Join artists featured in the exhibition Japanese Kōgei | Future Forward, including Takashi Ikura, Toshio Ōhi, Masayasu Mitsuke, and Takurō Kuwata, for a special demonstrations of their kōgei techniques in the Artist Studios.  Visitors are encouraged to meet the artists and discuss their materials, processes and concepts while they work. Open to visitors of all ages.

Takashi Ikura | Twisting Porcelain
Tuesday, October 20^th : 10 am – 11 am

Ikura couples functional ceramics with sculptural forms that are twisted and curving as if digitally fabricated.  Join the artist as he demonstrates his approach to carving and shaping his designs with various clay tools and knives. 

Masayasu Mitsuke and Takurō Kuwata | A New Tradition
Tuesday, October 20^th: 11:20 am – 12:35 pm

Join Mitsuke and Kuwata for a joint demonstration that embodies qualities similar to both of their artistic practices: a reinterpretation of traditional techniques and a love for experimentation and innovation.  Mitsuke will demonstrate his highly complex geometric technique of painting Kutani ware plates, while Kuwata works on the potter’s wheel and hand-building his forms to demonstrate to visitors how he interprets traditional chawan (tea bowls).

Toshio Ōhi | Transcending Cultural Boundaries
Tuesday, October 20^th: 1pm – 3pm

An eleventh-generation descendant of the Ōhi family of potters, Toshio Ōhi works within the traditional style associated with his ancestors while simultaneously creating dialogue, traveling the world, and giving workshops to artists from other cultures.  Ōhi will be using the tebinari (twisted by hand) technique, discussing his training, and sharing cultural traditions with visitors.