Class Notes, Courier, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA, Summer 2002. P. 32

      
Fujiko Isomura '95,  one of the Top 50 Important
      People in Madison, Wis. (Madison Magazine, November 2000), exhibited
      her art at the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago May 24-to June 20.
       The exhibit was her reward for placing first in the gallery's
      fourth International Open Exhibition last year.  

      
"It was quite
      an honor for me since I have been greatly influenced and encouraged
      by this non profit organization gallery whose staff are always
      wonderful, diligent, passionate and, of course, very professional,"
      Isomura said in a holiday letter to family and friends.

      
The Woman Made gallery
      was founded in 1992 to support women in the arts. The gallery
      offers monthly thematic exhibitions to raise awareness and recognition
      of women's cultural contributions.

      
Isomura uses computer
      imaging to fuse traditional Japanese images with popular American
      icons. Once the image is created, she finishes it with painting
      and gold leaf techniques.

      
"These combinations
      of images represent the history of the two cultures, as well
      as my personal thoughts about the world I have been experiencing,"
      she said.

      
After growing up in
      Tokyo, Isomura came to the United States to study art at Coe
      in 1992. She went on to receive a master's in fine arts from
      the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998. She now teaches
      gold leaf painting through the University of Wisconsin's Outreach
      program and will visit Japan in October through the Wisconsin-Saitama
      Art Exchange. She has also been invited to participate in the
      Florence Biennial 2003 in Italy.

      
Isomura credits all
      of her success to Coe.

      
"It is the most
      significant part of my life for sure," she said. "The
      experience at the Coe itself was so important in so many ways
      and without it, I would not have been to UW-Madison and becoming
      who I am now - leading a successful art career." 

      
Isomura's art can be
      seen on her Web site at http://webpages.charter.net/crrey/fujiko/.

      
Image below: "Yellow
      Bird" is one of the newest pieces by Fujiko Isomura '95.
      It was included in her solo exhibition at the Woman Made Gallery
      in Chicago.