Yasuko Okumura was born in Yokohama, Japan, and earned a B.A. in Visual Communication Design from Musashino Art University in Tokyo in 1973. She moved to San Francisco in 1976 and relocated to New York City two years later, where she has lived and worked ever since.
In 2007, Okumura studied book arts at Cooper Union Continuing Education, attending classes let by artists Esther K. Smith and Susan Mills. Her artistic practice encompasses fiber, book, and paper arts, incorporating techniques such as weaving, printing, felting, cutting, sewing, and collage. Through these processes, she creates unique works that explore the materiality, texture, and possibilities of paper and fiber.
Okumura has participated in art competitions, group exhibitions, and solo exhibitions in the United States, Japan, and South Korea. Alongside her artistic practice, she worked for thirty-five years as a textile designer, bringing extensive experience in materials, pattern, and textile processes to her art.