iris yirei hu (Photo – Armory Center for the Arts)
As her two-year Armory residency comes to a close, artist iris yirei hu will spend the last five weeks in a temporary studio upstairs in the Mezzanine, throughout which she will host studio hours.
By Katlyn Ong
Starting July 25, iris will host studio hours on Fridays from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, during which iris welcomes you into her studio for close looking and dialogue.
Born in Los Angeles and raised in Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley, Armory artist-in-residence iris yirei hu works across paintings, installations, intercultural collaborations, writing, and public art. During her two-year commitment at the Armory, iris has been sharing her expertise in museum education and collaborative practice to support the Armory staff in curricula development and visitor engagement. Her unique practice, which involves cultivating diverse communities, study of Indigenous and diasporic knowledge systems in Los Angeles and beyond, and participation in two group exhibitions—Plein Air (2023) and From the Ground Up: Nurturing Diversity in Hostile Environments (2024)—allowed for deep engagement and enriched learning opportunities within the community.
A former museum educator, iris continues to use mindfulness practices in her creative process and approach. Using the exhibitions on view as resources for learning, iris led internal workshops for Armory staff in close looking and reflective practice, and invited Indigenous stewards, naturalists, ecologists, educators, and artists from her network to share their expertise in an effort to build community and foster new ways of understanding. The conversations, field trips, and workshops were designed to align with the exhibition themes, which included Indigenous ecological practices, environmental stewardship, climate change, ancestral technologies, and collective grief.
Studio Hours with iris yirei hu Fridays, July 25 - August 29, 2025 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Location Armory Center for the Arts 145 North Raymond Ave. Pasadena, CA 91103
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