Spokane Creators

Ildikó Kalapács grew up in the socialist Hungary in the 70s under Soviet occupation. She studied visual art and folk dance over there. She came to the US in 1987 and she has lived in the Northwest since then. She continued her visual art studies at Eastern Washington University and has worked in the folk dance/research field in the US and Hungary.
Her work is greatly influenced by both cultures, and she expands her understanding of more cultures in the era of globalization in order to understand cultural flux. Diversity is the basis of her art. That led her to exhibit not just in the US, but in Europe and Japan over the years.
She also creates public art works for institutions which have a philosophy similar to hers, namely compassion and respecting cultures, individuals, and nature. One recent example is Refuge created for the YWCA of Spokane.
Being a folk dancer gave her an insight into non-mainstream cultures (“low art”) and doing village research exposed her different ways of self-expression. Thus she moves comfortably back and forth between the continents and between city and rural cultures.