Kishi Eiko

Kishi Eiko first studied at Kyoto Arts University. She has exhibited extensively throughout Japan and has consistently won awards since 1984 in both Japan and Europe. In 2000, she had the rare honor of having a one-person show at the Minneapolis Institute of Art while teaching at the Northern Clay Center. Her work is meticulously carved and tooled, with inlays of colored clays applied in a highly time-consuming mosaic-like technique (saiseki zōgan). The end result resembles a stone-like surface until examined closely, when the vibrancy of the mosaic inlay can be fully appreciated.

1948 Born in Nara Prefecture
1980 Completed ceramic course, Ceramic Research Center, Tekisui Museum, Hyogo
1999 Lectured at Suwon University, and Kyonhi University, Seoul, South Korea;
the Northern Clay Center, Minnesota; Wood Fire Conference, Iowa University
2000 Lectured at Saint Catherine University, Minnesota
2001 Artist in Residence in Seto, creating works, lecturing and offering workshops in Seto, Aichi Prefecture

Awards:

1980 Mainichi Newspaper Award
1984 Encouragement Prize, Kyoto Arts and Crafts Exhibition
1985 Education Ministry Prize, the Women's Association of Ceramic Art Exhibition, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
Grand Prize, Asahi Ceramics Exhibition
1987 Encouragement Prize, Asahi Ceramics Exhibition
1991 The Kyoto City Mayor Prize, Kyoto City Exhibition
The Excellence Prize, the 2nd Ceramic Art Biennial '91
The 20th Chōzō Prize, Commemorative Exhibition of Ceramic Art at Tokoname
Memorial Prize, '91 Stoneware Exhibition, Tenmaya Art Gallery, Okayama
1992 The Kyoto City Mayor Prize, Kyoto City Exhibition
1995 The Second Prize, '95 Stoneware Exhibition, Tenmaya Art Gallery, Okayama
The Encouragement Prize, the 4th Ceramic Art Biennial '95
1998 The McKnight Residency Grant, USA
1999 The Silver Medal Prize, the 51st International Competition for Contemporary Ceramic Art, Faenza, Italy
2000 Memorial Award, the Kyoto Craft Artists’ Association Exhibition, Kyoto Prefectural Center for Art and Culture (also in 2002)

Selected Public Collections:

Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida
Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minnesota State University
Istituto Statale d’Arte per la Ceramica F.A. Grue, Castelli Italy
International Ceramic Museum, Faenza, Italy
Kecskemet International Ceramics Studio, Hungary
Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota
Minnesota Municipal Museum
Musee Cermusch, Paris, France
Musée nationale de Ceramiques, Sèvres France
Museum of Art and Design, New York
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, U.K.
New Orleans Museum of Art
Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis
Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
Seto City Culture Center, Aichi
The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Japan
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton MA
Taipei County Yingee Ceramics Museum, Taiwan
Tokoname City, Aichi
The Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven