Make sure to stop in and see the work of fiber artist, Shin-Hee Chin, before it leaves our gallery! Her artwork will be on display at the Hutchinson Art Center until September 16th.

Gallery Hours: Tues - Fri 9am - 5pm | Sat & Sun 1pm - 5pm

Life and War
Shin-hee Chin

In our increasingly interconnected world, war is always a part of our reality. In spite of how removed one may seem from war, its effects are felt in every life. During my mother’s generation, there were World War II and the Korean War; in mine, it was Vietnam and the Cold War; and in my daughter’s, it is the Gulf Wars, the War on Drugs, and many other international conflicts. I was born in the generation following the Korean War, a time full of hope, but also a time fraught with a sense of trauma. When I came to the United States, I realized that this sentiment was not limited to Korea. The scars of war are visible as time passes.

Wars in the present day span the continuum between personal and political. Amidst all the changes and turmoil, what does it mean to be a peacemaker in our time? It becomes a complicated question considering that peace is not merely the absence of war, but also the presence of cultural and economic harmony and unity. Peacemaking cannot be passive. Thus, it becomes a choice of being ignorant and complacent or of actively seeking awareness.

Some of war’s greatest heroes are the nurses, chaplains, pastors, social workers, mothers, poets, etc, who are able to demonstrate the depth of human dignity that is possible even amidst demonstrations of the most depraved of human behavior.

My work seeks to valorize the small tasks that together yield a greater sum in positive energy, yet are overlooked or dismissed by history. In addition to recognizing the work of the unsung heroes of wartime, my work seeks to acknowledge the trials endured by victims of war.

As a Christian, I find insight on peacemaking from the Bible. I believe we, as humans, are all called to be peacemakers. However, my work is not meant to be didactic or definitive.  It is meant, rather, to present the various forms of peacemaking throughout history and my reflections on it: the beginning of a winding thread, not necessarily a neat end.