Artwork copyright Horatio Hung-Yan Law. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Horatio Hung-Yan Law. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Horatio Hung-Yan Law. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Horatio Hung-Yan Law. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Horatio Hung-Yan Law. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Horatio Hung-Yan Law. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Horatio Hung-Yan Law. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Sanctuary, 2019

Horatio Hung-Yan Law

Location: Marie Curie STEM Elementary School, Pasco

About the Artwork

Sanctuary is an installation by artist Horatio Hung-Yan Law. During the first year of this project, Law held workshops at Marie Curie STEM Elementary School in Pasco, Southeastern Washington. He taught students how to fold origami butterflies out of paper. He also talked with them about the lifecycle and migration patterns of monarch butterflies. Law notes that the butterflies became a powerful symbol: “They embody the collective immigrant and migrant experience of the Marie Curie community—students, parents, families and staff—and the school itself becomes the sanctuary of learning and nurturing for the whole community.” The community of Pasco in Southeastern Washington is approximately 50% Latinx. At the end of the school year, Law and the students created a temporary installation with the paper butterflies in the arched ceiling space near the bus entrance to the school. This paper installation was the first version of the permanent sculpture that is now found in the school. A STEM school focuses on teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with .

About the Artist

Portland, Oregon-based artist Horatio Hung-Yan Law is known for his thoughtful community artworks. He often holds conversations, open houses, and other events in the communities where he is creating public art. The goal of his outreach is to get to know and understand the community and their needs, and to create art that responds to this. Much of his art stems from his Asian American identity and his experience as an immigrant. Law was born and raised in Hong Kong and came to the U.S. at age sixteen. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977 from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. In the 1980s, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City and also studied art in Florence, Italy. In 1993, he earned a Master of Fine Art degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.