Meet Halada Sensei

Artist, Art Therapist, Teacher

Solana Yuko Halada is an artist, art therapist and teacher of Shodo, the art of Japanese calligraphy. Her artwork combines Japanese aesthetics and tradition, infused with unique spirituality and resonating with a Zen-like serenity and peace.

Background

Halada Sensei was born in Hokkaido, Japan, and from an early age felt a spiritual need to have people live in harmony with nature and each other, and to contribute to this ideal.
 

As she grew, Solana learned traditional Japanese arts, including calligraphy, tea ceremony, flower arranging and how to play various musical instruments. These experiences deepened her spiritual awareness and artistic sensibility.

She graduated from Kyoto Seika College in Kyoto, majoring in English and International Relations. In 1984, she moved to the U.S. to fulfill a personal goal to be a bridge between Japan and the U.S. In her words, "I felt that if both countries could appreciate and learn from each other, this powerful exchange would integrate deeply rooted spirituality and intensive creativity."

In the U.S., Solana continued her education, earning a degree from Clifton Business College. She also deepened her involvement with traditional and modern Japanese art, focusing on Shodo while including ceramics, Ikebana, Taiko drumming, Aikido, visual design and dance. While she gained greater experience in these arts, she also honed her teaching skills as an instructor of both Japanese and math.

Artistic & Spiritual Quest

Striving to be in greater touch with her spiritual self, Solana entered into a spiritual practice that focused on the power of human potential. Her early need to have people live in harmony with nature and each other was fulfilled through this practice, which taught her to grow spiritually, to share this growth with others, and to make positive contributions to their lives. 

To integrate her artistic strengths and spiritual endeavors, Solana chose Shodo as a medium to express her artistic capabilities and spiritual intensity.  She received intensive training in calligraphy from a master, Sakushu Sensei. As her own artistry intensified, she started offering calligraphy lessons, as she has done for the past decade.

Through her own inner guidance and others' encouragement, Solana developed a unique, Zen approach to teaching Japanese calligraphy as a tool for spiritual transformation.

Calligraphy As Art Therapy  

Rather than focus solely on the technical techniques of Shodo, Solana teaches calligraphy as a therapeutic art imbued with a strong spiritual component.  Through her intuitive insights, personal discussions and artistic skills her calligraphy lessons and workshops enable students to achieve a higher level of self-awareness and spiritual strength.

Her transcendent art and exceptional teaching skills, along with her buoyant personality, have generated positive changes in many of her students' lives.

Today, Solana "Feels privileged that I have been given the opportunity to share the ancient and powerful art of Shodo, through which I am enabled and empowered to make a positive contribution to people's lives."

Credentials

In addition to private lessons, Solana has given workshops and lectures at many sites throughout the Valley. These include the Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona State University, Scottsdale Community College, City of Phoenix and Mesa programs for Children, Chase Bank, Phoenix Country Day School, and numerous elementary and high schools.

She has been an Artist in Residency with the Arizona Commission on the Arts since 1999, and has exhibited her work at numerous cultural festivals and galleries. In 2007 Solana had a solo exhibition, "Japanese Calligraphy in Zen Spirit," at the Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale, Arizona.