Who We Are: Autobiographies in Art Collection

"Who We Are: Autobiographies in Art features the work of ten artists who were selected by a jury [in 1990] based on the way they expressed their experiences visually, on their technical expertise, and on the artwork's appeal to young people. Artists were free to interpret the theme "Who We Are" in any way they wished. Some tell their story, some carry forward family histories, some create universal images.

The exhibition attempts to ask and answer some questions commonly asked by art viewers -- Who made this? Where did they get the idea? What's the artist like? Is he or she like me?

Look for clues that will tell you something about who these artists are and why they selected these images and techniques to express themselves. The answers will not be found on the surface of the art alone..."

–Abby Ehrlich and Sheila Mullen, workbook authors, excerpted from the Introduction to the "Who We Are" workbook.

"Who We Are: Autobiographies in Art" is a curated collection of one hundred artworks by ten diverse artists -- each artist made ten artworks specifically for this collection. It was originally organized as ten small collections featuring ten artworks, one by each artist, for ten K-12 public schools. An educational workbook was part of the collection and is linked to each artwork.

This collection was made possible through the partnership of the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

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