ACES // Artists of Color Expo & Symposium is a BIPOC-led program produced by Shunpike that creates space for artists to be bold and create through experimentation and community intention.
The ACES Gallery, located at Washington 1000 (1000 Olive Way) in Downtown Seattle, will feature the work of 50 local artists of color. Visit the Exhibition during open gallery hours and join us for a series of events, including opening celebrations, THE CYPHER, and an Artist Market!
The ACES Gallery is a showcase of visual work by BIPOC artists exploring themes of cultural storytelling and community connection. The exhibit offers a platform for both emerging and established artists to share their vision in a public space and spark conversation.
Friday, October 9 | 1:00-4:00 PM | Opening Night Party (RSVP Here) 5:30-9:00 PM
Saturday, October 10 | 10:00 AM-6:00 PM
Sunday, October 11 | 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
Workshops
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11
🪡 2 PM-3:30 PM | Stories in a Scented Pouch: Hand-Sew a Chinese Hebao
Led by: Miki Hau
Description:
Hand-sew a Chinese hebao while exploring stories of love, memory, and care.
In this 90-minute workshop, participants will learn about the Chinese hebao , a traditional scented pouch, through stories of love, memory, care, and cultural tradition. The workshop will begin with an introduction to the history and significance of hebao, alongside personal family stories that highlight how these handmade objects have been used to express love, friendship, protection, gratitude, and remembrance. Participants will then hand-sew their own beginner-friendly hebao using pre-cut fabric, simple stitches, and step-by-step guidance, making the workshop accessible to all sewing experience levels. Each participant will personalize their pouch with a meaningful scent or small keepsake, creating an object that connects them to a person, memory, or feeling. The workshop will close with optional reflection and sharing, creating space for connection and conversation while celebrating the value of slowing down and making something by hand.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11
🪡 10:30 AM-12 PM | Embroidery Landscape
Led by: Ai-Chun Huang
Description:
Stitch your memories into a mountain landscape using recycled textiles and embroidery.
Mountain Landscape: Embroidery, Collage & Memory is a hands-on 90-minute workshop inviting participants to create a small 4 × 6-inch landscape artwork inspired by my recent embroidered mountain series. Using recycled fabrics and collected textile materials—including knit fibers, seed beads, sequins, and metallic embroidery floss on silk—participants will combine collage and simple sewing techniques to build their own miniature mountain landscape, designed to be completed during the session.
I will begin by briefly introducing my artistic practice and explaining how mountains and landscapes function in my work as metaphors for identity, cultural memory, migration, challenge, and transformation. I will then demonstrate my process: selecting and layering recycled materials, composing a landscape, attaching textile elements, and adding embroidery and decorative details. Participants will follow these steps while making their own work, but will be encouraged to interpret the landscape through their own memories, cultural backgrounds, and experiences.
The workshop aligns with ACES’ mission by creating an accessible space for cultural exchange, experimentation, and storytelling while centering the creative voices and lived experiences of BIPOC participants. Rather than teaching a single “correct” way to make a landscape, I want to encourage participants to consider what a mountain, ocean, or horizon might represent in their own lives.
At this moment, when many communities are navigating questions of belonging, displacement, identity, and connection, landscape can become a powerful shared language. Reusing discarded materials also invites us to think about sustainability, resourcefulness, and the value of things that might otherwise be overlooked. Participants will leave with a finished postcard-sized artwork and a new way to transform everyday materials into personal stories.
📝 2:30 PM-4 PM | Write to Heal: A Reflective Journal Making Workshop
Led by: Nansare Consolata
Description:
A hands-on African Print journal-making workshop for healing and self-expression.
Write to Heal: A Reflective African Print Journal Making Workshop is a 90-minute, hands-on creative experience that invites participants to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and explore journaling as a practice of reflection, healing, and creative expression. Using vibrant African fabrics and mixed-media materials, participants will design and assemble their own journals before engaging in guided writing prompts centered on identity, resilience, gratitude, and future aspirations.
The workshop is intentionally interactive, encouraging participants to create at their own pace in a welcoming, judgment-free environment. While opportunities for conversation and storytelling will be offered throughout the session, sharing is always optional. My goal is to create a space where attendees feel empowered to express themselves through both visual art and writing, regardless of their artistic experience.
As a multidisciplinary artist and community facilitator, I believe creative practice is a powerful form of care that helps people process experiences, strengthen self-awareness, and build authentic connections with others. The African textiles used throughout the workshop serve as both an artistic medium and a celebration of cultural craftsmanship, reminding participants that everyday objects can carry stories, memory, and intention.
This workshop aligns with ACES’ mission by uplifting BIPOC artistic practices that foster community, storytelling, and collective care. At a time when many people are seeking meaningful ways to reconnect with themselves and one another, Write to Heal offers an accessible creative practice that participants can continue long after the workshop ends, leaving with both a handcrafted journal and tools to support their ongoing well-being and creative Journey.
This is a community event and not affiliated with SEATTLE CREATES.