Reflect

Five years ago this fall, Mingei reopened its doors after a transformative renovation, and the Museum has since grown and evolved in ways we could not have fully imagined then. I am grateful to the members, donors, visitors, artists, volunteers, and staff who have all contributed to this important chapter. As the season shifts and we mark this anniversary, it feels like an ideal moment to pause and reflect on what we are continuing to build together.

This summer, our galleries showcased the breadth and ambition of the Museum’s exhibition program. Clearly Indigenous, a traveling show we identified and secured just months after reopening, and To Catch a Fish, drawn from Mingei's own collection and expanded with significant contemporary work, anchored a season that also included India Thompson: Feels Like Home. From local to global, traditional to contemporary, and emerging to established, Mingei’s exhibitions bring a full range of craft and creativity into conversation under one roof.

Though each exhibition tells a distinct story, experiencing them alongside one another has surfaced unexpected reflections. Over the past few months, visitors have observed delightful connections between objects in our gallery, reveled in recounting their best fish tales (everyone has one!), and gained new insight into craft processes.

In this issue of Communiqué, fiber artist Sitoë Thiam invites us into her practice, sharing the experiences, histories, and perspectives that shape her work. Artists like Sitoë reflect the world back to us in creative and surprising ways. How do we ensure that artists experience Mingei not only as a place to contribute, but as a place that genuinely belongs to them? This summer, we addressed this question by launching the Mingei Artist Collective Membership, offering complimentary memberships to artists who have exhibited or collaborated with us. We have just expanded the program to include regional creatives more broadly, and the sign-up is live through September.

Reflection at Mingei is never passive. We look at objects to better understand our world, listen to artists to appreciate their practice, and examine our own work to find new ways to serve makers, families, and communities. Thank you for being part of what we are creating.

Here's to the next five years, and well beyond!

Jess

Mingei is proud to announce the acquisition of two stunning rings created in 2000 by San Diego artist, teacher, innovator, and friend of the museum, Arline Fisch (1931-2024). Aptly named Braided Tower (left) and Tapered Spiral (right), each ring features a prominent hand-built centerpiece that exemplifies her use of architectural elements and signature textile techniques rendered in metal.

Fisch rarely worked small, favoring the drama of large-scale adornment that could enhance the wearer and spark a conversation. Even these two rings, which are smaller than most of her other jewelry, quite literally stand out and up on the wearer’s hand. 

The rings will feature in an upcoming exhibition honoring Fisch at the Museum in late 2027. Details to be announced soon.

There's always a palpable excitement around summer. School's out, and all seriousness seems to evaporate with the heat, making space for exciting twists and turns. This summer, we extended our age group from 6 to 10, and much to our surprise, the largest enrollment came from our younger ages, welcoming 54 students in total for our Summer at Mingei camp. The Education, Learning, and Impact (“ELI”) team rolled up our sleeves and knew we needed to get creative and come up with ways to engage kids with very different developmental stages. 

Together, our team hashed out 48 individual art projects, each directly connected to the exhibitions on view! Every project drew the kids in the same way: wide eyes, full attention, excitement overflowing from their little bodies. Every day after that, the kids walked in the classroom door and asked, "What's our next project? I can't wait to make it!" Parents noticed something similar. "My kid regurgitated everything he did yesterday," one told us. "He's never done that with school or other camps." Another parent echoed the sentiment: "She keeps telling me going to Mingei is the best day of her life!" 

It was evident that the students were loving all the hands-on crafting they were learning. The museum was constantly humming with kids working in their element—crafting felted self-portraits, sewing four-patch quilts, constructing cardboard piñatas, experimenting with indigo-dyed shibori fabrics, adventuring through the galleries, or bringing their creative energy out onto the library and terraces. One of the team’s brainstorms was a special success—bringing the Balboa Park into the big picture, with kids visiting and exploring a different museum each week, each visit sparking a new connection back to what they were making at camp. With so many fun activities lined up, it's easy to overlook the role that “Mingei” plays in all of it—but that role is the whole point. As an institute where we cultivate the concept of "art of the people," we're not just sharing a new craft skill. We're watching kids flip on a light of their own: the realization that making things by hand is hard, and that through it they come to see value and appreciation in craft itself—not just what their own hands have made, but what's been crafted by hand across many generations. And, not an iPad or screen in sight–how refreshing for developing creative brains! 

That kind of realization doesn't come easy, though. As these kids build, weave, dye, and construct, they run into moments of frustration. But it's in that very struggle that something clicks, and they start to gain confidence in themselves. At the end of each week, we gathered the students to reflect and share out a "rose"—a success—and a "thorn"—a challenge they faced. Again and again, kids landed on the same project for both. "It was hard at first, and I got frustrated," one camper shared, "but it was my favorite project." The rose and the thorn, it turns out, aren't opposites—they're the same flower. 

We all know and believe folk-art, craft, and design are for all, but it's the next generation that will help keep it alive. Every camper who walks through our doors and figures that out for themselves is proof we're on the right path—one lightbulb moment, one camper, at a time. 

As you walk up the stairs to our galleries, looking up to see the great Dale Chihuly chandelier floating above you—the blending of this season’s exhibitions begins—from immersion into the waters of To Catch a Fish, to seamlessly wandering into the magical world of reimagined traditional forms in Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass, curated by Dr. Letitia Chambers, a scholar of Cherokee descent. Tracing the introduction of the studio glass practice to Indigenous communities, this exhibition explores how the art form has spread and evolved. Side by side, these two exhibitions allow us to share in the experiences and perspectives of artists whose work reflects an engagement with nature and the sacred relationships between people and the natural world. 

Each season, our team puts their heads together to configure the second-floor galleries in a new way that honors the work we are presenting to our visitors.  Sometimes, it becomes one very large exhibition, such as our 2024 exhibition Blue Gold, taking over the entire floor. Most of the time, though, we host two or three shows at a time in that space. When we are planning, it’s always inspiring to envision how distinct exhibitions will live side by side. Sometimes we know there will be a relationship, and at other times, wonderful threads of connection reveal themselves as it all unfolds. And we find the exhibitions in conversations with each other. 

To Catch a Fish explores how people around the world relate to fish—not only through hand-made tools to catch them, but also as part of the realm of water, and more broadly, the realm of nature. Fishing is an ancient global practice, and the exhibition features objects from North, Central, and South America, Asia, and Africa. Works include fish traps, baskets, lures, harpoons, nets, and floats, among other things, but also objects that link fish to divine protection, healing, abundance, and renewal.  

The Halibut Hooks, a remarkable contemporary work by First Nations Canadian artist Marianne Nicolson, reflects her tribal nation’s relationship to fish and water. The work, projected onto the entire back wall of the gallery, presents the facade of a traditional tribal house covered with imagery of orcas, halibut, oolichan, and other fish. At the top of the facade is a portrait—the face and hands of the owner of the house, a powerful supernatural figure who governs the underwater realms and all watery inhabitants. The work speaks to a relationship of care and reciprocity between the human community and the natural world, one that is endangered by the destructive extractive processes of commercial fishing and other encroaching industries. 

Creatures of the sky include Raven stealing the sun and dragonfly messengers. A section on the sky itself includes representations of constellations, star maps, and Avanyu, the supernatural winged water serpent who lives in the rain clouds and brings lightning during storms. 

This summer, these two exhibitions shared the space in our main galleries, playing and talking to each other, and to us, in a beautiful way—encouraging our own self-reflection on the land and collective stewardship of the natural world.

Clearly Indigenous closes September 20, 2026.

Mingei recently launched our new Artist Collective Membership, an initiative that recognizes the essential contributions of artists, makers, and creative collaborators who are connected to the Museum and who help to strengthen our community. Through this program, a limited number of complimentary memberships were given to individuals who have exhibited their work at Mingei, collaborated with our Engagement, Learning, and Impact team, or partnered with Shop Mingei to sell items at the Museum. 

The Artist Collective Membership provides complimentary Museum admission, discounts on programs and events, and creates meaningful opportunities for artists to stay connected with Mingei and one another. Most importantly, it helps strengthen the relationship between the Museum and the creative community that inspires our mission of celebrating Art of the People.

Due to the enthusiastic response to this new program, we’re excited to open the offering to all artists throughout the month of September. If you or an artist you know would like to participate, please submit through this form by September 30 for your membership.

Together, we’re building a stronger creative community—one where artists feel welcomed, supported, and connected, and where their work continues to inspire and enrich us all.

At Shop Mingei, you'll find a curated collection of handcrafted goods by local artists and makers from around the world. Each piece is chosen for its exceptional craftsmanship, thoughtful design, and connection to Mingei's mission.

Stop by the shop, and you'll find stunning pieces by fiber artist and mechanical engineer Sitoë Thiam, the founder of Unknot. At this fiber design studio, Sitoë explores the possibilities of knotting and weaving through functional design, traditional techniques, and unexpected materials. Drawing on her background in engineering and art, Sitoë brings experimentation and resourcefulness to practices with deep historical roots, designing her own looms, transforming discarded materials, and finding new ways to make fiber arts accessible.

Sitoë is also a frequent collaborator with Mingei. Her work is carried in Shop Mingei, she has led Make at Mingei workshops, and she currently leads our Knot Together series. In many ways, her practice embodies the Mingei philosophy, and we’re proud to support a contemporary maker bringing imagination and innovation to the enduring traditions of handmade craft.

We spoke with Sitoë about the relationship between function and beauty, finding value in discarded materials, the renewed interest in making by hand, and how curiosity continues to shape her practice.

What interests you about creating objects that are meant to be used as well as admired?

I love designing for people! It’s what made me fall in love with engineering, and what drew me to fiber art. I like to imagine how someone might experience an object, then go through the process of prototyping and testing it to fine-tune that experience for them. The cherry on top for me is that I get to make it beautiful, too! I can pour my creativity into an object’s functionality, then again into designing the process to make it, and once more into making it a joy to behold!

Planning a holiday party should feel as joyful as the celebration itself. At Mingei, everything you need to create an enriching and memorable gathering is all in one place.

Host an intimate celebration for 10 or bring together up to 300 guests with a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces to make your own. Exceptional catering from Urban Kitchen Group and craft cocktails from Michelin-recognized ARTIFACT take care of the food and drinks, while access to Mingei’s galleries gives your guests an experience that goes beyond the traditional holiday party.

Best of all, you don’t have to coordinate it alone. Special Events Manager Rachelle Sawal will guide you through the details, making it easy to bring everything together so you can focus on what matters: gathering, sharing, and celebrating with the people around you.

Make this year’s holiday party one they’ll remember. 

Contact Rachelle Sawal to start planning your celebration at Mingei!

One night. One destination. One unforgettable menu. Each month, ARTIFACT at Night transforms the restaurant with a limited-seat prix fixe dinner inspired by the flavors, traditions, and stories of a different region of the world.

Upcoming dinners:
September 17—Southern India
October 15—Friuli-Venezia Giulia
November 12—Travel down the Danube

Each gathering extends the Museum experience beyond the gallery, inviting guests to explore culture through taste and connection.

This fall, Painted Prayers: The Japanese Folk Art Tradition of Ema, Skate Craft: Do-It-Yourself Design in Skateboarding, and My Bed: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep Around the World look beyond conventional ideas of who gets to be called a maker. Devotional painters, skateboarders, and a fiber artist each use their own materials, skills, and lived experiences to make something meaningful. Together, the exhibitions celebrate craft as a desire to create shared across generations, cultures, and communities.

Painted Prayers: The Japanese Folk Art Tradition of Ema

On View: Oct 17, 2026—Apr 4, 2027

Painted Prayers is the first comprehensive museum exhibition in the United States devoted to the custom of ema, illustrated wooden votive plaques offered at Japan’s Buddhist and Shinto shrines. Learn the meanings behind a range of imagery on the ema, such as a centipede with its many feet to represent a prayer for increased shop customers, or a red stingray to represent a prayer for relief from hemorrhoids! You can further explore the stories in the accompanying catalog, featuring essays by Painted Prayers guest-curator Meher McArthur and scholar Hilary K. Snow, PhD.

My Bed: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep Around the World

On View: Oct 31, 2026–April 4, 2027

Step into the intricately stitched world of artist Salley Mavor. My Bed brings together eighteen hand-embroidered, three-dimensional tableaus depicting how children sleep around the world. Created through stitching and soft sculpture, each scene is constructed like a miniature stage set, transforming fabric, thread, and embellishment into remarkably detailed worlds.

Skate Craft: Do-It-Yourself Design in Skateboarding

On View: Nov 21, 2026—May 9, 2027

Skate Craft celebrates skateboarding's true "Do-It-Yourself" values, tracing its evolution from the early days of making decks in garages and building ramps from found lumber to the handcrafted works of art seen today.

We’re celebrating all things Skate Craft with a VIP party on January 30, 2027, featuring exclusive access, surprise guests, and more to be revealed.

Tickets will be extremely limited—and our email list will be the first to know when they go live. Sign up for the Mingei newsletter to make sure you don’t miss your chance to be there.

Mingei thrives thanks to the generosity of members and friends who give throughout the year, supporting exhibitions, programs, and future generations. Thank you for making it possible! 

Donors of Note 

November 3, 2025 to August 20, 2026

Anonymous

A.O. Reed & Co.

Motoko Aizawa and Mark Sommers

Arizona Community Foundation

Sally Ault

Raghu and Uma Ayer

Cia and Larry Barron

Marie-Claude Beaupre

Beck Family Charitable Fund

Stephanie Bergsma and Dwight Hare

Anne and Jeff Blackburn

Robyn Bottomley and Glenn Gutridge

Karen and Bob Bowden

Molly and Charles Brazell

Althea M. Brimm

Harold and Colene Brown Family Foundation

Carmela Caldera Bowen

Cathy and Michael Casteel

Maarten and Janet Chrispeels

City of San Diego

City of San Diego Cultural Affairs

Dr. and Mrs. Richard Claytor

Dr. Nancy R. Cohen

Marilyn Colby and Evans Family Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation

Cecelia and David Conover

Gail Corwin

Ann Rea Craig

Patricia Cué

Donna Damson

The Dawe Family in memory of Jim Dawe

Katy and Mike Dessent

Alice Diamond

Carol Y. Dickinson

The Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickinson Foundation

Donna Donati

Chris and Risa Engle in honor of Maiya and Leah

Marilyn and Nick Felfe

David Martin Finkelstein Trust

Richard Forsyth and Kate Leonard

Caroline Frederick

Catherine R. Friedman

Karen and Tom Gammiere

Susan Gilliland

Katherine Goddard Infantino

Dan Goldzband in memory of Julie Thompson

Jill G. Hall

Mike Hallor and Ellen Sidner Hallor

Michelle and Ron Hebdon

Scott Henry 

Hervey Family Fund at San Diego Foundation

Community Foundation of Louisville Henry V. Heuser, Jr. Fund

Ingrid Hibben and Victor La Magna

Judy Hirsh and Dr. Walter Cohen

Nancy and Steve Howard

Mary Howell

Irwin Jacobs

Kate and Jeff Jeffery

Kathy and Rob Jones

JPMorganChase

Maurice M. Kawashima

Michael and Patricia Kelly

Kristin Kelly

Maureen and Charles King

Zoe and Eric Kleinbub

The Knox Family Charitable Fund

Theresa F. Lai

Connie and Lawrence Lambert

Gail A. Laughlin

Theodora F. Lewis Living Trust

Robin J. Lipman

Izumi and Galen Lowe 

Jennifer Luce

The Lundsten Family

Eleanor Lynch

Richard and Raimie Manch

Sivia and Norman Mann Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation

Joseph J. Manno and Nancy Anne Manno

Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies 

Bill and Peggy McCarberg Charitable Fund

Courtenay C. McGowen

Douglas and Susan McLeod

Carol Mendoza

Rena Minisi

Laurie Mitchell and Brent Woods

Deborah Moceri

Judith Morgan

Marian C. Moses

National Endowment for the Arts

Robert Neborsky in memory of Sandra Neborsky

Prof. Judith Nicolaidis

Catherine and Robert Palmer

Maryanne and Irwin Pfister

Prebys Foundation

Allison and Robert Price Family Foundation

Price Philanthropies Foundation

Professional Maintenance Systems, Inc.

Audrey S. Ratner

Barbara Roper

Allison Rossett and Susan Reynolds

Ruth and Joseph C. Reed Foundation

Patricia Rutledge

Samuel I & John Henry Fox Foundation

San Diego Unified School District and Freese Elementary 

Michele Schlecht

Gail Schneider and David Matlin

Gabby Schubert

Therese Seiber

Patricia and John Seiber

Carl Scragg and Patricia Seitas

SDSU School of Art + Design

Curt Sherman

Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation

Felicia Shaw

Rob Sidner

Marion So

Annie So

Stonegate Contracting & Restoration

Patricia Stromberg

Mariko Sawa and Ulf Sundberg

Takahashi Family Charitable Fund

Sylvia Taylor

Molly McCormick Thornton

David Van Glider and Steve Good in memory of Beato

Sara Vickers

Janet Wallace in honor of Terri Bryson

Christy Walton

Kathy and Jim Waring

Warren Family Foundation

Jo Weiner

Abby and Ray Weiss

Katherine White
Donald H. Whitfield 

Li-Ann Wong

Terri Peterson Zimdars