creating moments and objects
Michael Paul Baja Anderson wants to be as soft as the mountains and as loud as the wind. His practice is a prayer for liberation, a love song to the land, and an elegy to those who gave their hearts to the world. Anderson’s materials reflect upon the migrations and culture of his Filipino ancestry while meditating upon dreams of gentleness. Anderson researches the ways that communities come together to form strength with a focus on the craft practices of weaving and papermaking. He aims to build space to reflect, mourn, and meditate with the spirits of the Earth within and for the margins. As a multi-disciplined artist, he is always producing, often in ways that are not seen as productive. For Anderson, his movement, documentation, memory, discussion, and dreaming are critical practices inspired by the ancestors and dedicated to the descendants.
Anderson holds a BFA with an emphasis in Visual and Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and finds strength within the soft arts. He has collaborated with the Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma Housing Authority, Teens In Tacoma, Yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives, The City of Seattle, The Carving Studio and Sculpture Center, and Ox-Bow School of Art.
