Cascadia students tell their stories in art

Manuel Quiroga usually paints walls, not things to hang on them.

The 36-year-old Colombian native came to Seattle from his hometown, Cali, seven years ago and, by his own estimation, has prospered here working as a house painter.

By enrolling in an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) class at Cascadia Community College in Bothell, he got a chance to express himself in a piece of public art as well as in the language of his new home.

The chance came as part of a multipanel painting by Cascadia ESL students to depict the diverse cultures in their class and the region.

"It was a wonderful project," said Bobbi Deering, the ESL instructor whose class inspired the painting collaboration in the autumn of 2004. Cascadia has approximately 130 ESL students who attend classes both on and off campus.

The project grew out of a summertime assignment where students wrote about their home countries and about coming to America. Deering thought it would be interesting to have a visual depiction of some of the stories. She worked with Cascadia multicultural specialist Debora Barrera Pontillo to get the painting project started. Barrera Pontillo joined with seven students from Deering's ESL class to paint a murallike canvas that blends depictions from their home countries.

Many of the images on the untitled work, which measures approximately 6 feet by 12 feet, also depict how the students came to be in the United States.

Sayompoo Juntaphamt painted the temples and sugar-palm fields of his native Thailand. He came here five years ago when a collapse in Asian currencies caused his business to fail. He wasn't looking for a fresh start as much as a firm foundation for his daughter Purita's future. The fact that Purita is a junior studying biochemistry at the University of Washington makes him feel he made the right decision.

Improving one's economic condition and educational opportunity is a common thread in the artists' stories. In the case of Mika Mori, it was her husband's participation in global industry. Her husband, Yasuki, came from Japan to be an engineer at Boeing. Mika portrayed the move by depicting the two of them in traditional wedding dress surrounded by symbols of the two countries.

Lucy Tovar came north from Mexico for both opportunities but concentrates on education, in English and computer literacy, so she can help her children with their schoolwork.

"It was difficult because it was my first time to paint something," said Tovar. She echoed many involved in the project who said it was good English practice because it was the common language that bound the contributors together. Only one member of the group of students had artistic experience when they began. The group met almost every Friday night to discuss themes, exchange ideas, design and help each other paint. After nearly a year of work, the group unveiled the painting in August in the first-floor student lounge.

Ashley Anderson and Desiree Schmitt, who work behind the counter of the espresso stand across the lounge from where the painting hangs, say the response has been largely positive.

"I like it," says Anderson. "It puts some color in the area."

Manuel Quiroga escaped from his normal solid-color painting style by depicting a traditional Colombian bus, the type he started driving to help support his family when he was 16.

For him, the painting is a way of saying thanks for the opportunities he has received here.

When his mother visits from Colombia next spring, he said, he'll be proud to show her how he is bringing a little of his old home to his new one.

Matt Ironside: 206-464-2449 or mironside@seattletimes.com