Artwork copyright June Sekiguchi. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2025.
Blue Mandala, 2019
June Sekiguchi
American (born 1961)
Location: Kessler Center, Puyallup
About the Artwork
Blue Mandala by June Sekiguchi is inspired by the patterns of mandalas and Japanese Shoji screens. A mandala is a circular symbol with rings of intricate and symmetrical patterns, often within a square shape. In Eastern religions, the mandala represents the universe, wholeness, and totality. It is used for meditation as its detailed layers encourage you to look closely, focusing your thoughts. A shoji screen is a window or room divider made of translucent rice paper over a wood frame. Sekiguchi is reinterpreting these traditions in a new way.
This artwork is part of a curated collection by Lucile Chich in October 2023 for the Kessler Center, in Puyallup, Western Washington. The collection is based on joy, color, and inclusion. It was critical to the local Art Selection Committee that the collection celebrate artists who are experiencing disability. This could be physical, neurological, or intellectual. They also wanted to see artists who use the transformative powers of artmaking to transcend, to heal, to rejoice.
This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Puyallup School District.
About the Artist
June Sekiguchi creates sculptures, installations, and wall constructions with a focus on patterns. Her artworks address identity, cross cultural exchange, and personal narratives. She is also an arts activist involved in social justice issues, cultural exchange, mental health, and elder communities.Sekiguchi was born and raised in Fayetteville, Arkansas where her family was one of the few Asian families in the area. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She has lived in Western Washington since 1994.
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