Heritage Days

Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann makes luxuriant paper paintings and installations that explore world-building, botanical excess, and a personal mythology informed by her identity as a biracial, second generation Taiwanese American living in DC. Her work has been shown at the Walters Art Museum, Kreeger Museum, Academy Art Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art, and American embassies in Younde, Cameroon; Lima, Peru; and Dubai, UAE.

Ruth Becker is a multidisciplinary Jewish-American artist best known for intricate, layered paper artworks and colorful, geometric graphic prints. Her style is innovative and contemporary, and also deeply-rooted in Jewish folk-craft traditions and techniques: She began papercutting as a teen and later established her practice designing ketubahs (Jewish wedding art,) creating over 2,500 works for couples worldwide. Ruth's work has since expanded to include abstract compositions in lasercut plexiglass, acrylic paint, and layered plywood. Through abstraction and material experimentation, Ruth explores how process shapes perception and how what we do impacts what we know, see, and understand.

Ruth’s background, like her art, is cross-disciplinary: She earned degrees in rhetoric and law and was a Fulbright fellow in Tel Aviv. Born and raised in the DMV, she lived in Israel for over fifteen years before returning home to Chevy Chase, Maryland, where she now lives and works.

Josue Martinez is a passionate multimedia artist and graphic designer with over thirty years of experience in creating original, inspired works of art. An alum of the prestigious Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Josue brings a wealth of knowledge and creativity to his projects. A unique aspect of his work is Corinto Gallery, which he named after his birthplace, Corinto, El Salvador, as a tribute to his roots. The gallery serves as a creative hub, fostering artistic expression, community education, and engagement. Beyond his role as an artist, Josue has collaborated with various youth and change-making organizations, using his talents to educate, mentor, and contribute to the development and improvement of surrounding communities.