March 17- April 7 Collective Identity: The Legacy of Apprenticeship under Toshiko Takaezu March 28 2018
March 17 - April 7, 2018
Williamsburg Art & Historical Center
135 Broadway
Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY 11211
Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011), a Japanese-American ceramic artist known for her closed vessels became internationally influential by presenting her pots as sculpture. She is celebrated as a formidable modernist whose style is epitomized by unrestrained brush strokes and splashes of glaze over her signature ceramic forms. The impact of Toshiko Takaezu on the field of ceramics and contemporary art is well documented, yet her role as mentor – equally important to her – is too often overlooked. From the mid 1970’s until the last year of her life, Takaezu chose one apprentice each year to live and work at her home and studio in Quakertown, NJ.
Featuring work by 20 of her former apprentices and committed disciples, Collective Identity celebrates Toshiko’s dedication to mentorship and helps communicate her excellence as a maker and educator. The breadth of Toshiko’s influence can be recognized through the variety of personal vision of her student’s work throughout the exhibition.