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(mellow music)

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- My grandfather was born in 1858.

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When he was 20 years old,

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he immigrated to Hawaii.

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My grandfather on his farm,

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in Kula, Maui,

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grew corn and lima beans.

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He became very successful.

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I decided to honor him,

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by creating this piece that's called,

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Soil Toil.

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(upbeat music)

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I'm a person who is

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totally into the visual arts.

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I have found that art,

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enriches my life in so many ways.

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Design is truly important part

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about the way I live,

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the way I work,

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the way I analyze things.

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My name is Ronald Tau Wo Ho.

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- Ron Ho is a pillar here

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in the Pacific Northwest for craft,

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especially in the field of jewelry.

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(upbeat music)

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- Ron's work is,

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you know kind of a part of a school of,

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jewelry making,

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that kind of, found object,

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narrative story.

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- Ron really sees deeper,

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not just shapes,

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not just design.

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The story is as rich as the elements

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of the design itself.

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- Art records life you know.

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And he loves what life is about.

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And he loves recording something.

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And putting it together.

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- They also reflect his love of travel.

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And love of objects.

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And then his particular way
of putting things together

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is unique.

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Uniquely Ron.

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- Ron is a master.

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He's been around long enough.

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He knows his voice.

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- They either tell a personal story

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or a story related to his family.

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Or they tell a story about the collector

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who commissioned the piece.

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Or they might tell a story about

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one of his travels.

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He has traveled extensively
throughout Asia.

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There's something about his,

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it was always like a whole meal.

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(laughs)

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It's beautiful, and it was
full of many references.

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- They're almost tribal looking.

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They look like ceremonies.

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Kinda ceremonial pieces.

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I think that's unique.

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That he recreated the ethnic

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in the modern day.

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In respects to his culture

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and what he was seeing in his world.

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- The Chinese pronunciation
of my Chinese name

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is Tao Wo.

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And it was given to me by
my paternal grandmother.

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I was very fortunate because of the fact

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that both my maternal
grandparents came from China.

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I was born in Honolulu.

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- [Woman] The Hawaiian part
of him is very important.

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He comes from a very close family.

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And his family's very vital to him.

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Gave him a sense of meaning and purpose.

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- [Ron] Both of my parents' families,

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they had their own beliefs.

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And many of these beliefs are ways

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that became ingrained in me.

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My father's side of the family,

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the Hakau's were farmers.

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And my mother's side of the family,

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they were the business people.

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- It was basically the
American dream kind of story.

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You know, came as poor immigrants,

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very poor immigrants and made their way.

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And made life better
for the next generation

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and the next generation.

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And Ron's generation was the first one

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to go to college

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in his family.

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All of the children in his
family went to college.

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- My father had suggested

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that maybe I might like
to become a teacher.

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My sister was at Pacific Lutheran.

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Kept writing to me and saying
oh, you should come here

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to the Northwest.

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It's really a lovely place.

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And this is a small school.

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And the people are wonderful

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and you'll really like it.

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I attended Pacific Lutheran college

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from 1954 to 1958

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when I graduated.

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I started teaching in Hoquiam, Washington.

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I knew that I was not going
to stay in Hoquiam forever.

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I applied and eventually was accepted

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into the Bellevue school district.

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I was somebody who wanted

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to get the very best

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creative work out of my students.

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- My first class with Ron was

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at Highland Junior High School.

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Which was in Bellevue
in the seventh grade.

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First of all, he was different than most

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of the other teachers there
because he was Chinese American.

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And he had a wonderful sense of humor.

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- The junior high thing was all right

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but the little kids were his forte.

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- Notice again the design around...

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At first when they told me
I had to teach half time

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in the elementary,

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I thought oh, I don't want to do that.

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Teach those little kids.

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Once I started teaching them,

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there was such an inspiration.

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They were so creative.

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My main focus on them was to help them

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to see in a more aesthetic,

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more visual way.

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- Children could do great things with,

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really great art as an inspiration.

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And they did.

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They delivered the goods.

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Because he believed they could.

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And he totally gave them that idea.

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He's had many of those students

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who have come to him over the years

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and said how important he was
as a vital part of their life.

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- In your box is probably
a light and dark ...

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You have to inspire then in some way.

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And how do you do that?

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Well first of all,

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it could be showing them
something that's visual.

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I had all of these
objects from my travels.

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And many times this
would be an inspiration.

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- He would take the actual
artifacts to the class.

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So he might take an Indian blanket.

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And everybody would
draw an Indian blanket.

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And it'd be one with a priceless,

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museum type object that he borrowed

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from someone who actually had one.

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So the kids could actually
touch it and see it.

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- It was linked to things in the world,

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which was a good education for the kids.

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(soft music)

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- I believe that my early
paintings as I started out,

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I was still exploring

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my talents as a painter.

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I honestly have to say they were okay.

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But I honestly feel that
I never devoted the time

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and intensity to my paintings
as much as when I started

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to make my jewelry.

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- Ron's paintings were impressionistic.

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In that they were kind
of a little bit foggy,

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a little bit,

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just an impression of something.

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He wasn't realistic.

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He was working with real landscape

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or something I know that his jewelry's

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better than his painting was.

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(laughs)

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- The way I happen to
come into making jewelry

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was I was finishing up my

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Master's in Art Education

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at the University of Washington.

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Ramona Solberg, who was
teaching at Central Washington

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came over to teach that
last summer quarter.

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And I had met Ramona before.

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And I said to her, you
know I've always wanted

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to take a jewelry class.

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So I signed up for that class.

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- Ruth Penington was there,
late 50s she was there.

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And she was kind of the anchor

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that started that program.

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And later on Ramona and Ron,

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because he studied with her,

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became part of that whole
community of jewelers.

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- Ramona Solberg was the catalyst.

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She was the mother of all of us.

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She was the guiding principle of

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probably why we were all doing it.

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- Here I was working in the studio.

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But I was terrible.

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I ended up burning and melting

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some of my pieces.

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Ramona always said that
I was a good designer

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but I was a nervous solderer.

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(laughs)

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- [Woman] Ramona's opinion
mattered more to Ron

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than anybody else's.

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She really was his teacher.

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- Ramona who had traveled around the world

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had picked up all these
wonderful artifacts.

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Which she started
incorporating into her jewelry.

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So one day,

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she gave me a bone domino

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because she loved polka dots.

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I took that piece,

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starting designing around it.

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And I assembled it with other bone

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and wood pieces.

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I came up with the name All Fall Down

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because of the ivory domino.

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And of course when you play dominoes,

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you usually stand them up and then

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when you touch one,

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they suddenly collapse.

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And I guess in many ways,

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it can't be a metaphor about life.

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That became the major piece

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that started me on my journey

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into working with found objects.

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- [Man] The germ of many of his pieces

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have started with objects

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or with an idea of how you would

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turn an object into a story.

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- When he first began you
could see the reflection

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of Ramona Solberg.

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As he grew and time changed,

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she helped him become the Chinese person

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that he is by looking at his roots.

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And then that was
reflected in his creation

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of his art.

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(soft music)

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- Ramona said that he
made her jewelry better

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than she made her own.

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Because he really picked
up on what she did.

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She was his traveling companion.

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And she was his mentor

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and his best friend in many ways.

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- There were four jewelers who were very,

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very, very close friends.

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Ron Ho,

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Ramona Solberg,

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Kiff Slemmons,

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and Laurie Hall.

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That was kinda the base

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of the best jewelry art in the Northwest.

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- And we were all such close friends.

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- We were a school of thought.

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And we were all different.

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And with the danger of becoming

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like each other.

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We were inspired by each other

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and competing with each other.

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I mean, I won't deny that.

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It was really hot stuff, you know?

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It was.

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- The jewelry arts community

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always has struck me in this town

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as very generous spirited to each other.

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Less competitive than you might imagine.

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And generous.

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And so Ron was part of that.

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- They were so willing to
share their information.

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They didn't feel like they had

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to keep anything close to them.

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Because they were gonna lose something.

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- And I was starting this necklace

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and I had solved the pendant shape.

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But I wasn't quite sure
how I was gonna attach

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the neck piece to it.

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We were all sitting around.

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And then I said, well I'm
going to the restroom.

277
00:13:37,543 --> 00:13:41,040
So when I went to the
restroom and I came back,

278
00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:43,955
Ramona says we got it solved.

279
00:13:43,955 --> 00:13:45,330
(laughs)

280
00:13:45,330 --> 00:13:46,940
She had a piece of paper.

281
00:13:46,940 --> 00:13:50,110
She drew exactly how it should attach.

282
00:13:50,110 --> 00:13:52,290
And that's how it all worked out.

283
00:13:52,290 --> 00:13:54,410
- They have to share ideas because

284
00:13:54,410 --> 00:13:56,488
this is how they learn the next trick.

285
00:13:56,488 --> 00:13:58,650
(laughs)

286
00:13:58,650 --> 00:14:00,230
- They are kindred spirits

287
00:14:01,170 --> 00:14:05,090
in friendship and in the
art form that they chose.

288
00:14:05,090 --> 00:14:06,740
- It was a very exciting time.

289
00:14:06,740 --> 00:14:10,125
It was the hippy dippy time, you know?

290
00:14:10,125 --> 00:14:11,743
(laughs)

291
00:14:11,743 --> 00:14:12,903
It was fun, it was fun.

292
00:14:14,710 --> 00:14:17,250
- [Ron] I had started to travel.

293
00:14:17,250 --> 00:14:22,250
And I began to see so many other cultures.

294
00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:27,050
- [Man] Ron is really fun to travel with.

295
00:14:27,050 --> 00:14:30,000
He takes great joy in all things

296
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:31,570
that happen on a trip.

297
00:14:31,570 --> 00:14:32,750
He loves the journey.

298
00:14:32,750 --> 00:14:35,402
He loves the people.

299
00:14:35,402 --> 00:14:38,152
(oriental music)

300
00:14:39,740 --> 00:14:43,000
- And I'm always going
to markets as an example.

301
00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,710
You never know exactly
what's going to inspire you

302
00:14:46,710 --> 00:14:50,010
to pick up a piece and suddenly say

303
00:14:50,010 --> 00:14:52,660
this is what I'd like to have.

304
00:14:52,660 --> 00:14:55,030
I think you have to actually see it.

305
00:14:55,030 --> 00:14:58,573
And it somehow gives
you a certain vibration.

306
00:14:59,620 --> 00:15:01,280
I want it to be

307
00:15:02,860 --> 00:15:07,450
something that relates
to their cultural values.

308
00:15:07,450 --> 00:15:10,140
Or things that they believe in.

309
00:15:10,140 --> 00:15:13,790
- I think Ron is genuinely motivated

310
00:15:13,790 --> 00:15:17,500
by and inspired by the objects.

311
00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:20,010
He really wants to kind
of showcase them in a way

312
00:15:20,010 --> 00:15:22,210
that it's his story.

313
00:15:22,210 --> 00:15:23,360
It's his narrative.

314
00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:25,860
But he loves using those things.

315
00:15:25,860 --> 00:15:27,340
I think he feels somehow connected

316
00:15:27,340 --> 00:15:29,610
to the makers of those things as well.

317
00:15:29,610 --> 00:15:31,453
You know, the history of the object.

318
00:15:36,420 --> 00:15:39,260
- When I bring these artifacts home,

319
00:15:39,260 --> 00:15:42,240
I might have an idea to begin with.

320
00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:47,240
And I might find pieces
that I feel represent

321
00:15:47,690 --> 00:15:50,690
this idea that I'm trying to do.

322
00:15:50,690 --> 00:15:52,150
But other times,

323
00:15:52,150 --> 00:15:55,680
I honestly have to say
that the whole idea comes

324
00:15:55,680 --> 00:16:00,270
after I've found certain imagery

325
00:16:00,270 --> 00:16:02,380
that I feel go together.

326
00:16:02,380 --> 00:16:04,110
And sometimes it may be

327
00:16:04,110 --> 00:16:08,040
because the colors are right

328
00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:11,150
or it might be because the way

329
00:16:11,150 --> 00:16:14,470
the pieces are carved that

330
00:16:14,470 --> 00:16:17,110
have a certain movement to them.

331
00:16:17,110 --> 00:16:19,720
That they actually work together.

332
00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,890
And usually what I do when I'm creating,

333
00:16:22,890 --> 00:16:27,670
is I lay them on my sketchbook.

334
00:16:27,670 --> 00:16:28,970
And I move them around.

335
00:16:28,970 --> 00:16:32,320
And then I start the drawing around them

336
00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:35,940
to see how I'm going to frame the piece.

337
00:16:35,940 --> 00:16:38,310
- I don't know if you've
ever watched a jeweler

338
00:16:38,310 --> 00:16:42,090
but the work is quite slow.

339
00:16:42,090 --> 00:16:44,867
To cutting out a piece
of silver can take days.

340
00:16:44,867 --> 00:16:47,960
And it's that kind of patience,

341
00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,010
that takes a long time
to get everything ready,

342
00:16:51,010 --> 00:16:53,770
and then when it comes time to solder,

343
00:16:53,770 --> 00:16:55,203
everything can go wrong.

344
00:16:56,161 --> 00:16:58,980
(blade sawing)

345
00:16:58,980 --> 00:17:03,250
Since your drawing is in two dimensional,

346
00:17:03,250 --> 00:17:07,590
what happens is then
you have the hard part

347
00:17:07,590 --> 00:17:10,960
is how do you make it
in three dimensional?

348
00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:14,360
There are all these problems
that need to get solved

349
00:17:14,360 --> 00:17:18,743
about how am I going to mount
some of these found objects?

350
00:17:18,743 --> 00:17:23,743
That are going to be able to
be stable in those positions.

351
00:17:23,890 --> 00:17:25,360
And they're also going to make

352
00:17:25,360 --> 00:17:28,340
a beautiful composition as well.

353
00:17:28,340 --> 00:17:30,000
There's a lot of thought actually

354
00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,573
that goes into making those designs.

355
00:17:34,570 --> 00:17:38,700
- Those decisions you make
when something has to move,

356
00:17:38,700 --> 00:17:41,100
or from one image to another,

357
00:17:41,100 --> 00:17:43,370
that's hard work.

358
00:17:43,370 --> 00:17:45,650
Because it's gotta not only look right,

359
00:17:45,650 --> 00:17:48,563
but it's gotta make sense up in your head.

360
00:17:51,700 --> 00:17:54,440
- Ron's pieces are almost all silver.

361
00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,800
You know, there's peculiarities
to that kind of metal.

362
00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:01,130
With the kinds of
fabrication that Ron does,

363
00:18:01,130 --> 00:18:02,650
it's fairly precise.

364
00:18:02,650 --> 00:18:04,360
And it has to fit just so.

365
00:18:04,360 --> 00:18:06,560
- The design of it takes time too.

366
00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:09,650
So when he thinks about
what imagery he's gonna use,

367
00:18:09,650 --> 00:18:13,070
or what particular topic
that he wants that piece

368
00:18:13,070 --> 00:18:14,180
to be tied into,

369
00:18:14,180 --> 00:18:15,960
I think the designing of it,

370
00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:17,240
people forget about that.

371
00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:18,400
And then you add the time

372
00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:20,193
of the hand labor work on it.

373
00:18:23,300 --> 00:18:24,830
- And the soldering and all that.

374
00:18:24,830 --> 00:18:26,240
It's fun.

375
00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:27,560
It's hard.

376
00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:29,087
It hurts.

377
00:18:29,087 --> 00:18:32,070
It isn't easy at all.

378
00:18:32,070 --> 00:18:34,253
- Working through the years,

379
00:18:35,756 --> 00:18:38,010
it's interesting to go back

380
00:18:38,010 --> 00:18:41,060
and look at your original pieces

381
00:18:41,060 --> 00:18:45,830
and see actually they were quite simple

382
00:18:45,830 --> 00:18:48,020
in their construction.

383
00:18:48,020 --> 00:18:50,890
- [Woman] And then there comes the time

384
00:18:50,890 --> 00:18:54,010
when he starts making all of the pieces

385
00:18:54,010 --> 00:18:57,160
and is no longer so dependent

386
00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:01,020
or maybe, just that he was
discovering more things

387
00:19:01,020 --> 00:19:02,990
as he found his soul and his heart

388
00:19:02,990 --> 00:19:03,873
and his life.

389
00:19:09,660 --> 00:19:12,410
- [Ron] As I became more skilled,

390
00:19:12,410 --> 00:19:17,410
I could see how I could
develop the construction

391
00:19:17,740 --> 00:19:21,453
so that the pieces could flow together.

392
00:19:22,330 --> 00:19:24,760
To be able to look and see how you could

393
00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:28,400
actually give life to a stiff piece

394
00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:32,130
of metal and make it actually flow.

395
00:19:32,130 --> 00:19:36,190
And how do you then make it so that

396
00:19:36,190 --> 00:19:38,593
it speaks on its own?

397
00:19:40,220 --> 00:19:43,413
It's something that you
really have to develop.

398
00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,280
- [Man] Ron's work is
sculpture pure and simple.

399
00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:50,450
I mean, it's adornment but it's also

400
00:19:50,450 --> 00:19:52,120
each object stands by itself.

401
00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:56,100
You could hang it to be
seen in a 3D context.

402
00:19:56,100 --> 00:19:58,550
- [Woman] Many, many people, including me,

403
00:19:58,550 --> 00:20:01,900
put their pieces on the wall as sculpture.

404
00:20:01,900 --> 00:20:05,730
- This particular piece is
almost like a painting for me.

405
00:20:05,730 --> 00:20:08,940
And so I like to have it
out and look at it everyday.

406
00:20:08,940 --> 00:20:13,190
- Ron's work is, it does
reach out and says hello.

407
00:20:13,190 --> 00:20:14,630
And when people purchase from me,

408
00:20:14,630 --> 00:20:16,690
I say you have to be ready.

409
00:20:16,690 --> 00:20:18,740
That people are gonna walk up to you

410
00:20:18,740 --> 00:20:20,090
and not look you in the eye,

411
00:20:20,090 --> 00:20:23,470
but look at your chest and say
tell me about your jewelry.

412
00:20:23,470 --> 00:20:25,593
Or they will even reach out and touch it.

413
00:20:27,290 --> 00:20:31,170
- I always thought of
myself as being an American.

414
00:20:31,170 --> 00:20:32,480
And that's it.

415
00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:36,390
I never thought of
myself as being Chinese.

416
00:20:36,390 --> 00:20:39,403
As I was working on my jewelry,

417
00:20:39,403 --> 00:20:42,210
I made things out of fun objects

418
00:20:42,210 --> 00:20:44,590
that maybe were old toys,

419
00:20:44,590 --> 00:20:47,340
or very common things.

420
00:20:47,340 --> 00:20:50,280
But eventually Ramona said to me,

421
00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:51,740
you know you oughta think

422
00:20:51,740 --> 00:20:54,950
about your growing up in Hawaii,

423
00:20:54,950 --> 00:20:57,730
and your Chinese heritage.

424
00:20:57,730 --> 00:21:02,030
Which I think is something
you should explore.

425
00:21:02,030 --> 00:21:04,920
And that's when I began to do that.

426
00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:07,320
I think it has been reflected

427
00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,650
in my art tremendously.

428
00:21:10,650 --> 00:21:13,817
(soft oriental music)

429
00:21:15,130 --> 00:21:18,780
I started looking and
thinking about all the things

430
00:21:18,780 --> 00:21:22,240
that my parents had said that I began

431
00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:26,700
to really appreciate those
things that they told me.

432
00:21:26,700 --> 00:21:31,700
And I was able to use
those ideas into creating

433
00:21:32,990 --> 00:21:36,923
so many of the narrative
thoughts in my jewelry.

434
00:21:38,005 --> 00:21:41,172
(soft oriental music)

435
00:21:48,850 --> 00:21:51,650
- I think one of the most
beautiful pieces he did

436
00:21:51,650 --> 00:21:55,710
when he was doing this kind
of searching for his roots,

437
00:21:55,710 --> 00:21:57,430
his Chinese roots.

438
00:21:57,430 --> 00:22:00,283
He did a piece called Lily Foot.

439
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:03,483
His grandmother had bound feet.

440
00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:08,073
And he made a little tiny shoe.

441
00:22:09,267 --> 00:22:11,720
With a foot in it.

442
00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:15,610
That's all about him and his grandmother

443
00:22:15,610 --> 00:22:17,533
and the history of the world.

444
00:22:18,450 --> 00:22:19,923
And he captures all of that.

445
00:22:22,360 --> 00:22:27,360
- My maternal grandmother who
came from the Canton area,

446
00:22:28,750 --> 00:22:30,610
when she arrived in Hawaii,

447
00:22:30,610 --> 00:22:32,163
she had bound feet.

448
00:22:33,210 --> 00:22:36,290
They wrapped her feet
when she was a child.

449
00:22:36,290 --> 00:22:40,570
When she walked, she
was walking on her toes.

450
00:22:40,570 --> 00:22:44,900
I remember her having these rags

451
00:22:44,900 --> 00:22:49,763
that she would wrap and unwrap her feet.

452
00:22:51,540 --> 00:22:53,680
At that time,

453
00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:56,240
it was a custom in China.

454
00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:59,820
Because they called it the lily foot.

455
00:22:59,820 --> 00:23:02,463
Which is a symbol of beauty.

456
00:23:05,310 --> 00:23:07,750
Much as those beliefs at the time

457
00:23:07,750 --> 00:23:09,370
didn't mean anything,

458
00:23:09,370 --> 00:23:11,760
they eventually became

459
00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:15,100
infused into my thinking,

460
00:23:15,100 --> 00:23:16,357
my thoughts,

461
00:23:16,357 --> 00:23:18,610
and my ways of creating

462
00:23:18,610 --> 00:23:20,823
narration in my jewelry.

463
00:23:22,470 --> 00:23:23,810
- For him, there was this idea

464
00:23:23,810 --> 00:23:25,510
of regaining his own identity.

465
00:23:25,510 --> 00:23:27,730
Or finding a way through his work

466
00:23:27,730 --> 00:23:29,670
through his artistic expression

467
00:23:29,670 --> 00:23:33,470
to claim cultural identity as a Chinese.

468
00:23:33,470 --> 00:23:37,130
- When I had a show, I titled that show

469
00:23:37,130 --> 00:23:39,323
Becoming Chinese.

470
00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:43,077
Because I thought that really depicts

471
00:23:43,077 --> 00:23:45,610
what really happened to me.

472
00:23:45,610 --> 00:23:48,110
It truly transformed me

473
00:23:48,110 --> 00:23:51,110
from being just an American

474
00:23:51,110 --> 00:23:55,100
into really respecting
my Chinese heritage.

475
00:23:55,100 --> 00:23:56,100
To be able to have a show here

476
00:23:56,100 --> 00:23:57,900
I think is a great honor.

477
00:23:58,870 --> 00:24:00,450
- I think Becoming Chinese,

478
00:24:00,450 --> 00:24:03,650
that whole series of projects

479
00:24:03,650 --> 00:24:07,840
that Ron did with his
jewelry allowed him to

480
00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:09,970
ask questions of his own heritage

481
00:24:09,970 --> 00:24:13,050
in a way that he hadn't
really pondered much before.

482
00:24:13,050 --> 00:24:15,250
- Everybody's been really wonderful.

483
00:24:15,250 --> 00:24:16,083
- Great.

484
00:24:17,980 --> 00:24:21,950
- [Ron] I have gone back
to my Chinese roots.

485
00:24:21,950 --> 00:24:25,070
I like Chinese furniture.

486
00:24:25,070 --> 00:24:27,763
I like Chinese food.

487
00:24:30,090 --> 00:24:31,510
I love the art.

488
00:24:31,510 --> 00:24:34,820
So it all has become a very important

489
00:24:34,820 --> 00:24:36,233
part of my life really.

490
00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,010
- The idea of Becoming Chinese

491
00:24:40,010 --> 00:24:43,550
defined his journey both

492
00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:48,743
artistically and as a human being.

493
00:24:52,079 --> 00:24:54,810
- [Ron] It's always been a wonderful rise

494
00:24:54,810 --> 00:24:59,430
as to what's happened
in my life and my career

495
00:24:59,430 --> 00:25:01,403
as a jewelry artist.

496
00:25:02,500 --> 00:25:05,120
- We're all aware of Ron's jewelry,

497
00:25:05,120 --> 00:25:06,300
his work,

498
00:25:06,300 --> 00:25:07,650
his commitment to it,

499
00:25:07,650 --> 00:25:08,520
his shows,

500
00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:09,570
his resume,

501
00:25:09,570 --> 00:25:11,040
it's beautiful and all of that.

502
00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:12,100
But in and amongst that,

503
00:25:12,100 --> 00:25:13,550
I think it's really important

504
00:25:13,550 --> 00:25:15,630
that people need to know what he did

505
00:25:15,630 --> 00:25:17,040
in all those years of teaching.

506
00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:19,410
- He makes things fun.

507
00:25:19,410 --> 00:25:22,760
He's a community person definitely.

508
00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:25,170
- So much of Ron is about Seattle.

509
00:25:25,170 --> 00:25:26,620
And about that house.

510
00:25:26,620 --> 00:25:28,820
There isn't hardly anybody
who's been involved

511
00:25:28,820 --> 00:25:31,050
in the arts that Ron hasn't known.

512
00:25:31,050 --> 00:25:33,100
It's been his whole persona.

513
00:25:33,100 --> 00:25:36,940
And that's a very important part

514
00:25:36,940 --> 00:25:41,940
of Seattle history really.

515
00:25:43,650 --> 00:25:46,730
He likes to bring people together.

516
00:25:46,730 --> 00:25:48,510
He sees that as one of his roles

517
00:25:48,510 --> 00:25:53,510
as a person is to kinda bring
like minded people together

518
00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:54,533
through friendship.

519
00:25:56,810 --> 00:26:01,710
- He valued other
artists and he was valued

520
00:26:01,710 --> 00:26:04,150
by other artists.

521
00:26:04,150 --> 00:26:06,440
- Being an important
part of our relationship

522
00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:07,590
is that we're both gay.

523
00:26:09,182 --> 00:26:12,473
And Ron's being gay and being pretty

524
00:26:13,870 --> 00:26:17,000
open about being gay for a long time,

525
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,850
has been a pretty important part

526
00:26:19,850 --> 00:26:21,530
of I think of his identity.

527
00:26:21,530 --> 00:26:23,260
A number of Ron's friends who you know,

528
00:26:23,260 --> 00:26:26,950
are kind of out and
also important artists,

529
00:26:26,950 --> 00:26:30,100
those were a really valuable part

530
00:26:30,100 --> 00:26:32,923
of the art scene and
also part of Ron's life.

531
00:26:33,878 --> 00:26:35,600
That was something that they shared

532
00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:38,323
before it was really popular to share it.

533
00:26:41,830 --> 00:26:45,740
- I guess I have to be thankful of having

534
00:26:45,740 --> 00:26:49,630
had such a rich history and background

535
00:26:49,630 --> 00:26:51,800
about where I came from.

536
00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:55,163
And how I was able to
relate it into my art.

537
00:26:57,570 --> 00:27:00,400
And as far as my legacy,

538
00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:02,630
I hope that in the end,

539
00:27:02,630 --> 00:27:04,810
they will always remember

540
00:27:06,830 --> 00:27:10,800
the things that I have made,

541
00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:12,970
the places that I've been,

542
00:27:12,970 --> 00:27:15,760
how I've inspired other people.

543
00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:18,340
- What people remember somebody by

544
00:27:18,340 --> 00:27:20,110
or remember somebody for

545
00:27:20,110 --> 00:27:23,370
isn't necessarily all
the stuff that they made,

546
00:27:23,370 --> 00:27:26,050
but the kind of person that they are.

547
00:27:26,050 --> 00:27:27,160
And have been.

548
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:29,430
And I'd say that that's
what I think people

549
00:27:29,430 --> 00:27:30,890
should know about Ron Ho,

550
00:27:30,890 --> 00:27:35,200
is that he's an amazing,
loving human being

551
00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:37,340
that communicated that really well

552
00:27:37,340 --> 00:27:40,350
through his art as well as his life

553
00:27:40,350 --> 00:27:41,783
and his friendships.

554
00:27:44,122 --> 00:27:47,039
(soft piano music)

555
00:28:32,090 --> 00:28:34,923
(people clapping)