Opening Reception & artist talk: California Masters & Wendy Maruyama

California Masters: State of the Arts
Opening Reception and Artist Talk by Wendy Maruyama
July 11, 2015, 4-7pm

Join the Craft in America Center for the opening of our new exhibition, California Masters: State of the Arts, The show, and our Artist Lecture Series, gets started with a talk by renowned artist and furniture maker Wendy Maruyama at 4pm, followed by a reception with light refreshments.

California Masters will be on view at the Craft in America Center from July 11-October 3, 2015. The exhibition includes the following artists: Tanya Aguiñiga, Julie Chen, Marilyn da Silva, Katherine Gray, Marvin Lipofsky, Wendy Maruyama, Laura Mays, Steven Portigal, Sandy Simon, Christina Smith, Carol Shaw-Sutton, and Consuelo Jimenez Underwood.

California Masters: State of the Arts is an exhibition of twelve preeminent artists from across California who exemplify leadership in contemporary craft. Two artists, one from the South and one from the North of the state, were chosen to represent each of six primary craft disciplines: fiber, ceramics, wood, glass, metals, and alternative materials.  The resulting group of works highlights innovation and technical rigor while speaking to a uniquely California context.

A program of Artist Talks and events at the Center will accompany California Masters throughout the exhibition.

Artist Talk with Wendy Maruyama
July 11, 4-5pm

Wendy Maruyama is an artist, craftsperson and educator from San Diego, California. Trained as a furniture maker, Maruyama also uses woodworking techniques to make sculpture, installation work, and narrative pieces. Maruyama is Professor Emeritus at San Diego State University, where she taught from 1989-2015. Her work has been exhibited and collected nationally and internationally. In 2013, Maruyama gave a TEDx Talk called “The TAG Project – rethinking the artistic process,” regarding her work pursuing the legacy of WWII incarceration of Americans of Japanese Ancestry. Learn more about her work at www.wendymaruyama.com