Reservations: www.jaschicago.org or email kono@jaschicago.org

In order to reserve your space for this event please register below. Only fully registered guests will receive ZOOM information. 

About the Event 

Karla Funderburk is an artist and the owner of Matter Studio Gallery, located in the Mid City neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA. She started The Memorial Crane Project to honor loved ones lost in the U.S. to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Since launching this exhibition in May 2020, she has received a lot of media coverage which, along with social media, has led to an outpouring of support and origami crane contributions.

Though Karla had initially installed the Memorial Crane Project in her studio gallery with some 2,000 handmade origami cranes, by September the exhibit held 8,000 cranes. It currently consists of well over 40,000 cranes and 1,950 names, which are featured on the memorial’s ‘Wall of Remembrance.’

Come join Karla as she tells her story about how a single crane has turned into a local and global call for peace. Karla will take us on a virtual tour of her studio, and will end her presentation with a origami crane folding session. Whether it is your first time folding a crane, or you are a origami master, your crane represents a larger collective journey. 

About the Speaker

Karla Funderburk is a Ceramic Artist and Master Carpenter. She earned her MFA from Claremont Graduate University in 1984, with a focus on ceramic sculpture, installation and performance art. In 1991, Karla started MATTER, a handmade, custom furniture design and manufacturing business. Today, she maintains a professional woodshop and ceramic studio, where she designs and builds custom furniture and cabinetry. Currently, Karla is creating the Memorial Crane Project, a collaborative installation honoring the victims of Covid-19.