Exhibition - Recent Ceramics by Women from Japan

Soaring Voices includes 87 contemporary ceramic works by 25 women artists from Japan.  According to City Arts Center Executive Director Mary Ann Prior, the exhibition demonstrates an important cultural shift in Japanese society toward individual women artists becoming recognized in an artistic realm traditionally held by men.

“Women have been highly active in the production of ceramics in Japan for thousands of years, but their names have been largely unknown,” Prior said.  “We’re delighted to have the honor of displaying the high-caliber work of these extraordinary artists in our gallery, and at no cost to the public.”

Soaring Voices features pioneering ceramicists spanning generations, including members of the founding generation of Japanese female potters, such as Asuka Tsubio, Kiyoko Koyama and Takako Araki whose colorful works are innovative in form and concept.  Other artists, including Eiko Kishi and Fuku Fukumoto, incorporate ancient literature and Noh traditions to create a context within their work of a deep connection with nature, a significant motif in the work of Japanese artists.