Japanese Studio Craft at RAM

February 18 – June 10, 2018

Makoto Ito
Blue Portrait, 1993
Glass
10 3/4 x 7 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches
Racine Art Museum, Gift of Charles Bronfman
Photography: Jon Bolton

Focusing on how tradition can impact contemporary makers, Japanese Studio Craft at RAM is an exploration of small-scale craft—art jewelry, ceramics, baskets, fiber, glass, and wood—from artists with Japanese heritage.

Studio craft is most simply distinguished from the traditional version by intention. Where traditional craft has historically been used for necessity or ceremony, studio craft has emphasized artistic investigation or aesthetic contemplation. Significantly, studio craft may—or may not—be functional or be intended for practical use.

Since the later twentieth century, Japan—steeped in strong historical traditions that include woodworking, metalworking, fibers, lacquer ware, and more—has seen a greater focus on the development of craft-oriented studio practices that emphasize the artist’s interests rather than function. This has come in part from Japanese artists studying abroad who have been impacted by theories of making that have developed in places like the United States and Western Europe.

More About the Exhibition

Exhibition Notes (PDF)

Press Room

Artists in the Exhibition

Junichi Arai, Kishi Eiko, Kyohei Fujita, Keiko Fukazawa, Kimiake Higuchi, Kazue Honma, Makoto Ito, Kiyomi Iwata, Jun Kaneko, Tamiko Kawata, Mika McCann, Keisuke Mizuno, Etsuko Nishi, Eugene Pijanowski, Hiroko Sato, Takako Saito, Yuka Saito, Toru Sato, Hisako Sekijima, Yoko Sekino-Bové, Yukihiro Shibata, Yosh Sugiyama, Akio Takamori, Tsuchida Yasuhiko, Koichiro Yamamoto, Hiroshi Yamano, Takeshi Yasuda, and Jiro Yonezawa