Oregon Art Beat

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Baba Wague Diakite: Raised as a storyteller, African artist Baba Wague uses clay as his canvas and animals to illustrate his stories. His colorful art is a blend of native Malian folklore and his own unique style.
On the web:: Pulliam-Deffenbaugh Gallery

Dancer Sahomi Tachibana: Traditional Japanese dancer Sahomi Tachibana was born Haruno Abey in Mountain View, California, in 1924. At age seven she began dancing between scenes at her grandparents Kabuki Theater. By age eleven, her family sent her to Fukushima, Japan where she studied at the Tachibana Dance School under instructor Saho Tachibana. There she was given the name Sahomi Tachibana meaning in Japanese, “a beautiful bird of paradise who learned to dance at Tachibana”. In November of 1941, Sahomi returned to California weeks before the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan. Sahomi and her family were forced into Japanese internment camps in California and later Utah for the duration of the war. Once the war ended her family moved to New York City and Sahomi began studying modern dance and ballet. In June 1948, she made her New York debut and earned international acclaim as a traditional Japanese dancer. In 1990, after many years performing in New York City, Sahomi and her husband moved to Portland, Oregon to be closer to their daughter. Sahomi has continued to teach and perform Kabuki dramas as well as folk and semi-classical Japanese dances around the Portland area.

Mardi Gras Mask Makers: At Mardi Gras in New Orleans, four of the most successful mask makers every year are actually Portland residents. We visit their studios and get the four artists together to find out what the connection is between the Northwest and the Big Easy.
On the web:: www.belfrymasks.com; www.goblinart.com; www.illusionarydesigns.com

Oregon Public Broadcasting