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Dawn Alana Mostow, born December 21, 1979, holds a Masters of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Computer Animation from Ringling College of Art, as well as an Advanced Certificate in Art Education from the State of New York.
She combines her background of costume design and computer graphics with experiential knowledge of Japanese culture to explore new ways of storytelling and creation of imagery.
Ms. Mostow lived in Takayama City, Japan from 2003-2006 and is fluent in Japanese.
"When we read a story or tell a tale, we recount events that have already happened. In fact the events are recreated every time the story is told. In this way, these stories only exist because someone, somewhere is experiencing them. If a story isn't told, it's forgotten forever, until it is rediscovered. We hear stories and live them in our heads, like a performance, and they become a part of us. Even though Japan is not my home country, I lived there for a period of time, and learned some of the myths that have endured for hundreds of years. Their tales are not forgotten, because people still talk of them and hold festivals where they act out the roles of the main characters. I felt that I became a part of this tradition by learning these old stories and by bringing them home with me, I can teach others about them."