BY KEELIN EVERLY-LANG for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 10/23/2026
Saiyare Refaei (they/them/she/her) is nearing their two-year anniversary of becoming a full-time artist, but their history of art and activism spans at least the last 13 years.
The local artist is Chinese Iranian and shares that they are based on the occupied lands of the Puyallup people (Tacoma, Washington) and is a member of a Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative. They “strive to utilize art as a bridge for community building, education and healing.”
Today their work includes a variety of different mediums and projects including community murals, printmaking, digital drawings and poetry, and they “enjoy working collaboratively and being a conduit to visualize the stories that need to be told in our communities.”
Weekly Volcano talked with the artist as they added stripes to a tiger on a new mural at Sheridan Elementary School.
The mural was designed in partnership with the school’s community and students, and the process highlights the forces of joy and community resistance at play in Refaei’s life.
“It’s my first time painting in a schoolyard … the students have been so encouraging and sweet,” Refaei said.
At the same time, even these young children are feeling the impact of current pressures on our Tacoma communities.
“There are several families with kiddos who have been abducted by ICE,” said Refaei, so they are intentionally making their mural vibrant and joyful and including words of welcome in the many languages spoken by the students.
“We think it will be very important to the families here and the kids who’ve been impacted by seeing the absence of their friends,” Refaei said.
This experience also hits close to home. Refaei has been actively speaking up for immigrant and refugee families and in opposition to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma for many years.
“I had a family member that was detained here … I don’t want anyone to go have to go through that experience,” Refaei said. “I don’t want you know families to have to go through the fear of not knowing where their loved one is, when they’ll be released.”
Aside from the mural, they are also designing a poster for a local union, wrapping up a project illustrating a children’s book, and painting packaging for a local hot sauce created by a former student at a foundation focused on farming.
The children’s book is called “My Name Means Free” and tells the story of a “nonbinary kiddo of Iranian descent” learning about traditions, including the celebration of the spring New Year’s holiday Nowruz.
A free community event will provide a sneak peek of the book on Nov. 21 at Toolbox Laboratories, 309 Puyallup Ave. in Tacoma.
Through these projects and more, Refaei finds different ways to make change. Some organizations they’ve supported over the years include the Palestinian Humanitarian Response Center (PHRC), Arduna Team, La Resistencia, Venceremos Brigade, Mississippi Five and Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative, of which they are one of 40 members.
One recent mural project in their hometown of McMinnville, Oregon, is called “A Gathering Place” and highlights the town’s historic Chinese community. Despite their own heritage, Refaei said they never knew much about the 300 Chinese workers who built the infrastructure for the town and whose skilled labor vastly benefited Oregon’s local economy beginning in the 1870s.
Their research also revealed the scrutiny and racism that this community faced and she sees sharing information about these atrocities as an important history to recognize and learn from.
At the same time, the mural’s title comes from the way the community would come together and gather despite the challenges they faced. These celebrations are being revived today by the local Asian Heritage Association.
Reactions to the mural from the community have been positive, Refaei said.
“It was really heartwarming to know that folks were excited and interested to learn more of the history because they also didn’t know it either … we would love to see more projects like that happen and revealing some of the difficult histories, but also the celebrations,” Refaei said.
Holding the complexity of this past and present pain can be challenging, but Refaei moves through it by making art. They also find that “going on a walk, dancing, listening to music, cooking and even doing laundry all help in their own way. Even talking things through with others or just being around small groups of people helps to combat the isolation and internalized distress.”
Refaei also recommends “showing up for events and helping organize around issues” because these actions “also reinforce the idea that we can make small changes to cumulatively support community.”
Right now, Refaei’s hope is “to connect to people through art.”
That could look like “community projects, teaching a workshop to share basic printmaking skills or through the very subject matter of a piece of art. In the schools, I’m finding that students aren’t taking art classes very often so when they get a chance to do something like a mural together you see a different side of students who may otherwise disengage.”
“Art opens up a playful side of us that often gets neglected. It’s such a joyful experience to witness children and adults problem-solve and ignite with excitement while making art together,” Refaei said.
You can find more of Saiyare Refaei’s work at justseeds.org/artist/saiyarerefaei or @_saikick_ on Instagram.
