The exhibition was supported by The Japan Foundation. It was funded in part by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and the County of San Diego Community Enhancement Program.
A Mingei International documentary publication accompanied the exhibition. It included 129 color and three black and white photographs and writing by Tatsuzo Shimaoka, Sori Yanagi, Martha Longenecker and Dr. Lennox Tierney.
In celebration of the artist’s 80th year, Mingei International presented the largest retrospective to date of the pottery of Tatsuzo Shimaoka, who in 1996 was designated by the Emperor of Japan an Intangible Cultural Asset. It was composed of nearly 300 pieces of Mr. Shimaoka’s work, spanning his entire career, including 60 pieces created especially for this exhibition. Mr. Shimaoka was particularly noted for his rope-impressed inlay design. His works represent the best of Japan’s 5000-year-old, unbroken tradition of the art of pottery making.
Playing continuously in the Multi-media Education Center adjacent to the exhibition was a 37-minute film produced in Japan, “THE HANDS OF MASTER SHIMAOKA – Rope Impressed Inlay Mingei Pottery.”
Following the Members’ Reception Tatsuzo Shimaoka gave his personal commentary along with presentation of the video and answered questions from the audience.