety: Traditional Leaded solder is used in this course.

2026 Workshop Dates and registration

Safety and Care Instructions: 

Please wash hands after touching as traditional stained glass solder contains lead. Leaded stained glass artwork, like many other mediums, is meant to be hung up and enjoyed with your eyes rather than touched. Please display out of reach of small children and pets and advise family members and guests not to touch. Additionally, solder naturally oxidizes overtime. To restore, gently polish solder lines with a dry cloth. 

Display: Copper foil pieces are best suited for indoor display and out of areas of high moisture. Safely hang by hammering any nail that can’t be bent by hand into wall or wall above window. I don’t recommend suction cups on windows as they often fail even with small pieces. 

Reach out to Iman@glassbyiman.com or visit Glassbyiman.com for more information.

Bio:

Y Art | Ypsilanti Community Schools Annual Exhibition

At Riverside Arts Center

More detail:

• Artists wishing to showcase their art must have their names on the signup sheet by 6:00pm
• Art may not be shown until it has been presented (not yet presented art must remain covered)
• Artists will be called up in the order they signed up
• Artists will have two minutes to talk about their art, the process they used, the meaning behind the piece, etc. Hard stop at 2 minutes.
• Volunteers will present the art by holding it and walking around the space to show attendees the works.
• Artists can announce that their pieces are either just for show or for sale. If they are for sale, announce the price.
• When a piece is sold, “Sold!” is announced on the speaker and the bell is rung.
• Payment must take place before leaving
• Payment can be cash or via whatever app the artist uses.

Art Parameters:

• 2D or 3D visual art
• Must be able to be carried by one person around the room
• Must be dry
• Does NOT need to be finished (We encourage sharing about your process!)
• No apparel or customized apparel
• Must be an original piece whenever possible; replicas and prints discouraged
• Subject Matter
  • • Art deemed by event organizers to be promoting hate or violence against others will not be allowed.
    • Critique of hate and violence is welcome, but harm is not.
    • We otherwise won’t censor artists’ work, but keep in mind, this is open to the public, and children may be present.
    • Artists who refuse to adhere to the above may be asked not to return to YFAC.

Role Definitions:

• Announcer – welcomes guests, lets them know when we’ll be starting, introduces the moderator and shares RAC announcements
• Moderator – explains the process of the event, reads the history of the club (including the Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club)
• Presenters – volunteer attendees who walk the pieces of art around the room

Itinerary:

5:00 pm – Doors open, sign-up sheets are available, chat with other attendees, and claim your seats

5:30 – Moderator shares vision, history, description/rules of event. First-time attendees are asked to introduce themselves (around 30 seconds each). After, here is time for announcements. Anyone in the audience can stand in line at the front of the room to make any announcements they’d like to share (one-minute time limit)

5:35 – Presentations begin!

6:00 – Sign up to present is closed!

6:40 – Close up shop, thanks for coming!

Intro to Mending Workshop

Fibers @ Riverside

Learn the basics of mending and extend the life of your cherished garments! In this two-hour workshop, learn how to sew a button and two basic stitches perfect for patching, constructing, and repair work. This class is not suitable for most knitwear and heavier fabrics.

Participants are invited to bring their own garments needing repair, and your instructor, Lindsey, will go over each item and explain the repair needed. Participants will leave with example work completed in class and a small mending kit.

Details:

Sunday, May 3, 2026

1-3pm

Studio 1 at Riverside Arts Center, located in the heart of Downtown Ypsilanti

$25 per person