The work on view is primarily textile art, including many banners Moki made for the performances she and Don Cherry performed together. Called “Organic Music,” the couple tried to break down barriers between the audience and the artist and make collaborative musical experiences that incorporated children and family life.
The banners were used as theatrical adornments to foster audience interaction. Many depict Hindu figures. Don and Moki incorporated Indian musical styles, such as ragas, into their collaborations. On “Brown Rice,” an album for which Moki designed the sleeve art, she can be heard performing the stringed tanpura.
“They developed these extraordinary spaces that were like audio-visual happenings,” said curator Mark Christman. “They supported a communal creative expression across languages, across borders, across communities and ages and abilities and ideas.”