Description Panel Discussion Hosted By John R. Stomberg: Sachiko Akiyama, Chris Chou, Kayla Mohammadi. The topics of the paintings and sculpture in this exhibition, where they exist, follow distantly in importance compared with the artists’ push for more intangible responses to form, color, rhythm and texture. When we see a person, place, or thing in this exhibition, these exist as vehicles for the poetic goals of the artists. The works appeal to the heart, which is a shorthand explanation of emotions that we feel absolutely but recognize in a manner different than the way we process other information. This may seem an unsurprising framework for an exhibition, but art as practiced by Akiyama, Chou, and Mohammadi stands out today for its faith in our emotional intelligence and our desire to connect directly with one another through art. The three artists met at Boston University where they each earned a Master of Fine Arts degree. Since then, they have pursued different paths while maintaining a serious commitment to their studio practice