Japanese-born, Yoshiko Shimano challenges to transform the paper so it no longer speaks as “paper”, but has a density of physical presence that is one with its imagery. By using many different printmaking marks, she wishes to unify existing mediums and layers into a seamless language. When hung in one space, her large-scale installation prints become environmental works that interact with the architecture and create a new atmosphere. She embraces an artist’s responsibilities within society to expand beyond studio practices or gallery presentations. She has offered many local and international outreach projects and made prints for various minority groups and victims of natural disasters with her students through the Department of Art at the University of New Mexico. She received her B.F.A. degree from California College of the Arts and M.F.A. degree from Mills College in Oakland, California. Shimano currently lives and works in Albuquerque, New Mexico.