Pacific Index

Mai Ide Brings Identity, Imperfection, and Storytelling to the Cawein Gallery

By: Ezri Thompson

Pacific University’s Cawein Gallery will host Boxed Women, an exhibition by Portland-based artist Mai Ide, running October 16 through November 12. The show features an opening reception on October 16 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm, with an artist talk and tea ceremony. Ide’s practice spans sashiko stitching, upcycled textiles, performance, and storytelling to explore identity and the power of imperfection.

Ide’s practice is rooted in movement, between mediums, between cultures, and between states of mind. One of the most striking things she shared during our conversation was her habit of working on multiple projects at once. Rather than focusing on a single piece, she moves fluidly between textiles, ceramics, writing, film, and performance. “Going around different mediums allows me to get ideas,” she explained. This approach keeps her grounded and humble, allowing her to return to a beginner’s mindset. She intentionally works in mediums she considers herself “bad”at because starting over helps her avoid ego and stay connected to curiosity. It’s a philosophy that shapes not only her process, but the emotional tone of her work.

Her relationship with sashiko, a traditional Japanese stitching technique, began unexpectedly. A Portland State faculty member asked her to lead a workshop, pushing her to reconnect with a technique she once avoided. “I tried to stay away from Japanese material because I wanted to be more American,” she said. But researching sashiko brought her back to her identity. As she stitched, she found that the repetitive motion offered more than technique. “My brain can be empty and not overthink,” she said. “It allows me to connect with my authentic’ness.”

This sense of healing and connection also informs her choice to work with upcycled textiles. Many of the works featured in Boxed Women incorporate salvaged or discarded materials, Japanese obi, chemical sacks, stadium jackets, raincoats, and even doormats. Pieces like, “Don’t Touch with Your Hand” (2024), made from cotton chemicals sacks and vintage boning, and “Door Mat Corset #2,” constructed from a doormat and vintage chain, transforming everyday objects into intimate, body-related forms. Ide began using recycled materials during the COVID-19 pandemic but the practice quickly became intentional. “It’s beyond sustainability,” she said. “It’s connecting to ancestors, connecting to community stories… adding everyone’s voices as a storyteller.”

Seeing her work in person, especially “HAHAHA; Language Barrier” (2024), made this philosophy feel tangible. The piece, twelve feet long and stitched from discarded silk obi, sashiko thread, and plastic, captures the humor and vulnerability of navigating language and identity while living between cultures. Its scale, repetition, and texture pull viewers into her process. For me, it was the piece that made her work feel most personal and emotionally open. It’s a reminder that communication, like stitching, is imperfect, layered, and deeply human.

Other works in the exhibition continue this exploration of identity and containment. “Watashi, I Am…” (2024) combines silk obi, a Japanese doll, and a wooden box to examine culture inheritance and self-definition. “Yellow Women” (2025) uses silk obi, a rain jacket, wig, and doll clothing to explore Asian femininity and representation. Her corset series, created at the Banff Centre in 2024, reimagines corsetry using chemical sacks, metal boning, and vintage notions, challenging beauty standards and bodily expectations. These pieces collectively explore how women, especially Asian women, are shaped, boxed, and defined by external forces.

The exhibition title, Boxed Women, echoes a phrase found in her portfolio: “hakoiri musume,” meaning “boxed daughter.” It’s a cultural term referring to a sheltered young woman, protected, contained, and shaped by expectations. Ide’s work pushes the boundaries. Through stitching, folding, mending, and storytelling, she invites viewers to consider how identity is shaped, constrained, and reclaimed.

Ide hopes Pacific students feel encouraged to embrace their identities and imperfections. “My art is kind of wonky, not perfect… it’s ok to be wonky,” she said. “I want to encourage students to do whatever they want with what they already know.” Her work challenges the idea that sewing must be meticulous or flawless. Instead, she uses imperfection as a form of honesty, a way to show the human hand, the human story, and the human struggle.

Looking ahead, Ide’s practice is expanding into filmmaking. She was recently selected for the Portland Art Museum’s filmmaker residency, where she was the only non-filmmaker in the cohort. The experience pushed her toward documentary storytelling. “I consider myself a storyteller… film is just one of the ways to express what I’m doing,” she said. Her next goal is to create a documentary interviewing Asian artists.

Boxed Women offers a personal and communal celebration of identity, material history, and creation. Through her layered, imperfect works, Ide invites viewers to slow down, embrace authenticity, and listen to the stories embedded in every thread.