When’s the last time you received something handmade? Artist Angie Hinojos, alongside a group of nine artists, brought something rare and deeply meaningful to the community: connection through gifts of free handmade art. A Hope Corps Grantee, Hinojos gave away over 1,000 individual pieces of art at a pop up by Pike Place Market and at LONGEST DAY at ARTS at King Street Station which sparked community conversations about art, culture, and the mysteries of the universe which we’re sharing here.

“An incredible way to be part of an ARTS at King Street Station event—and a lot of fun.”

Angie Hinojos

the 1,000 pieces of original art included:

• Poetry weathergrams and haiku sheets
• Silk scarves with original designs
• Hand-carved altar pieces
• Mexican-themed wooden and hojalata (Mexican hand-painted tin folk art)
• Metal and glass nichos (a type of folk art popular in Central and South America)
• Mini “Cabinets of Curiosity” filled with crystals, fossils, and treasures
• Jewelry, watercolor prints, ceramic tile trivets, and more

But it wasn’t just about giving away art—it was about the moments of connection they led to.

“One man told us that he had never had a piece of original art before. He was holding the carved and painted heart very carefully in two hands and said ‘sounds kinda sad when I say it aloud, but this is the start of my art collection.’”

Angie Hinojos

Each piece sparked a personal story, a memory, or a spontaneous conversation. For example:

• A woman wept after finding a sodalite stone in her curiosity box—the very same rare stone she already carried in her purse.
• A man on his way to meet someone he’d been talking to online for six months received a gift box filled with geodes and crystals. “She loves rocks,” he said. “Now I have something to give her.”
• A Latina woman from Las Vegas was moved by the inclusion of Día de Muertos traditions in the art. “It’s good to see myself in this,” she told Hinojos. “It’s necessary to keep our culture alive.”
• A Japanese soccer team, the Urawa Red Diamonds, here to play a FIFA Club World Cup match stopped by the Cabinet of Curiosities and exchanged team stickers for free gifts of art.

The impact went far beyond the art. Hinojos recounted a moment when a woman, moved by the experience, offered to walk a mother and daughter from Mexico to their bus stop after helping translate their request for directions. She also shared art with many of our transient and unhoused neighbors in the area who appreciated receiving the art and shared a lot of stories about their experiences in other places in exchange.

“That is how kindness has a ripple effect that keeps going,” Hinojos said.
“We are sharing art as well as intentional kindness, and people do carry it forward.”

At the center of the Cabinet of Curiosities display at Longest Day was an invitation:
“What is the greatest mystery of the universe?”

Visitors responded with everything from playful to philosophical:

• “Do bunnies make sounds?”
• “Why does the sky look different from when I was a kid?”
• “With all the infinite possibilities, has someone lived a life like mine?”
• “Why can’t I ever find love?”
• “Can we time travel?”
• “Where is Cleopatra’s tomb?”
• “Can you ever truly know yourself?”
• “What does my cat think of me?”

Visitors shared their curiosity as they pondered the greatest mysteries of the universe together.

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About Angie Hinojos

Angie Hinojos is a Mexican American Public Artist. Hinojos received a degree in Architecture from UC Berkeley and a Certificate in Natural Science Illustration from the University of Washington. She utilizes her experience with design, and as a public artist, to strengthen community connections. Hinojos is an active advocate for equity in the arts. She is interested in cultural storytelling, historical reference, and exploration of natural patterns.