The Tag Project - Progress

August 21, 2009 - In one summer I now have about 10,000 tags in various stages of completion - there are about 5,000 finished tags are now shown in this photo. It is also getting REAL heavy and I wonder what an additional 8,000 tags added to this one will look like, in order to complete this grouping, which will eventually include all internees at the Poston camp.

April 15, 2009 I realized that I was going to have to implement a grassroots campaign for volunteers! between teaching and working on studio work The Tag Project was crawling along.

January 3, 2009 - I had completed this while in NY with a handful of volunteers.

About the Artist

I am an artist and educator from San Diego, California and have been making furniture and sculpture since 1970. My various bodies of work are often inspired by extended residencies and visits to various countries such as France, England, Japan, Korea and China.

For the past 15 years my work has taken on stylistic influences from Asia. Born in La Junta, Colorado, to second-generation Japanese American parents, I've made several pilgrimages to the land of her heritage, Japan. At times reverent of Japan’s craft history and advanced technology, and appalled by Japan’s self-indulgent, materialistic and almost faceless and patriarchal society, Maruyama vacillates between creating works that both emulate and satirize contemporary Japan.

My newest work, "Executive Order 9066" is hitting closer to home - the work is influenced by personal and family history and addresses the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans in 1942. This event dramatically changed the Japanese American psyche and is to this day is still a vague segment of history to most Americans.

Most of my work can be seen at http://www.wendymaruyama.com