Yuko Nii
Yuko Nii (born 1942) is a Japanese artist and philanthropist. Her work has included painting, printmaking, graphic design, stage set, costume and fashion design. She has written journalism, poetry, fiction, essays and philosophy, and published a book with Terrance Lindall, entitled Blue Eyed Satori.
Early life and education
The daughter of a steel executive, Nii was born in 1942.[1] She is from Tokyo. She studied (1961–63) English and American Literature at Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan.[2] In 1963 she transferred to Macalaster College, St. Paul, Minnesota as a scholarship student, and earned her BFA. in 1965. From 1966 she attended Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, as a fellowship student and earned her Master of Fine Arts in painting in 1969.
Williamsburg Art & Historical Center
In 1996, Nii founded the not for profit Williamsburg Art & Historical Center (WAH Center) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, which is housed in the Kings County Savings Bank Building in the National Register of Historic Places - a New York City Landmark.[3]
Honors and awards
In 1998, Howard Golden, then Brooklyn borough president, named Nii Brooklyn’s Women of the Year.[4] In 2001, Governor George Pataki named Nii a "Woman of Excellence, Vision and Courage."
References
- Gray, Christopher (29 October 2000). "Streetscapes/Former Kings County Savings Bank on Broadway in Brooklyn; From a Bank to an Art Center, Via an Artist's Vision". Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- "Yuko Nii's Biography". wahcenter.net.
- Susan Finch (18 May 2010). Metro New York Off the Beaten Path. Globe Pequot. p. 82.
- Seth Kamil, Eric Wakin (2005). The Big Onion Guide to Brooklyn. NYU Press. p. 90.