Directly following the ceramics demonstration with Kôyama Kiyoko, UMMA's Research Curator of Asian Art and curator of the exhibition Natsu Oyobe will introduce visitors to the exhibition.

Turning Point: Japanese Studio Ceramics in the Mid-20th Century Open May 15–August 8, 2010

Contemporary Japanese ceramics are currently highly prized, avidly collected, and frequently exhibited. UMMA became actively engaged with the medium in the 1960s, and thanks to astute acquisitions made with the help of John Stephenson, Catherine B. Heller Professor Emeritus, School of Art and Design, the Museum has a priceless selection of ceramics dating from the 1930s through 1970s by leading figures and “living national treasures” such as Hamada Shôji, Kawai Kanjirô, and Yagi Kazuo. The collection of approximately 50 works offers a focused look at the Japanese studio pottery movement at a moment of exceptional creativity and lasting influence.

This exhibition is made possible in part by the University of Michigan's Center for Japanese Studies, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Charles H. & Katharine C. Sawyer Endowment Fund, The Japan Foundation, New York, the Japan Business Society of Detroit Foundation, and an anonymous donor.