Mission

Hanato fosters creative connection through workshops and artist collaborations that honor cultural heritage, natural materials, and the value of hand-making. We believe in art as a way to build community, encourage dialogue, and preserve traditions while imagining new possibilities.

Vision

To grow a cross-cultural creative space where artists, makers, and learners can come together to create, connect, and reflect—bridging tradition and contemporary practice, and grounding the future in meaningful roots.

About

The Japanese word "花 hana" means flower, and "と to" means with.

Hanato, founded by artist Soonhwa Kang, is a space where creativity takes root and grows—like a flower shaped by its environment and care.

Originally launched as an online platform to share artist interviews and showcase handmade creations, Hanato has since evolved into a living, physical space: Hanato Atelier. This growing workshop series invites diverse artists and makers to lead sessions that honor natural materials, cultural heritage, and the enduring value of working by hand.

Here, hand-making is not a pastime, but a way to create, connect, and reflect—a grounding act in today’s fast-paced, fractured world. Hanato celebrates craft as a form of embodied knowledge, one that carries forward traditions while opening space for contemporary interpretations and dialogue.

Alongside this, Soonhwa continues to offer Sumi-e ink painting lessons, inviting others to experience the quiet presence and meditative rhythm of East Asian brushwork.

Have you already joined one of our workshops? Or are you inspired by our mission and wish to be part of Hanato’s journey?
You are warmly welcome—you are a Hanato friend.

At its heart, Hanato nurtures a creative ecology—believing that inspiration is like nourishment from deep soil, helping us grow, root, and reimagine meaning through the act of making.