Generations of Art: The Sunami Family
By Hailey Stangebye
Photos courtesy of the Sunami family
On November 30, “Generations of Art: The Sunami Family” will open at the Cultural Arts Center with a ceremony featuring the Columbus Symphony, the Columbus Modern Dance Company and, of course, the Sunami family.
This show represents four generations of artists all connected through bonds of heritage and love, and is being organized by local public artist John Sunami. A resident of Columbus for over forty years, John boasts an array of public art installments all over our city, from the COTA Bus headquarters to the McConnell Arts Center of Worthington.
The lineage starts, however, with John’s father, Soichi Sunami. Born in the late 1800s, Soichi emigrated from Japan to the United States and pursued a career as a photographer. Among his many accolades, Soichi was one of the founding staff members for the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
“This is going to be one of the first major retrospectives of my grandfather’s work since he passed,” Chris, Soichi’s grandson and John’s son, says. “He was an early modernist photographer, and he was best known because he took a lot of the iconic pictures of the early modern dancers. Particularly, he worked with Martha Graham, who was one of the main innovators of modern dance. He and Martha Graham worked closely together for five years. A lot of the really famous pictures of her were ones that he took.”
“He was an early modernist photographer, and he was best known because he took a lot of the iconic pictures of the early modern dancers. Particularly, he worked with Martha Graham, who was one of the main innovators of modern dance. He and Martha Graham worked closely together for five years. A lot of the really famous pictures of her were ones that he took.”
For the opening ceremony festivities, the Columbus Modern Dance Company (with funding from the Greater Columbus Arts Council) has secured permissions to recreate an original Martha Graham piece, “Heretic,” which was photographed by Soichi.
Next in the line of artists is John, a key organizer for the show and an acclaimed public artist in Columbus.
“My dad was one of the very early innovators of digital art,” Chris says. “I remember, back when I was a kid, he got his first Macintosh computer in 1984, which was when they came out. And he was a winner of one of their first contests for digital artists. So, he was doing digital art very early.”
The show will also showcase three artists from the next generation of Sunamis: Chris, his sister, Jennifer, and his wife, April.
Jennifer is a commercial artist based out of Seattle. Chris is a programmer at Nationwide by day, but he spends his off hours writing and composing.
“The Columbus Symphony is going to provide an ensemble. They’re going to play live accompaniment to the dance,” Chris says. “They’ll also be performing six of my own pieces. That’s very exciting for me.”
“The Columbus Symphony is going to provide an ensemble. They’re going to play live accompaniment to the dance. They’ll also be performing six of my own pieces. That’s very exciting for me.”
Last in this generation, but certainly not least, is acclaimed local artist April Sunami. Her work has been featured across the state, and, earlier this year, she produced a solo show for the Southern Ohio Museum at Portsmouth. She is also currently a featured artist and curator for Columbus’ Harlem Renaissance 100 celebration.
“This will show the range of what our family is doing,” Chris says. “But, it also shows that we’re an multiracial family, and I think it’s good for people to see that as a part of the fabric of Columbus. Sometimes, people don’t think of Columbus as a multicultural place. But it really is.”
“But, it also shows that we’re an multiracial family, and I think it’s good for people to see that as a part of the fabric of Columbus. Sometimes, people don’t think of Columbus as a multicultural place. But it really is.”
The fourth generation will be represented in the show with a piece from River Sunami, the 10-year-old son of April and Chris. River is one of the many young artists and musicians among Soichi’s 10 great-grandchildren. While it’s too soon to tell if River will follow in his family’s footsteps, Chris says that River was drawn to art from the moment he could draw.
This show opens on November 30 at 6 p.m., and the artwork will remain on display through January 5, 2019. For more information, click here.
