A Confluence of Art and Community

In celebration of Cornish College of the Arts joining Seattle University, Behnke Gallery curator and Cornish art faculty member Robert Campbell put together an inaugural exhibition of works to introduce the Cornish community of students, staff and faculty to the richness of art created by Seattle University faculty.

One of the featured artists, SU Professor Naomi Kasumi, says, “I believe this exhibition is a wonderful introduction to the Cornish community and a meaningful pathway to unite two colleges into one. It has been a joy to work with new colleagues in this fresh environment and we were warmly welcomed into CCA’s academic, artistic and inspiring community.”

The show, Tempo/Tempus: Rhythm and Time in Visual Art, is up through October 25 at the Behnke Gallery, on the main South Lake Union campus. The exhibit features art by SU faculty Kristofer Carlson, Francisco Guerrero, Kasumi, Jim Y. H. Li, Aunna Moriarty, Alexander Mouton, Trung Pham, Miha Sarani and Arielle Simmons. This is just the first of what will be half a dozen exhibitions mounted in the gallery over the course of the 2025-26 academic year.

In preparation for the exhibit each artist weighed which of their existing large-scale work(s) to include. UNTITLED (Vestige Apparitions) by Carlson, a Cornish alum and longtime SU faculty, was chosen “as a way to not only introduce myself to the current students at Cornish, but also as way to connect with them, because this work was created during my time as a Cornish student,” says Carlson.

“I thought it would be interesting for them to see what an instructor’s work was like at a similar development moment as their own, specifically between my sophomore and junior years there.”

Gallery visitors can also view Kasumi’s MEM: memory • memorial no.7 scriptorium, a striking work that has been widely exhibited across the U.S. and abroad. 

MEM: memory • memorial no.7 scriptorium by Naomi Kasumi.

This piece, says Kasumi, “is not only a representation of my installation art practice but also reflects the inherently interdisciplinary nature of my work and process,” which wholly aligns with the vision of Cornish founder Nellie Cornish—education through exposure to all the arts.

This exhibit brings together “an extraordinary group of practicing artists who teach, mentor and inspire students daily,” says curator Campbell. “We invite the community to join us to experience the full spectrum of works by these nine artist-educators.”

Kasumi is hopeful that this collaboration between Cornish and SU will foster more interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning, “sparking collaborations not only across the arts, but also between disciplines such as Arts & Sciences, Sciences & Engineering and Albers, opening new possibilities for research, dialogue and creative practice.”

Anger by adjunct faculty and Seattle University alum Aunna Moriarty, MFA.