Masahiro Sugano and Anida Yoeu Ali featured on King 5 TV and The News Tribune for their new public art work

IAS Artists-in-Residence Masahiro Sugano and Anida Yoeu Ali’s latest collaborative installation was prominently featured on King 5 TV and The News Tribune. On November 11, 2018 Ali and Sugano unveiled their new public artwork titled “Hello. How Are You?” on their own front yard located in Tacoma, Washington. Comprised of bright white letters measuring 4 feet in height, the large-scale outdoor installation spells out the common American greeting “Hello. How are you?”

For their special launch event, they invited their neighbors to mix with local friends and artists in the spirit of fostering community ties and to be “in conversation” to one another over food and drinks at what is typically a gallery opening. Ali and Sugano believe, as Tacoma’s art scene grows and expands alongside the city’s rapid urban gentrification, the installation poses a question directed at the need to have more conversations between communities. The phrase is both a statement and question intended to invite participation between local and newer residents and between art makers and art viewers. Their project was made possible through a grant award of the 2017 Tacoma Arts Initiative Project.