Kintsugi Somatic Art

birthright

practices

for well-being

Multi-Disciplinary Art, Somatics, and Event Production

Presentations Workshops Performances

Leah has performed, presented, and facilitated on stages, at festivals, and at conferences in the US, Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America for entities such as Race Forward, Teatro de la Tossa, GM, Microsoft, Arts 4 Change, Facebook, Expedia, Creative Good, the Society for Community Research & Action, and Cirque du Soleil.

Event Production

Since 2017, Leah has been creating and producing events centering BIPOC performers, scientists, and wellness professionals in collaboration with entities such as the Andrew Young Center for Global Leadership at Morehouse, Emory University, Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, 4Culture, Mukai Farm & Garden, and Jack Straw Cultural Center. Leah’s event focus is restorative communal experiences, innovation, awe, and expansion toward joy.

Arts Education

With a kinetic and spacial learning style, Leah facilitates multi-disciplinary youth art experiences as a means of mentorship, employing emergent strategies, social emotional learning, and a NeuroRelational Framework lens. They have created ongoing arts outreach programs, arts residencies, cultural arts camps, invention camps, literacy in motion events and art/science based curriculums . Most recently, Leah has been working with Autistic and medically fragile youth at Lowell Elementary, BIPOC Artivists at Powerful Voices, and with the Parkinson’s Disease Association NW.

Dimensional Glassworks

Incorporating the Japanese concepts of kintsugi (mending what is broken), mottainai (not wasting), and wabi sabi (beauty of imperfection), Leah has been creating dimensional glass works from repurposed, broken, and found glass for 15 yrs. Their most recent commission was an elevator ceiling at Moving in the Spirit’s Space to Soar Theater (ATL). Please see details on their Current Project, Sanctuary: At Home in the Body, below.

ABOUT Kintsugi Somatic Art

Kintsugi Somatic Art is founded and directed by multi-disciplinary artist and social justice activist, Leah Okamoto Mann. Kintsugi is a Japanese concept which means mend with gold. It is the art of repairing broken things, traditionally pottery or glass. It is also a metaphor for human resiliency and recovery. Kintsugi Somatic Art integrates trauma informed embodied practices of movement, music, storytelling, visual art, and improvisational play toward healing in the form of workshops, performances, events, and artful communal experiences.

CURRENT PROJECT

Sanctuary: At Home In the Body

Artful strategies for thriving habitats. Performances, workshops, installations, panels, and communal experiences igniting the power of imagination and empathy.

Sanctuary: At Home In the Body is a multi-year, art and science project, exploring thriving and well-being factors.  This inquiry based project examines “belonging”, “home”, and “safe space”  by sourcing input and solutions from those most impacted by variabilities in these factors. In collaboration with front line experts – scientists, artists, therapists, activists, and pastors, the project employs restorative practices and emergent strategies for the individual, the family, the community, and the environment through somatics, play, and multi-disciplinary art experiences informed by neuroscience, health science, psychology, and art therapy. Initial project expressions include Seattle, Vashon events  August 1 – 10, 2025 and Atlanta events December 3 2025 – January 4, 2026. Special Thanks to the project sponsors and collaborators – 4Culture, Wild Woods Foundation, Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Gates Foundation Employee Match, Women Hold The Key, Open Space For Arts and Community, Plymouth United Church of Christ, R2ise, Wall of Wonderful, Jack Straw Cultural Center, Vashon DOVE Project, Vashon Youth & Family Services, Orbit Youth, and the Andrew Young Center For Global Leadership at Morehouse College.

Click for December 1 2025-January 4 2026 Atlanta Residency details.

“The kind of change we want to see in the world is cellular and institutional, is personal and intimate, is collective as well as cultural. We are making love synonymous with justice.” Prentis Hemphill

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