Miki Nishida Goerdt (b. 1979, Japan) ガート西田光希 is a visual artist and social justice advocate with an educational background in art therapy and social work. She presents her printmaking art and paintings through solo and group exhibitions, as well as art events, in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. She has collaborated with the d'Art Center in Norfolk, Arlington County Public Library, Busboys and Poets Anacostia, George Washington University Education Center, Falls Church Arts Gallery, the National Botanic Garden in Chantilly, and Northside Social Arlington.
She is known for using art to make invisible stories visible—raising awareness of marginalized experiences and exploring healing through culturally affirming practices. Moving to the United States alone at 18 without English fluency, art became an essential language of self-expression and a way to connect with others. Her work is informed by psychological theories, critical theories, and her lived experiences as a Japanese immigrant and woman of color in the United States. She practices traditional Japanese printmaking methods such as Mokuhanga to maintain her cultural pride and identity.
Often through the depiction of her personal stories, she challenges viewers to expand their perspectives on psychological and societal issues such as grief, cultural loss, race, and structural oppression. As an artist who lives with an autoimmune disorder, she is currently exploring the impact of invisible disabilities on one’s identity.
Her work is an invitation for viewers to imagine a different world—a more inclusive, equitable, and just world where hope is abundant.
Miki is also a board-certified art therapist and a licensed clinical social worker in addition to being an artist. This means she helps people to learn more about themselves through art making. Art therapy is about healing what hurts, cultivating self-awareness, and growing yourself through creative expression. No prior art experience or artistic skill is required. More information about her art therapy & counseling practice can be found here.
If you are an art therapist or a social worker interested in clinical supervision, please find more info here.
EDUCATION
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Master of Social Work (May 2004) & Advanced Graduate Study Certificate in Art Therapy (August 2015), Marywood University, Scranton, PA
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Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Art (May 2002), Wartburg College, Waverly, IA
ART-RELATED AWARDS
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Honorable Mention, A New Palette For The Workhouse (2006) , The Lorton Arts Foundation, Reston, VA
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Semi-Finalist, L. Ron Hubbard’s the Illustrator of Future Contest (1999), Nationwide
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Second Prize, Illustration of Books Contest (1998), Mu-Shi Tale Inc., Nationwide
SOLO EXHIBITION
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Remembering to Heal (1/2024 - 2/2024), Vault gallery at the d’Art Center, Norfolk, VA
GROUP EXHIBITION
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Am I Welcome? An art exhibition about international students’ experience
Three locations:
Arlington County Central Library (Jan - April 2025)
Busboys and Poets Anacostia, Washington DC (June - Nov, 2024)
George Washington University Graduate Education Center, Alexandria, VA (Feb - May, 2024)
JURIED ART EXHIBITIONS & FESTIVALS
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Faces & Figures (4/2025 - 6/2025), Falls Church Arts Gallery, Falls Church, VA
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Local Makers and Artists Celebrating Women Art Show (3/2025 - 6/2025), Northside Social, Arlington VA
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Beauty of Diversity (10/2024 - 11/ 2024), Falls Church Arts Gallery, Falls Church, VA
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Art in Nature Festival (5/2024), National Botanic Garden in Chantilly, VA
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Intersection: Identity and culture (11/2023 - 1/2024), Falls Church Arts Gallery, Falls Church, VA
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Five Points 2023 printmaking Juried Exhibition (6/2023 - 7/2023), Five Points Arts Center, Torrington, CT
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The Unseen (2/2023 - 3/2023), Del Ray Artisan Gallery, Alexandria, VA
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Collab: Conversations in Art (7/2022 - 8/ 2022), Fall Church Arts Gallery, Falls Church, VA
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Art in Nature Festival (5/2024), National Botanic Garden in Chantilly, VA
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Feminist Insight: Telling Her Story (3/2022), The Ellington-White Contemporary Art Gallery, Fayetteville, NC
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No Justice, No Peace: Global Protest, Unrest, and Conflict (2021), James Wise Gallery, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA
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20/20 in Hindsight--Coping, Confronting, and Creating Change (2021), Online exhibition, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
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Your Place at The Table (2020), 311 Gallery, Raleigh, NC
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Facing Forward (Oct, 2020 – Jan, 2021), Light Art Space, Silver City, NM
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Divulge: A National Exhibition Featuring the Use of Art for Therapy and Mental Health Awareness (2020), d’Art Center, Norfolk, VA
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When Darkness Falls: Night Exploration (2019), Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, Solomons Island, MD
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A New Palette For The Workhouse (2006), The Lorton Arts Foundation, Reston, VA
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Insight & Inspiration: The Fine Arts Healers (2002), The Center For Being And Becoming, Washington, D.C.
ART PROJECTS & INSTALLATIONS
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Together Through Art – Calendar project to advocate for mental illness and older adults (2012), Arlington County RAFT program, Arlington, VA
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Creativity Within Us – Calendar project with hospice patients’ artworks (2004), VNA Hospice, Scranton, PA
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Tree of Life mural project (2004), Moses Taylor Hospital Inpatient Hospice Floor, Scranton, PA