Seattle Artist sam Jungwoo Explores Love Through Traditional Korean Food for Northwest Harvest’s #ArtistsForFoodJustice Series

February ‘Food Is Love’ Theme Features Felt Artist’s Interpretation of Lunar New Year Traditions

SEATTLE, Wash. (February 5, 2025)—This Week, Northwest Harvest announced Seattle artist sam 정우/Jungwoo (who styles his first name with a lowercase ‘s’) as February’s featured collaborator for #ArtistsForFoodJustice, a yearlong initiative amplifying diverse voices in the conversation about hunger and food justice. Through intricate felt work, Jungwoo interprets February’s theme “Food Is Love” by celebrating the cultural significance of Korean Lunar New Year dishes.

Jungwoo’s 28-by-34-inch felt piece centers on rice cake soup, a traditional Lunar New Year dish that carries deep meaning in Korean culture.

“My mom carefully cuts keran tidan, or thinly sliced egg, and sprinkles seaweed on top,” Jungwoo explains. “I wanted to create this in felt to mirror how tactile and intentional this process of making and sharing food is.”

The tactile nature of felt art resonates with Jungwoo’s exploration of food as an expression of love. “Food is inherent to our nourishment as love is, and is definitely one of my favorite ways of showing and receiving love.”

“When we share food traditions, we share our stories and ourselves,” says Em Nitz-Ritter, Community Storytelling Specialist at Northwest Harvest. “Sam’s work beautifully illustrates how food becomes a vehicle for love, belonging, and cultural preservation.”

The artwork debuts as part of Northwest Harvest’s broader “Meaning of Food” campaign, which explores food’s significance in building just, healthy communities. Twelve Washington artists from BIPOC communities and marginalized identities will contribute throughout 2025, each interpreting a monthly theme that illuminates different aspects of food justice.

View Jungwoo’s interpretation of “Food Is Love” at northwestharvest.org/artists-for-food-justice. Community members can also record and share their own “Food is Love” stories at northwestharvest.org/meaning-of-food.

Media requests: 

Media interested in following this yearlong community dialogue or partnering on sustained coverage can contact Zomi Anderson at ZomiA@northwestharvest.org or 772-924-8555. High-resolution artwork and artist interviews available upon request. 

About sam 정우/Jungwoo

sam 정우/Jungwoo (he/him) is a queer + Trans Corean immigrant and artist boy, whose creative practice is rooted in giving deeper breath to trans euphoria / grief / love / protection / care / celebration. He creates art as a way to build spaces for deeper curiosity and connection in his unfurling as a diasporic Trans human, as a practice to dream within a system that values disconnection and violence. He is honored to be a collaborator with the House of Kilig, a Trans + Queer diaspora centered collective that utilizes kapwa and kilig as a compass in pursuit of interdisciplinary art creation, teaching artistry, and community organizing. You can find him and more of his art @sam.dooodles (three ‘o’s) on Instagram.

A not on spelling 

The artist uses “C” for “Corean” instead of “Korean” to highlight a historical debate surrounding the spelling change during Japan’s occupation of Korea (1910-1945). Scholars suggest that Japan may have altered the English spelling to position itself ahead of Korea alphabetically, symbolizing colonial dominance. By using “C,” the artist aligns with efforts to reclaim cultural pride and honor Korea’s pre-colonial identity. This choice reflects a broader dialogue on heritage and national dignity.

About Northwest Harvest

Northwest Harvest is an anti-racist, anti-oppression organization committed to transforming an unjust food system into one that is more responsive and accountable to the communities most impacted by discrimination. In addition to distributing food to more than 350 partners throughout Washington state, Northwest Harvest aims to shift public opinion, as well as impact institutional policies and societal practices that perpetuate hunger, poverty, and disparities in our state. www.northwestharvest.org

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