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Shumei Art Symposium Series
Art & Beauty
Art touches that part of us that exists above the struggle for survival and beyond human reason. Art and beauty have the power to nourish and refine our
souls. They not only bring pleasure, but also profoundly elevate the heart and mind. When touched by beauty and art, we place a higher value on life and on all creation; the ugliness of destructive behavior becomes apparent and loses its appeal.
Shumei encourages everyone to make art and beauty an essential part of his or her daily life. We actively support the arts and art education through concerts, exhibitions, and seminars. In 2007, the Shumei Cultural Foundation celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Miho Museum, site of the internationally acclaimed Shumei Collection in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
One of the three fundamental tenets of Shumei philosophy is the importance of Art and Beauty. According to Shumei beliefs art and beauty are as essential to a person’s well being as natural food is for a healthy physical body. Thus, the Shumei Artist Symposia exists as a platform from which artists from all disciplines can share their work and their philosophy of art. People interested in the “how and why” of art can come to see the ways art is brought into existence and hear what artists feel about inspiration and creativity.
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Main Organizer: Deana Wilfong
Deana Wilfong has worked with Shumei International Institute since 2008 and organizes and promotes the art events. With a degree in creative writing, Deana was a full time sculptor and prior to working for Shumei organizing these events she had her own Art Symposium. Deana brings to the program a knowing of both sides of the series and enjoys working closely with the artists. Deana has lived in Crestone since 2002 and continues to create when she can while mothering her two young girls.
Founder of Shumei Art Symposia Series: Bill Ellzey
Bill Ellzey is a long time Crestone resident and founder of the Shumei International Institute Artist Symposium program, which started 2003. He has served on the SII Board of Directors since 2003 and is now on the SII advisory committee. He continues to be a dedicated volunteer for Shumei. Bill has been a professional photographer for over 50 years and picked up his first camera in 1965, at age 20. He has photographed in India, China, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Alaska, Egypt, Ireland, Bhutan, Zambia, Chilean Patagonia and the American West and those works have been published here and abroad. The images have appeared in magazines, books, calendars, newspapers, catalogs, annual reports. Some personal work is in galleries and private collections. He continues to photograph professionally and lead photography workshops as well.
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