shuji ikeda        

Born in Okayama Japan in 1950. Moved to the United States in 1973.

 

Attended Holy Names College to finish general education majoring in liberal arts.  Transferred to San Francisco State University. Majored in film making, graduating cum laude in 1979.

 

In 1981 he joined the Pottery 7 Studio in San Francisco and in 1986 he moved to Berkeley where he built his own studio.

 

Awarded the certificate of Sokakan (Professor of Ikebana) from Ikenobo Ikebana  School.  Teaches ikebana flower arranging at his Berkeley studio and various other  locations.

My Business

I like working with my hands to create beautiful things that have never existed before. The process of making pottery involves clay, water and fire, which I feel is a connection with the formation of the earth. Exploring my creativity is exciting and makes me feel alive, like walking into an unexplored jungle and finding beautiful creatures to observe.

I practice ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) because I can work with flowers--which I cannot make myself. The materials, the textures and complexity of the structures are far beyond my abilities to create.

Working with flowers makes me understand I am just like them, i.e. I mean that my body is. I am one of the creatures that lives on this earth and I will never be able to create anything exactly like myself. That makes me feel pretty special and I want to explore myself.  My goal is to do just that.

I teach pottery making and ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) in order to find myself, and in the process of doing that maybe I can find harmony in everyone.

A partial list of Exhibitions and Galleries:

SAN FRANCISCO FINE ART MUSEUM SHOP, DE YOUNG

SAN FRANCISCO ASIAN ART MUSEUM SHOP

COOL STUFF 2000 (San Jose Museum of Art) San Jose

CALIFORNIA DESIGN 2000 (California Contemporary Craft Association)

NEW VISIONS (Pro Arts) Philip E. Linhgres (Executive Curator Oakland Museum)

ASIAN ALLURE (GUMP'S) San Francisco

WOOD FIRING (Catharine Hiersoux Gallery)

ASIAN IMPRESSIONS (Options Gallery) Healdsburg

THE OAKLAND MUSEUM COLLECTORS GALLERY

SAN FRANCISCO CRAFT & FOLK ART MUSEUM (Helen Heniger Years)

CALIFORNIA CLAY COMPETITION (Award for Excellence in Function)

THE NICHE AWARDS (National Competition sponsored by the Rosen Agency)

AMERICAN CRAFT COUNCIL SHOW

RENWICK GALLERY, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION (California Artist)

NATIONAL CONVENTION OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS

JAPANESE CONSULATE OF SAN FRANCISCO (Ceramic Arts of Japan)

SAN FRANCISCO ART COMMISSION EXHIBIT (First Prize, People's Award)

AGNON FINE ART AND CRAFT EXHIBITION

 

Corporate Collections

UNOCAL (Executive Headquarters, Los Angeles, CA)

DUKE ENERGY (Houston, TX)

 

Articles, Books and Media

Ceramic Art: Innovative Techniques May 2009 by www.ceramicartsdaily.org 

Spark KQED  2007

 

500 BASKETS (A Celebration of the Basket maker’s Art) Lark Books 2006

OBJECT LESSONS, BEAUTY AND MEANING IN ART, Guild Publishing 2001

BEAUTIFUL THINGS, Guild Publishing 2000

BASKETS: TRADITION & BEYOND, Guild Publishing 2000

CERAMICS MONTHLY (June, July, August 1997), "Shuji Ikeda" by James Irwin

THE DESIGNER’S SOURCEBOOK 10, Guild Publishing 1995