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JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM PRESENTS
TOSHIKO TAKAEZU: THE ART OF CLAY AUG. 6-NOV. 27

First California Exhibition Features Never-Before Displayed Works of
Pioneering Ceramicist Who Blurred Lines Between Functional, Sculptural Art

LOS ANGELES.—The Japanese American National Museum presents Toshiko Takaezu: The Art of Clay beginning August 6, 2005, the first solo exhibition of an artist known for delving into the expressive nature of clay, explorations of closed forms, and innovative painterly glazes. The exhibition features recent works by Takaezu including her signature creation of closed-mouth "pots" which act as three-dimensional canvases; spherical Moon forms; examples of her cylindrical-shaped "trees"; and a group of larger-sized porcelain and stoneware works, some almost four feet tall. Highlighting this exhibition, which runs through November 27, are Takaezu's "Three Graces", and the large-scale "Homage to Ko'olau Range" (1994-1995) from the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

"Toshiko is a remarkable and influential artist and teacher," notes Karin Higa, the Japanese American National Museum's Senior Curator of Art and the organizer of this exhibition. "Known for the simple yet radical gesture of closing the mouth of the vessel, Toshiko's influence extends beyond her experiments in clay. Her integration of art, gardening, cooking, and teaching into a seamless whole has inspired generations of artists and admirers."

"Along with Peter Voulkos and a number of other ceramics artists who emerged in the postwar years of the 1950s and 1960s, Takaezu has been instrumental in moving ceramics beyond its historical ties to the concept of function and into the realm of sculpture," James Jensen wrote in 1995. She transformed clay "from something associated only with utilitarian objects to something that could be meaningful, capable of embodying abstract ideas."

The exhibition includes the "Three Graces" (2002) featuring "Charity", "Faith" and "Hope" all of which reflect her latest efforts using porcelain. Some of objects contrast the use of stoneware and porcelain in similar shapes and styles such as "Lemon Moon" (glazed stoneware, 1980s); "Winter Moon" (glazed porcelain, 2003); and "Sakura I" (glazed porcelain, 2002) and "Sakura II" (glazed stoneware, 2002). "Forest" drew its inspiration from Takaezu's native island of Hawai`i, where burned trees bear the mark of volcanic eruptions and stand barren in fields of broken lava.

Over the course of her fifty-year practice, Takaezu has remained dedicated to exploring the closed form. Akin to the Buddhist practice where repetition can open access to the unconscious, Takaezu's vocabulary of closed forms provides her with a "canvas" for her exuberant and painterly glazes and an opportunity to consider the tremendous variation despite surface similarities. Yet Takaezu often refers to these works as "pots," with their attendant association with conventional utilitarian ware. When queried about her closed forms, in a characteristically wry manner, Takaezu replied, "You can't put anything in and you can't take anything out." Yet the interior still exists despite that fact that it cannot be seen or used in a traditional sense.

While many of Takaezu's creations resemble objects in nature, she makes no claims for pre-conceived meanings and prefers an open interpretation. "Everything I make, you don't know why or how I make it or what it represents," she observed. "It's intangible. Something that I didn't know came through this pot. It's not my power that made me do this. The power is somewhere else. So now I can say without boasting, ‘My pot is beautiful,' because I am not responsible."

Honored as a Living Treasure in her native Hawai`i and her adopted home of New Jersey, Takaezu attended the prestigious Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in the early 1950s. She came under the influence of Finnish potter Maija Grotell, eventually becoming her assistant. In 1955, Takaezu traveled to Japan and stayed for eight months, living for one period in a monastery. She visited some of Japan's best-known folk potters, including Hamada Shoji, Kitaoji Rosanjin and Kaneshige Toyo. Kaneshige invited her to work in his studio.

Upon her return to America, Takaezu began a long career as an instructor, beginning with the Cleveland Institute of Art before joining the faculty at Princeton University as part of the Creative Art Program, where she taught for 25 years. She also continued to innovate as a potter, winning recognition from the American Craft Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Her pieces have been collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Museum of Art & Design (New York), Honolulu Academy of Arts, New Jersey State Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, among many others. In 1995, a major retrospective exhibition was organized at the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto and subsequently traveled throughout Japan. Last year, her work was the subject of a major exhibition, The Poetry of Clay: The Art of Toshiko Takaezu, organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Now 83, Takaezu remains creative and active at her studio in Quakertown, New Jersey, where she has worked since 1975. "In my life I see no difference between making pots, cooking, and growing vegetables," she explained. "They are all related. However, there is a need for me to work in clay. It is so gratifying, and I get so much joy from it, and it gives me many answers for my life."

Toshiko Takaezu: The Art of Clay is made possible, in part, by the support of Ray Inouye, Chris Inouye, Steve Inouye, and Deena (Inouye) Lew; Mariko O. Gordon and Hugh A. Cosman; Hisako Nerio Imamura & Akira Imamura; Sumi Nerio Leonard & Robert J. Leonard; Prudential Financial, Inc.; and The James Irvine Foundation. Media sponsors are the Rafu Shimpo and KSCI.

TOSHIKO TAKAEZU

Born in Pepeekeo, Hawai`i, in 1922, one of 11 children of Japanese immigrant parents, Toshiko was exposed to pottery after moving to Honolulu where she worked for the Hawaii Potter's Guild. She also learned sculpture and weaving, but studied ceramics under Claude Horan at the University of Hawaii, beginning in 1948. This led to her enrolling in Cranbrook Academy of Art, where celebrated Finnish ceramist Maija Grotell was her instructor. "I learned everything from her," Takaezu recalled. "She was good because she wanted people to be individuals." Takaezu eventually became Grotell's assistant and even taught classes at Cranbrook during the summer.

In the fall of 1955, Takaezu made an influential trip to Okinawa and Japan. Her eight-month stay included living in a Zen Buddhist temple, absorbing Japanese culture, and visiting renowned potters Hamada, Rosanjin and Kaneshige. She embraced a philosophy that integrated art and life and believed the making of art was a process of self-realization. Returning to America, Takaezu joined the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Art, eventually rising to head of the ceramic department. At the same time, she experimented with the forms of functional ware like teapots and vases, gradually closing their mouths until only a vestigial opening remained.

In 1964, Takaezu established a new studio in Clinton, New Jersey, which was closer to friends and New York City. She left the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1965 and moved her home to Clinton. In 1967, she was invited to teach ceramics by the Visual Arts Department at Princeton University, a position she held for 25 years. Several of her classes were geared for non-art majors and included individuals like Queen Noor and Brooke Shields. Eventually, Takaezu relocated her studio to Quakertown, New Jersey, where she built larger kilns and a more spacious studio. Every year, she returns to Hawai`i in the winter for a two-month stay.

Having retired from Princeton in 1992, Takaezu has utilized her larger studio space, bigger kilns and expanded time to continue to push forward new ideas. "At this point I'm making bigger pieces, over five feet high," she revealed. "About 10 years ago I decided, if I don't make those big pieces now, I'll never do it. I like the idea of going around the piece and glazing—it's almost like dancing."

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Sunday, August 7, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
A Conversation with Toshiko Takaezu
First of a three-part interviews series with ceramicists begins with master artist Toshiko Takaezu, who discusses her work with National Museum Senior Curator of Art Karin Higa. For the last 50 years, Takaezu helped to transform ceramics into a major medium of artistic expression, combining asymmetry, clean designs and a natural color palette.

Sunday, September 18, 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Play with Clay II: Ceramics with a Secret
A program for families. In this workshop geared for the entire family, participants can create their own vessels inspired by those created by renowned ceramicist Toshiko Takaezu. Each person can add their own secret to their creation and take it home.

Sunday, September 25, 10:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.
An Introduction to Mind, Hands, and Clay with Setsuko Morinoue
Beginners can create their own ceramic art without the use of tools in this special workshop, guided by internationally acclaimed artist Setsuko Morinoue. Finished pieces will be fired and ready for pick up at the National Museums in two weeks. Workshop fees are $50 for Museum members and $65 for non-members. Includes supplies. For those 16 and up.

Sunday, September 25, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
A Conversation with Ceramicist Setsuko Morinoue
The second of three conversations with groundbreaking Japanese American ceramicists, this program features Kona-based artist Setsuko Morinoue. Morinoue will discuss the influence of artist Toshiko Takaezu and her own passion for making ceramics and teaching children.

Sunday, November 6, 2:00- 3:30 p.m.
A Conversation with Jun Kaneko
The third of three conversations focusing on significant Japanese American artists who work with clay features Jun Kaneko. Jun Kaneko began his career as a painter, becoming a sculptor when he arrived in the US from Japan in the 1960's. He was educated at the Chouinard Art Institute and the California Institute of Art in Los Angeles, the University of California at Berkeley, and Claremont Graduate School. Kaneko has participated in over 200 exhibitions in galleries and museums around the world. His work can be seen in the public collections of the Shigaraki Ceramic Museum in Japan; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Detroit Institute of Art; and the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, among others. In March 2006, Opera Omaha will premiere a new production of Madama Butterfly with sets and costumes designed by Kaneko.

JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

The Japanese American National Museum is dedicated to fostering greater understanding and appreciation for America's ethnic and cultural diversity by preserving and telling the stories of Americans of Japanese ancestry. Since its incorporation in 1985, the National Museum has grown into an internationally recognized institution, presenting award-winning exhibitions, groundbreaking traveling exhibits, educational public programs, innovative video documentaries and cutting-edge curriculum guides. The National Museum raised close to $60 million to renovate an historic building in 1992 and open a state-of-the-art Pavilion in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo Historic District in 1999. There are now over 50,000 members and donors representing all 50 states and 16 different countries.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Japanese American National Museum is located at 369 East First Street in the historic Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. For more information, call (213) 625-0414 or visit www.janm.org. Museum hours are Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Museum admission is $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for seniors and $4.00 for students and children. Admission is free for Museum members and children under age six. Admission is free to everyone on Thursdays from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and every third Thursday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Reservations are required for public programs. Public programs are free for Museum members or with paid admission. Metered street parking and public parking lots are conveniently located near the Museum for a nominal fee.