Patsy Surh O’Connell (Leader – Cultural Heritage, 2019)

October 3, 2019 376 0 0

Patsy Surh O’Connell was born in Shanghai, China of Korean parent refugees from Japan’s military occupation of Korea. Her family returned to Korea after Japan’s surrender. The Korean War, with North Korean and Chinese communist military invasions, again uprooted and imperiled her family. After that war, she lived her early life in Korea before immigrating to America in 1963, and graduated as an Interior Designer in San Francisco. She has two sons, and an adopted daughter, and lives with her husband of 54 years in Gig Harbor, Washington since 1985. Achievements highlights: -She studied Chinese ink painting, Sumi-e, oil, watercolor, pastel, acrylic, lapidary, weaving, pottery, quilting, and batik in Korea, Japan, China, and in the United States. -Governor-appointed as an Arts Commissioner to the Washington State Arts Commission for two terms through 1996-2003. -Appointed to Board of Trustees of Western States Arts Federation representing Washington State for two terms through 1997-2004. -Received Governor Jay Inslee Arts and Heritage Award in 2018 -Received President’s Award from Republic of Korea President Moon Jae In, in 2019 -Founder and President of the nonprofit Asia Pacific Cultural Center since 1996 where 47 countries and cultures of Asia and the Pacific Islands are represented in our community. The mission of the organization is bridging communities and generations through arts, culture, education, and business. She has shown her works in many juried art shows, and received numerous awards. Her works are in private collections in Korea, Japan, Sweden, and the United States. She has been a water media teacher at college level for 37 years, a juror, served as President of the Korean American Artists of Washington for the past 5 years, member of Women Painters of WA, and is a Signature Life Member of the Northwest Watercolor Society. She believes learning is a life-long endeavor, and keeping one’s cultural roots is an important factor in one’s life. Assimilating what we each consider to be good from our cultural roots into the fabric of our American culture is an important legacy role for each of us to practice. She is affiliated with: Asia Pacific Cultural Center (APCC) Women Painters of Washington (WPW) Northwest Watercolor Society (NWWS) Korean American Artists Association of WA (KAAAW) Puget Sound Sumi Artists (PSSA) Overseas Chinese Artists Association (OCAA) Peninsula Art League (PAL)