CALL FOR PAPER BOATS

Arrival: A Paper Boat Project By Kimie Joe

Mail or Drop Off Your Paper Boats to:

Gallery of Hermosa Attn: Kimie Joe

138 Pier Ave.

Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

Ride the Big Boat - Fold a Boat. Share Your Story.

Arrival is a participatory art project that transforms a collection of tiny paper boats into a dense, flowing river of arrivals. Each boat represents human intention, care, and presence, celebrating immigration, motherhood, and belonging in the United States.

Why Paper Boats?
Kimie Joe grew up creating origami pieces. While the crane is a Japanese icon of hope, Kimie chose the paper boat as a vessel of stories, journeys, and human intention, a metaphor for life’s flow and collective resilience.

Kimie is inspired by the song of Hibari Misora, which likens life to a river, flowing, continuous, and ever-changing. Growing up, her Mother often reminded her to “Live your life like you’re riding the big boat” — a reminder not to let small waves disturb you, to keep moving forward, steady and resilient.

In Arrival, these ideas converge: each folded boat is a personal story, yet together they form a river of human experiences, echoing the flow of life, immigration, and connection.

Who Can Participate?
Anyone living in the US...we all have a story of arrival. By folding a tiny paper boat and sending it  for this project, participants contribute to the collective river of arrivals. CLICK HERE for Paper Boat Instructions

How to Participate:

  • Follow Instructions to Fold a tiny paper boat (business card size paper to start with works best, like 2in x 3in) 
  • Mail it to: Gallery of Hermosa, 138 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
  • Create and send as many boats as you wish.
  • You can also participate in Fold A Boat Events at the Gallery. of Hermosa -  Hermosa Art Lab. Events are Posted Below.
  •  Optionally write on your boat where your family originated from. Another option: include a separate note with a message or your story. These notes will be kept separately and not part of the boat installations.

Boats will be arranged to create a dense river of stories for the first exhibition on August 21, 2026 at the Gallery of Hermosa.