Art for all Art for all Art for all

An artist can make something out of any medium, from a corner of their notebook to an entire wall. Anna Tono, ’20, a second-generation Japanese American artist and designer, does exactly that by creating community-centered artwork that invites onlookers to explore their inner worlds.

I sat down with Tono to learn more about how she started making interactive murals, the ways she centers joy in her artistic practice, and the role that art can play in our lives.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Your art practice uses many mediums, from art prints and murals to temporary tattoos and doodle portraits. What are you working on right now?

I specialize in murals, branding, and illustration with the goal of inviting people to see the world with a little whimsy. I also sell small-batch apparel and joyful goods via Happitat, and I’m the co-founder of Seattle Rise Collective, an organization hosting markets and events for female and gender-expansive creatives and small business owners. Public art has enabled me to connect with the community, and hosting and vending at events has helped me connect with business owners and artists.

Tell me more about some of the interactive murals you’ve created.

I’ve created a few public art installations with the goal of starting conversations about growth and our life journeys and how we grow along the way. These pieces invite people to think about the transitions they’re going through and the risks they’ve taken, and they create a communal experience.

For example, I created a mural for the Downtown Redmond Art Walk and used the salmon lifecycle as a metaphor for our life journey. Visitors were asked to fill out reflection prompts and attach them to the mural, and I did something similar for Green River College, where students added rock-shaped cards to a garden path mural (pictured above). This approach continues to inform the other projects I do. I want to keep art accessible and bring people into the process.

A lot of the work you do is in partnership or solidarity with other artists and creatives. What does community look like for you currently?

It’s evolved throughout the years. When I started my professional art journey, I participated in a few group exhibits including “Have You Eaten?” an AAPI group exhibit, and “From the Margins,” which focused on highlighting marginalized voices.

I found community through those exhibits because there were many other AAPI folks who shared stories of having dual identities, being children of immigrants and looking for a sense of belonging. That’s where I first understood the intersection of art and community. Since then, I’ve branched out to connect with the small business community by vending at markets, and we can share struggles and successes around running a small business.

Where do you find yourself making things out of joy, or just because they make you happy?

I love making things for Tegami Club, a monthly snail mail club inspired by my day-to-day life and things that emotionally resonate with me. It has two subscription tiers, and the second tier includes a postcard and a mystery goodie like a recipe card, bookmark or card you’d send to a friend.

Anna Tono. Photo by Jess Barnard.

I also love sending mail, and it’s been a fun challenge to make art on a deadline. Some of my favorite things I’ve made are the more personal ones. In January, I celebrated Oshōgatsu, or New Year’s, with my family by watching Kōhaku Uta Gassen, an annual New Year’s Eve music contest on TV, and eating a traditional Japanese New Year’s breakfast called Ozoni on New Year’s morning. I made a postcard of the dish and wrote about it in the letter that accompanies each mail club order. I did something similar in May, when I made a recipe card for my grandma’s pork belly hot pot that my dad had made for me.

There’s been a conversation about the role that art plays in our lives. Is it a necessity? Is it a luxury?

Sometimes, art is presented as a luxury, but I see it as a way to engage the community. Art exhibits in Seattle do a great job creating programming that activates the community through open mics, artist panels and workshops, and that brings people into local businesses and community organizations.

Joy, connection and reflection are central to your work. How do these values show up in your artistic practice?

These are things that I want more of in my life, and if I can share them, it’s even more fulfilling. Regardless of what I’m making, I want to make people feel seen and heard, and being an artist is my way to do that. There’s something meaningful about seeing your thoughts and stories reflected in an art installation or playful illustrations that can unlock feelings of childlike wonder. It’s also a way to share my inner world and amplify the joyful parts of my work.

Follow Anna on Instagram, and check out her website to learn about how you can work with her, and stay in the know about upcoming events, and sign up for the Tegami Club.

About the author: Aleenah Ansari (she/her) is equal parts storyteller, creative problem solver, and journalist at heart who’s rooted in the stories of people behind products, companies, and initiatives. She writes about travel, entrepreneurship, mental health and wellness, and representation in media for Insider, The Seattle Times, Byrdie, and more. You can usually find her searching for murals, reading a book by a BIPOC author, or planning her next trip to New York. You can learn more at her website.