by Jun Kaneko was on view in May, 2019
Jun Kaneko
Wall Slabs Pair
1989
74 x 22 x 4” (dimensions are for each piece)
glazed ceramics
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A bold polka-dot motif provides a whimsical counterpoint to the dramatic physical presence of this rare, large-scale pair of ceramic sculptures by Japanese American artist Jun Kaneko. The polka-dot pattern is only one of several abstract surface motifs characteristic of the artist’s work. Kaneko, who originally trained as a painter in Japan before moving to the U.S., approaches the surfaces of his clay works the way a painter might consider a canvas. Using masking tape and colored slips, he covers his free-standing forms and wall pieces with prominent graphic markings, forming repeated high impact patterns composed of stripes, zig-zags, spirals, polka dots, and other geometric shapes.
A playful design with a contemporary essence, the polka-dot provides a striking visual contrast to this imposing pair of seemingly timeless pieces. As is customary for Kaneko, whose work is often grand in scale and form, the slabs are more than six feet in height and each weigh 500 pounds. Absent the polka-dots, they might seem somewhat reminiscent of ancient stone monoliths. The wall slabs are considerably more rare than the well-known clay sculptures Kaneko calls Dangos, like the series of ten installed in 1991 at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. Unlike the Dangos, the Japanese word for dumplings, of which Kaneko has made hundreds, the artist only made 15 wall slabs. Created by the artist in 1989, the featured wall slabs are particularly unique as they are the only two the artist decorated with a large polka-dot design; the other 13 all feature small dots. Because of the scale and thickness of these works, which are made of solid clay, it takes a year for the pieces to dry sufficiently to be bisque fired in the kiln. During the firing process, the pieces are prone to cracking. These wall slabs, which have no cracks, are an optically dynamic pair of ceramic sculptures with significant art historical importance.
About the Artist
Jun Kaneko was born in Nagoya, Japan in 1942. After studying painting at a young age, he moved to California in 1962, enrolling in the Chouinard Art Institute, (which was later absorbed into CalArts). Kaneko’s interests shifted after his exposure to ceramicists of the California Clay Movement, who revolutionized ceramic art in the 1950s, making large-scale sculptural works in lieu of the utilitarian objects conventionally associated with the medium of clay. Inspired by these artists, Kaneko began his first experiments in ceramics.
Later, at the University of California at Berkeley, Kaneko studied with master ceramicists Ralph Becerra, Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner and Jerry Rothman. He went on to study at Claremont Graduate School, then taught for seven years at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. The artist lives and works in Omaha, Nebraska, where, in 1998, he and his wife formed KANEKO, a nonprofit cultural organization, and community arts space. Kaneko’s works are included in many permanent museum collections, including the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, the de Young Museum in San Francisco, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
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BIOGRAPHY
Jun Kaneko’s most recognized sculptural form is the boldly glazed, monumental dango (Japanese for “rounded form”). An enormous, rounded monolith, the dango presents visual pleasure and straightforward formal delight. As the distinguished philosopher and critic Arthur C. Danto has noted, “They communicate instantaneously their friendly and reconciling assurances, and wear the real world as well as the brilliant coverings that Kaneko has given them.”
When Kaneko first arrived in Los Angeles from Japan in 1963, he stayed at the home of legendary collector Fred Marer. An aspiring young painter, Kaneko was exposed to a comprehensive collection of revolutionary work by ceramic artists such as John Mason, Peter Voulkos, Jerry Rothman and Ken Price. The portentous encounter with those artists’ work, now four decades old, was a formative experience. “Once I saw all of this,” Kaneko has said, “it was impossible not to be interested in ceramics.”
Jun Kaneko, born in Nagoya, Japan in 1942, has consistently followed his own path and continually experimented with the technical aspects of the ceramic medium. His enormous dango forms, which range as high as eleven feet, challenge the physical limitations of the material and the firing process. Also, in his work at the European Ceramics Work Center, he has succeeded in applying extraordinary glaze color to ceramic tile and slabs, boldly painting in a direct and graphic manner.
Kaneko’s innate architectural abilities figure prominently throughout his work and his installations. Early in his career, the artist spent over three years building a compound of structures, including a studio, near Nagura, Japan. He still maintains an active interest in building and is currently working on a large-scale project in Omaha, Nebraska. As Kaneko wrote in 1996, “Oftentimes I am asked why I make such large-scale work. In making any object, we cannot escape the problems of scale. I believe each form has one right scale. Whether I’m making a large or small object, in the end, I hope it will make sense to have that particular scale and form together and that it will give off enough visual energy to shake the air around it.”
The artist’s sense of spatial organization has afforded him the opportunity to realize several public sculpture commissions, including the Phoenix Airport, a station for the Boston Subway, the Detroit People Mover, the Waikiki Aquarium and over a dozen others. These are in addition to his impressive list of works in major museum collections, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The De Young Museum in San Francisco, the Shigaraki Museum, and thirty others.
Born in Nagoya, Japan 1942
EDUCATION
1971 Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, CA, studied under Paul Soldner
1966 University of California, Berkeley, CA, studied under Peter Voulkos
1964 Chouinard Art Institute, Los Angeles, CA, & California Institute of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Studied ceramics at Jerry Rothman’s studio, Paramount, CA
AWARDS
2011 Master of the Media, James Renwick Alliance, Washington, DC
2010 Artist Advisory Board, The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, PA
2008 Honorary Doctorate, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Boston, MA
2006 Honorary Doctorate, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE
2006 Ak-Sar-Ben Service Award in the Arts
2005 Royal College of Art Honorary Doctorate
1996 Fellow of the American Craft Council
1994 Honorary Member, National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
1994 Nebraska Arts Council Fellowship
1985 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
1979 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
1967 Archie Bray Foundation Fellowship
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2014 Jun Kaneko, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC
2014 Jun Kaneko: Black and White, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2013 Jun Kaneko, Sherry Leedy Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2013 Special Project: Fremont Dangos 1992-1995, KANEKO, Omaha, NE
2013 Stacked: An Exploration in Density and Line, KANEKO, Omaha, NE
2013 Legends, Myths, and Truths: Jun Kaneko, Millenium Park, Boeing Galleries, Chicago, IL
2013 Jun Kaneko, Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
2012 Jun Kaneko: Sculpture, Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
2012 Jun Kaneko, Imago Galleries, Palm Desert, CA
2012 Jun Kaneko, Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2012 Jun Kaneko, Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2011 Jun Kaneko in the Round, The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
2011 Jun Kaneko, Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis, MO
2011 Jun Kaneko: Solo, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
2011 Kaneko On Stage: An Exhibition of Jun Kaneko’s Opera Designs for Madama Butterfly, The Kaneko, Omaha, NE
2011 Jun Kaneko Altered and Transposed: Drawings for Madama Butterfly, Sheldon Art Museum, Lincoln, NE
2011 Outside Kaneko, Lauritzen Gardens Botanical Center, Omaha, NE
2011 Jun Kaneko, Gardiner Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada
2011 Jun Kaneko Ceramics, Sonoma County Museum, Santa Rosa, CA
2011 Jun Kaneko, An Exhibition of Sculptures, Paintings and Drawings, Carl Solway Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2010 Jun Kaneko, Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA
2010 Jun Kaneko, Museum of Arts and Sciences, Macon, GA
2010 Jun Kaneko, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Delray Beach, FL
2010 Jun Kaneko Bronze Heads, Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
2010 Jun Kaneko, Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Museum, Southeast Missouri
2010 State University, Cape Girardeau, MO
2010 Jun Kaneko: Selected Work, Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, Biloxi, MS
2010 Jun Kaneko, Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
Jun Kaneko – New Work, Imago Galleries, Palm Desert, CA
Jun Kaneko, Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum and Sun Valley, ID
Jun Kaneko, Bronze Heads, Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
Jun Kaneko, Large Clay Works, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
2010 Jun Kaneko: New Paintings and Sculpture, Gebert Contemporary, Santa Fe NM
2009 Jun Kaneko, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Perelman Building, Philadelphia PA
2009 Jun Kaneko, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Commonwealth Plaza, Philadelphia PA
2009 Jun Kaneko Paintings, Gebert Contemporary, Santa Fe NM
2009 Jun Kaneko Intimate Relationships, Locks Gallery, Philadelphia PA
2009 Jun Kaneko, Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile AL
2009 Kaneko in Tokyo, Gallery Kasahara, Middle Town Garden, Tokyo, Japan
2009 Kaneko in Tokyo, Gallery Kasahara, Shinwa Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2009 Play’s the Thing: The Paintings and Objects of Jun Kaneko, Sheldon Art Museum, Lincoln, NE
2009 Jun Kaneko, The Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock AR
2009 Jun Kaneko, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose CA
2009 Crosscurrents: Jun Kaneko & David Kuraoka, Maui Arts and Culture Center, Kahului HI
2008 Jun Kaneko, Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID
2008 Jun Kaneko, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
2008 Jun Kaneko, Alden B. Museum of Science & Art at the Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, MI
2008 Jun Kaneko: Sculpture and Painting, Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
2008 Jun Kaneko, The Art Center, St. Petersburg, FL
2008 Jun Kaneko, Imago Galleries, Palm Desert, CA
2008 Jun Kaneko, Gerald Peters Gallery, Dallas, TX
2007 Jun Kaneko, Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
2007 Jun Kaneko, Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton, Fl
2007 Jun Kaneko: New Dangos, Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2007 Jun Kaneko: Bronze, Canvas, Ceramic, Paper, Gerbert Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2007 Jun Kaneko, Sherry Leady Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2007 Jun Kaneko, Knoxville Museum of ART, Knoxville, TN
2007 Jun Kaneko: New Glass, Bullseye Gallery, Portland, OR
2006 Jun Kaneko, Schuster Center for the Performing Arts, Dayton, OH
2006 Jun Kaneko: Madame Butterfly, Dayton Visual Art Center, Dayton, OH
2006 Jun Kaneko: Beyond Butterfly, Dayton Arts Institute, Dayton, OH
2006 Jun Kaneko: Drawings and Prints, Museum of Nebraska Art, Kearney, NE
2006 Jun Kaneko: Dangos and Glass, Chiaroscuro Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2006 Jun Kaneko, National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan
2006 Jun Kaneko, Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, Japan
2006 Jun Kaneko: Platters, Holter Museum of Art, Helena, MT
2006 Jun Kaneko, Maureen Littleton Gallery, Washington, DC
2006 Kaneko Jun Exhibition, Gallery Kasahara/Chuden Build, Nagoya, Japan
2006 Jun Kaneko, Stremmel Gallery, Reno, NV
2006 Jun Kaneko: Beyond Butterfly, Bemis Art Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NE
2006 Jun Kaneko: Madame Butterfly, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE
2006 Jun Kaneko, Bentley Projects, Phoenix, AZ
2006 Tropical Reflections: Drawings, Paintings and Sculpture by Jun Kaneko, The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center, Honolulu, HI
2006 Jun Kaneko, Elaine Baker Gallery, Palm Beach, FL
2005 Jun Kaneko, Gerald Peters Gallery, Dallas, TX
2005 Jun Kaneko, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Arts, Kansas City, MO
2005 Grand Opening, Bentley Projects, Phoenix, AZ
2005 Jun Kaneko, Millenia Gallery, Orlando, FL
2005 The Issue of Scale is One Thing You Cannot Avoid…, Salt Lake Art Center, Salt Lake City, UT
2005 Jun Kaneko Sculpture, William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
2004 Heads, Imago Galleries, Palm Desert, CA
2004 Jun Kaneko, Braunstein/Quay Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2004 Jun Kaneko, Chiaroscuro Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2004 Jun Kaneko, Fay Gold Gallery, Seattle, WA
2004 Jun Kaneko, Rochester Art Center, Rochester, MN
2004 Jun Kaneko, William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
2003 Jun Kaneko, Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, MO
2003 Jun Kaneko, Fay Gold Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2003 Jun Kaneko, Gallery Bandstrup, Oslo, Norway
2003 Jun Kaneko, Oslo Museum of Applied Art, Oslo, Norway
2003 Jun Kaneko, Joslyn Museum of Art, Omaha, NE
2003 Jun Kaneko, Klein Artworks, Chicago, IL
2003 Jun Kaneko, Maureen Littleton Gallery, Washington, Dc
2003 Jun Kaneko, Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, M
2002 Ceramic Sculpture and Paintings, Carson-Masuoka Gallery, Denver, CO
2002 Glass, Bullseye Connection, Portland OR
2002 Jun Kaneko Solo, Sheery Leedy Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
2002 Jun Kaneko, Holter Museum, Helena, MT
2002 Jun Kaneko, Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo, MI
2002 Jun Kaneko, LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2002 Jun Kaneko, Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, WY
2002 Jun Kaneko, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
2002 Jun Kaneko, Laura Russo Gallery, Seattle, WA
2002 Jun Kaneko, William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
2002 On the Edge and in the Round, Montalvo Gallery, Saratoga, CA
2001 Jun Kaneko, Bullseye Connection, Portland, OR
2001 Dangos and Slabs, Klein Artworks, Chicago, IL
2001 Jun Kaneko, Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2001 Jun Kaneko, Frank Llyod Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2001 Jun Kaneko, Klein Artworks, Chicago, IL
2001 Jun Kaneko, Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR
2001 Jun Kaneko, Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, TX
2001 Tropical Energy, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI
2001 Jun Kaneko, University of Wyoming Art Museum, Laramie, WY
2001 Jun Kaneko: Dangos in the Garden, Longhouse Reserve, East Hampton, NY
2000 William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA (solo show) Fay Gold Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2000 Durango Arts Center, Durango, CO
2000 Klein Artworks, Chicago, IL
2000 Wonder and Discovery, Imago Gallery, Palm Desert, CA
1999 The Art Center in Hargate, St. Paul’s School, Concord, NH
1999 Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
1999 Lew Allen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
1999 Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
1999 Lewis & Clark College, Gallery of Contemporary Art, Portland, OR
1999 Stroke, Osaka, Japan
1999 Center of the Earth Gallery, Charlotte, NC
1999 Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1997 Susanne Hilberry Gallery, Birmingham, MI
1997 Sculptors Drawing, Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1996 Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1996 Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem, The Netherlands
1996 Horwich LewAllen Gallery, Santa Fe NM
1996 Klein Artworks, Chicago IL
1995 Gallery Takagi, Nagoya, Japan
1995 Kasahara Gallery, Osaka, Japan
1995 Klein Art Works, Chicago IL
1994 Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
1994 Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1994 Horwitch LewAllen Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
1994 Indigo Gallery, Boca Raton, FL
1993 Gallery Takagi, Nagoya, Japan
1993 Leedy Voulkos Gallery, Kansas City, MO
1993 Susanne Hilberry Gallery, Birmingham, MI
1992 Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1992 Helen Drutt Gallery, New York, NY
1992 Klein Art Works, Chicago, IL
1992 Mark Masouka Gallery, Las Vegas, NV
1992 Yokohama International Art Fair, Kasahara Gallery, Yokohama, Japan
1991 Brendan Walter Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1991 Gallery Kasahara, Osaka, Japan
1991 Gallery Takagi, Nagoya, Japan
1990 Blue Star Space, San Antonio, TX
1990 Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1990 Klein Art Works, Chicago, IL
1990 Leedy Voulkos Gallery, Kansas City, MO
1990 Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, Pittsburgh, PA
1990 Southwest Craft Center, San Antonio, TX
1990 Susanne Hilberry Gallery, Birmingham, MI
1989 Brendan Walter Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1989 Galerie Barbara Silverberg, Toronto, Canada
1989 Gallery Takagi, Nagoya, Japan
1989 New Gallery, Omaha NE
1989 Sioux City Art Center, Sioux City, IA
1988 Paul Klein Gallery, Chicago, IL
1987 Arabia Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
1987 Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1987 Gallery Kasahara, Osaka, Japan
1987 Gallery Takagi, Nagoya, Japan
1987 Heath Gallery, Atlanta GA
1987 Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, Lincoln, NE
1987 Susanne Hilberry Gallery, Birmingham, MI
1986 Klein Gallery, Chicago, IL
1986 Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX
1986 Painting Project, Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, TX
1985 Laumeier Sculpture Garden, St. Louis, MO
1985 Tweed Museum, Duluth, MN
1984 Fabric Workshop Gallery, New York, NY
1984 Helen Drutt Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1984 Morgan Gallery, Kansas City, MI
1984 Public Square, Belleville, LA
1983 Gallery Takagi, Nagoya, Japan
1983 Helen Drutt Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1983 Norman Fire House Art Center, Norman, OK
1983 Paul Klein Gallery, Chicago, IL
1983 Quay Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1983 Ree Schonlau Gallery, Omaha, NE
1983 Yaw Gallery, Birmingham, MI
1982 Betty Moody Gallery, Houston, TX
1982 Morgan Gallery, Shawnee Mission, KS
1982 New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
1981 Two shows, Gallery Takagi, Nagoya, Japan
1981 Jun Kaneko Parallel Sounds, Contemporary Art Museum, Houston, TX
1981 Banff Centre of Fine Art, Walter Phillips Gallery, Canada
1981 Helen Drutt Gallery, Philadelphia PA
1980 Gallery Toen, Shigaraki, Japan
1979 Clayworks Studio Workshop, New York, NY
1979 Gallery Takagi, Nagoya, Japan
1978 Gallery Takagi, Nagoya, Japan
1977 Coa Gallery, Kyoto, Japan
1975 Woods-Gerry Gallery, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI
1971 Mori’s Form, Osaka, Japan
1969 El Dorado Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2014 Seasons of Sculpture VII, Sarasota, FL
2013 Gold Rush, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2013 Crafting Contemporary: Selections from the Daphne Farago Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
2012 Provenance: In Honor of Arlene Schnitzer, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, OR
2011 2011: Artists from the Center, Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT
2011 Big Ass Sculpture Show, Ren Bransten Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2011 Handmade for Japan, Online Benefit for Japan
2011 20th Century Ceramics: From Kenkichi TOMIMOTO to Kauo YAGI, The Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo, Sasyama, Japan
2011 The Soldner Society, The Heights Waterfront, Tampa, FL
2011 Creating the New Century: Contemporary Art from the Dicke Collection, Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH
2011 History of Modern Ceramics in Japan- from Kenkichi Tomimoto to Kazuo Yagi and Contemporary Ceramicists, The Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo, Japan
2010 Collection 2: Focus on Recent Acquisitions, The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan
2010 eXentrica, LongHouse Reserve, East Hampton, NY
2010 Innovations and Change: Great Ceramics from the Arizona State University Art Museum, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC
2010 Sculpture, Intimate to Monumental, Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, ID
2010 Drawing on Sculpture, Beatrice M. Haggerty Gallery, University of Dallas, Irving, TX
2010 Dallas Art Fair, Gebert Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2009 Crosscurrents: Jun Kaneko & David Kuraoka, Maui Arts and Culture Center, Kahului, HI
2009 Inspiration, William Travers Gallery, Tacoma, WA
2009 Clay Canvases: The Fine Art of Painted Ceramics, Gardiner Museum Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2008 Sculpture: A Wyoming Invitational, University of Wyoming Art Museum, Laramie, WY
2008 Jun Kaneko-Therman Statom, Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, ID
2008 Generations: Works by Jun Kaneko & Toshiko Takaezu, Lamont Gallery, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH
2008 Recent Work by Gallery Artists, Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR
2008 Hot Works, Cool Glass, Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR
2008 On Existence, The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, Japan
2007 Uncommon Objects, Hawaii State Art Museum, Honolulu, HI
2007 All the Difference: Works in Clay, the University of Akron, Akron, OH
2007 Innovation and Change: Great Ceramics from the University Art Collection, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN
2007 Bold Expressions in Modern Art: The Buddy Greenburg Collection, Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS
2007 Grand Opening 07/07/07, Gerbert Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2007 She Boy, She Devil and Isis,: The Art of Conceptual Craft, Selections from the Wornick Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
2007 Sculptors on Paper, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, Lincoln, NE
2007 Actor! Actor! The intersection of Art and Theater, Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, CA
2006 Contemporary American Crafts, Art in Embassies Exhibition, American Embassy, Seoul, South Korea
2006 A Ceramic Legacy-Selections from the Stephane Janssen and R. Michael Johns Collection, Arizona State University Museum, Tempe, AZ
2006 Bentley Projects, Phoenix AZ (3 person)
2006 10th Anniversary Exhibition, The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center, Honolulu, HI
2006 Jun Kaneko and Michael Sarich, Stremmel Gallery, Reno, NV
2006 Clayarch Int’l Architecture/Ceramic Exhibition, Gimhae Museum, South Korea
2006 ClayFusion: Ceramists Work in Glass, Jun Kaneko Sushi Plates, Bullseye Connection Gallery, Portland, OR
2006 Recent Ceramics, Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR
2005 Jun Kaneko & Douglas Freed, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
2005 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Fay Gold Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2005 Japan/USA: A Cross-Cultural Exchange, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2005 Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR (3 person)
2005 Chiaroscuro, Santa Fe, NM (2 person)
2005 Transformations: The Language of Craft, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
2004 Inaugural Exhibition, Bentley Projects, Scottsdale, AZ
2004 Sculpture Garden, Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, ID
2004 Studio Glass International, Concordia University, Seward, NE
2004 Summer Group Show of Gallery Artists, Laura Russo Gallery, Portland OR
2004 The Secret History of Clay, Tate, Liverpool, United Kingdom
2004 All Fired Up: A Contemporary Ceramics Experience, Reed Whipple Cultural Center, Las Vegas, NV
2003 The Character of Clay: Jun Kaneko & Bean Finneran, Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, ID
2003 100 Treasure of Cranbrook Art Museum, Cranbrook Art Museum, Detroit, MI
2003 Clay, The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta, GA
2003 Concentus, National Museum of Decorative Arts, Oslo, Norway
2003 Group Exhibition, William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
2003 Shared Passion: Sara and David Lieberman Collection, Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, AZ
2003 W. Wegman, J. Bartlett, J. Kaneko, Imago Galleries, Palm Desert, CA
2002 25th Anniversary Exhibit, William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
2002 Accent on Ceramics, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, AZ
2002 Coming of Age, Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC
2002 Contemporary American Ceramics 1950-1990, Aichi Ceramics Museum Nagoya, Japan; National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, Japan; Tochigi Ceramic Museum in Tochigi, Japan
2002 Evidence: Invitational, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
2002 J. Kaneko, T. Fawkes, M. Bauer, M. Kosuge, Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR
2002 Poetics of Clay: An International Perspective, Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia PA touring to the Museum of Art and Design/Taideteollisuusmuseo, Helsinki, Finland.
2002 Sculptural Clay Invitational, Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, MO
2002 Setagaya Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2002 T. Statom, J. Kaneko, L. González Palma. R. Goethals, Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, ID
2002 Untitled, Imago Galleries, Palm Desert, CA
2001 Generations in Clay, Center of the Earth Gallery, Charlotte, NC
2001 Elizabeth Stone Harper Gallery, Clinton, SC (2 person)
2001 Museum of Nebraska Art, Kearney NE
2001 Poetics of Clay, Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
2001 Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
2001 World Ceramic Exposition 2001 Korea, Seoul, South Korea
2000 Shigaraki Sculpture Park, Shigaraki, Japan
2000 Everson Ceramic National, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
2000 LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2000 2000Contemporary Clay: Master Teachers/Master Students, Bowling Green State, University, Bowling Green, OH
2000 Color and Fire, L.A County Museum, Los Angeles, CA
2000 Gallery Kasahara, Tokyo, Japan
2000 Judy Ann Goldman Fine Art, Boston, MA
1999 Rare Earth, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA
1999 1999 Biennial Exhibition of Public Art, Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, NY
1999 Contemporary Clay, Bowling Green University, Bowling Green, OH
1999 Imago Gallery, Palm Desert, CA
1998 Le Geste et la Couleur, Musée Magnelli, Vallauris, France
1998 Klein Art Works, Chicago, IL
1997 Invitational Ceramic Exhibition, University of Wisconsin, White Water, WI
1997 Society of Arts and Crafts Centennial, Clay Exhibition, Boston, MA
1997 Sculptors Drawing, Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1997 Academy of Art, Leuven, Belgium
1996 Voulkos/Kaneko, Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya Japan (2-person)
1996 Chico State University, Chico CA
1996 Fine Art of Craft and Sculpture, Horwich LewAllen Gallery, Santa Fe NM
1996 Salt Lake Art Center, Salt Lake City UT (6 person)
1996 South Carellan Art Museum, Lappeenranta, Finland (5 person)
1995 Anne Reed Gallery, Sun Valley ID
1995 Maruei, Nagoya, Japan (3 person)
1994 International Contemporary Ceramic Exhibition, Aichi Prefecture Ceramic Museum, Seto, Japan
1994 KPMG: Peat Marwick Collection, Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC
1994 New Craft Forms, Exhibition for Winter Olympics, Lillehammer, Norway
1994 Revolution in Clay: The Marer Collection of Contemporary Ceramics, Scripps College, Claremont CA
1993 Contemporary Ceramics 1950-1990, Aichi Prefecture Museum of Art, Nagoya, Japan
1993 Weaves of the Cloth, Painted Bride Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1993 William Traver Gallery, Seattle WA
1991 International Ceramic Invitational Show, Shigaraki Ceramic Park, Shigaraki, Japan
1991 5-person show, Otsuka Ceramic Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1990 Jun and Fumi Kaneko, Mark Masuoka Gallery, Las Vegas, NV (2-person)
1990 Gallery Maronie, Kyoto, Japan
1990 Hovikodden Art Center, Oslo, Norway
1990 Midland Invitational, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE
1990 Otsuka Ceramic Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1989 Two Modern Masters, the Society for the Art in Craft, Pittsburgh, PA (2-person)
1989 Natasha Nicholson Works of Art, Madison, WI
1988 A Fine Place to Work: Legacy of the Archie Bray Foundation, AR
1988 East Meets West, International Ceramic Show at the 1988 Olympics, Seoul, Korea
1988 Expression in Color Ceramics, New Jersey Center for Visual Art at Summit, NJ
1987 Clay Revision, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
1987 Contemporary American Ceramic Show, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
1987 Contemporary Ceramics, Yamaguchi Museum, Syracuse, NY (4 person)
1987 Japanese/American Craft Invitational, Morikami Museum, Delray Beach, FL
1987 The Eloquent Object, Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK
1986 Contemporary American Ceramic Show, Arabia Museum, Helsinki, Finland
1986 Contemporary Japanese Ceramic Show, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
1986 Contemporary Japanese Ceramics, Seibu Museum, Otsu, Shiga-Ken and Tokyo, Japan
1986 Craft Today, American Craft Museum, New York, NY
1985 Claremont Influences, Susan Cumming Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
1984 7 Ceramic, Hope College, Hope, MI
1984 A Ha Hana Lima ’84 Invitational, East West Center, Honolulu, HI
1984 Corpus Christi Invitational, Corpus Christi State University, Corpus Christi, TX
1984 Directions in Contemporary American Ceramics, Museum of Fine Art, Boston, MA
1984 Forms That Function, Katonah Gallery, Katonah, NY
1984 Scripps Clay Connection, Scripps College, Claremont, CA
1984 Vision of Cranbrook Today, Grand Rapids Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
1984 Visiting Artists Exhibition, Meyerhoff Gallery, Maryland Institute, College of Art MD
1984 A Contemporary Cranbrook Vision, CDS Gallery, New York, NY
1984 Hadler/Rodriguez Gallery, New York, NY
1984 Platters and Related Forms, University Gallery, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL
1983 American Art, Inc., Atlanta, GA
1983 American Clay Artists, Philadelphia, PA
1983 Anagama Show, Pewabic Pottery, MI
1983 Contemporary Japanese Ceramics, Traveling Show, organized by the Japan Foundation, Canada
1983 Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI
1983 Cranbrook Today, Robert Kidd Gallery, Birmingham, MI
1983 Japanese Dynasty ’83, Sande Webster Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1983 Ree Schonlau Gallery, Omaha, NE
1983 Rhode Island School of Design, Craftsman’s Gallery, NY
1983 Student Choice, Yale University, New Haven, CT
1982 Artwear Exhibition, Virginia Beach Art Center, VA
1982 Bennington College, Bennington, VT (3 person)
1982 Michigan Ceramic ’82, Eastern Michigan University, Ann Arbor, MI
1982 Painted Surface, Ceramic Invitational, Birmingham Art Association, Birmingham, MI
1982 Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff Centre of Fine Art, Canada (3 person)
1981 Gallery Shiro, Osaka, Japan
1981 Maronie Gallery, Kyoto, Japan
1980 Art for Use at Winter Olympics, Lake Placid and Contemporary Craft Museum, Lake Placid, NY
1980 Ceramic Invitational Homage to Josiah Wedgwood Ceramic Invitational, Hampton, NY
1980 Ceramic Invitational, Muskegon Community College, Muskegon, MI
1980 Ceramic Invitational, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
1980 Eighth Biennial Craft Invitation, Illinois State University, IL
1980 Fabric Invitational, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL
1979 A Century of American Ceramics, organized by Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
1978 Art Now ’78, Invitational Exhibition, Hyogo Modern Art Museum, Japan
1977 Bird’s Eye View of Contemporary Art, Invitational Exhibition, National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan
1974 Woods-Gerry Gallery, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI (2 person)
1974 San Diego Museum Ceramic Invitational, San Diego, CA
1973 First Ceramic Invitational, University of Kentucky, KY
1972 27th Ceramic National, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
1972 Invitational Exhibition, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
1972 Pennsylvania State University Ceramic Invitational, University Park, PA
1971 Clay Plus: 10 ceramic sculptors, State University of New York, NY
1971 College of Arts and Science, Genesee, NY
1971 Contemporary Ceramic Art of America, Canada, Mexico and Japan, Invitational Exhibition, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan
1970 Cerritos College, Cerritos Ceramic Annual, Norwalk, CA
1970 Collegiate Show, San Bernardino, California, San Bernardino, CA (First Prize)
1970 Invitational Exhibition, Art in Other Media, Burpee Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
1970 Invitational Exhibition, Ceramic ’70, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
1969 Object U.S.A., Johnson Wax Collection, Contemporary Crafts Museum, New York, NY
1969 Selector, six Japanese artists for Scripps College Invitational Ceramic Show, Claremont, CA
1968 Peter Voulkos & Jun Kaneko, David Stuart Galleries, Los Angeles, CA
1968 Downey Museum Annual Art Exhibition, Downey CA (First prize in Crafts)
1968 National Invitational Crafts Exhibition, University of New Mexico, NM
1968 Third Ceramic Invitational, Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, CA
1968 California Design X, Collection of Sacramento State College, Pasadena Museum, Pasadena, CA
1967 25th Ceramic National Exhibition, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY (Arcadian Landscaping Prize)
1967 5th Annual Southern California Exhibition, Long Beach Museum, Long Beach, CA
1967 Invitational Exhibition, Media Explored 1967 show, Laguna Beach, CA
1967 Kiyo Gallery, Gardena, CA
1966 24th Ceramic National Exhibition, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY (Arcadian Landscaping Prize)
1966 Annual Scripps College Ceramic Invitational Exhibition, Scripps, CA
1966 Craftsman U.S.A. ’66, Museum of Contemporary Crafts, National Merit Award New York, NY
1965 7th Miami National Ceramic Exhibition, University of Miami, FL
1964 23rd Ceramic National Exhibition, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
1963 Zaiya Invitational Painting Show, Japan
1963 16th Chubu Niki Exhibition, Nagoya, Japan (First Prize)
1962 15th Chubu Niki Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan
1962 16th Niki Exhibition, Nagoya, Japan (Nagoya Times Prize)
1961 14th Chubu Niki Exhibition
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS/COMMISSIONS
Aichi-Prefecture Museum of Ceramics, Nagoya, Japan
American Crafts Museum, New York, NY
Arabia Museum, Helsinki, Finland
Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, AZ
Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AZ
Banff Centre of Fine Arts, Banff, Alberta, Canada
Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID
California State University, Sacramento, CA
Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI
Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, MI
European Ceramic Work Center, s’Hertongenbosch, Netherlands
Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco (De Young), San Francisco, CA
Flint Institute of Arts, Flint, MU
Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Canada
Gifu-Ken Museum, Gifu, Japan
Hawaii State Foundation on Culture & the ARTS, Honolulu, HI
Ichon World Ceramic Center, Seoul, Korea
Japan Foundation, Tokyo, Japan
Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE
Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha, NE
Longhouse Reserve, East Hampton, NY
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
Museum Het Kruithis, s’Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo, Japan
Museum of Nebraska Art, Kearney, NE
Nagoya City Museum, Nagoya, Japan
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO
Northern Arizona State University, Flagstaff, AZ
Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA
Olympic Museum of Ceramic Sculpture, Athens, Greece
Palm Springs Museum of Art, Palm Springs, CA
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Phoenix Arts Museum, Phoenix, AZ
Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
Queensland Art Gallery, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Scripps College, Claremont, CA
Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
Smithsonian National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC
Takamatsu City of Art, Takamatsu, Japan
The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center, Honolulu, HI
The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI
The Marer Collection at Scripps College, Claremont, CA
The Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama, Japan
The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan
Tweed National Museum of Art, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN
Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, TX
University of Florida, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainsville, FL
University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, IA
University of Wyoming Art Museum, Laramie, WY
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
Weber State University, Ogden, UT
Yamaguchi Museum, Yamaguchi, Japan
PUBLIC COMMISSIONS
2014 Glass Tower, Lincoln Civic Plaza, Lincoln, NE
2013 Glass Wall, Pump House, Des Moines, IA
2013 School of Music, Theatre and Dance, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
2013 San Diego County Operations Center, San Diego, CA
2012 5 Dangos, Principal River Walk, Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation, Des Moines, IA
2012 Conversation, International Financial Center, Shanghai, China
2012 Passages, 1000 Connecticut, Washington, DC
2012 San Francisco Opera, San Francisco, CA
2011 Shanghai International Finance Center, Pudong, Shanghai, China
2011 City of Omaha, Hilton Omaha (Project 3), Omaha, NE
2011 Principal Riverwalk Hubbell Pavilion, Des Moines, IA
2010 Great Path Academy, Manchester, CT
2009 Philadelphia City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
2009 Mammel Hall, College of Business Administration, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE
2009 Twelfth & Washington Apartments, Portland, OR
2008 Kaneko on Park Avenue (6/08-11/08), New York, NY
2008 City Parks Public Art Program, New York, NY
2007 Temple Ha Shalom, Park City, UT
2007 Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs, IA
2007 Four Seasons Resort Maui, Wailea, HI
2006 Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
2006 University of Nebraska Foundation, Dr. CC & Mabel Criss Library, University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE
2006 Battle Hall/Convention Center, Kansas City, MO
2006 University of Connecticut, Burton Family Complex, Starrs, CT
2005 City of Omaha, Hilton Omaha (Project 2), Omaha, NE
2005 Grand Hyatt Hotel, Rippongi Tower (Project 2), Tokyo, Japan
2004 City of Omaha, Hilton Omaha (Project 2), Omaha, NE
2003 San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA
2003 San Jose Reparatory Theatre Plaza, San Jose, CA
2003 Western Asset Plaza, Pasadena, CA
2002 Grand Hyatt Hotel, Rippongi Tower (Project 1), Tokyo, Japan
2001 University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA
2000 Beaverton City Library, Beaverton, OR
2000 Manchester Community Technical College, Manchester, CT
1999 Mount Mercy College, Busse Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
1998 Waikiki Aquarium, Honolulu, HI
1997 University of Connecticut, Biology and Physics Building, Starrs, CT
1997 New McCormick Center, Chicago, IL
1996 Aichi-Prefecture, Sannomaru Multiple Use Building, Nagoya, Japan
1995 North Carolina State University, Graduate Engineering Center, Raleigh, NC
1995 Yamashita Hospital (Project 2), Ichinomiya, Japan
1995 University of Texas San Antonio, College of Business, San Antonio, TX
1994 Maishima Sports Arena, Osaka, Japan
1994 Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
1993 Yamashita Hospital (Project 1), Ichinomiya, Japan
1993 Aquarium Station, Massachusetts Transportation Bureau, Boston, MA
1993 University of Akron, Polsky Building, Akron, OH
1991 Doubletree Alana Hotel, Honolulu, HI
1990 Arizona State University Plaza-West Campus, Phoenix, AZ
1990 Phoenix Airport, Terminal Four, Phoenix, AZ
1985 Detroit People Mover, Detroit, MI
OPERA PRODUCTION DESIGN
2014 The Magic Flute, John F Kennedy Center, Washington, DC
2014 Madame Butterfly, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco, CA
2013 The Magic Flute, Opera Carolina, Charlotte, NC
2013 The Magic Flute, Kansas City Lyric Opera, Kansas City, MO
2013 The Magic Flute, Opera Omaha, Omaha, NE
2012 The Magic Flute, Opera Omaha, Omaha, NE
2012 The Magic Flute, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco, CA
2012 Madama Butterfly, Opera Carolina, Charlotte, NC
2011 Madama Butterfly, Opera Omaha, Omaha, NE
2010 Madama Butterfly, Opera Memphis, Memphis, TN
2010 Madama Butterfly, Vancouver Opera, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
2009 Madama Butterfly, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
2008 Madama Butterfly, Madison Opera, Madison, WI
2008 Madama Butterfly, Atlanta Opera, Atlanta, GA
2008 Fidelio, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
2007 Madama Butterfly, Hawaii Opera Theater, Maui, HI
2007 Madama Butterfly, Hawaii Opera Theater, Honolulu, HI
2006 Madama Butterfly, Dayton Opera, Dayton, OH
2006 Madama Butterfly, Opera Omaha, Omaha, NE
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
1979-1986 Cranbrook Academy of Art
1973-1975 Rhode Island School of Design
1974 Scripps College (summer)
1972-1973 University of New Hampshire
FOUNDATIONS
2000 Founder, KANEKO: Open Space for Your Mind, Omaha NE
1985 Co-Founder, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha, NE
Our summer Art Fair takes us to the heart of the country — where our Mo Rocca has the story of an artist whose remarkable work is literally larger than life. READ MORE + VIDEO>
The New York Times | Arts
Narrated Slideshow MORE>
Art & Antiques: The Space Between
Now famed for his monumental ceramic works, Jun Kaneko was once a young painter. At the age of 21, Kaneko moved to Los Angeles during the outset of the American contemporary ceramics movement. Before learning to converse in English, he committed himself to a newfound medium and left painting behind.
The Washington Post: How the Abstract Turns Into ‘Magic’
“Actually, I am not an opera fan. I had never been to an opera before I designed Madame Butterfly” Jun Kaneko candidly states in an interview with Anne Midgette from The Washington Post. Though Kaneko’s foray into opera design is a blip on his extensive career, the artist brings revered elements of his sculpture and painting to his newest creation: Magic Flute at the Kennedy Center Opera House.
American Craft: Medium Man
Jun Kaneko is an artist who has never let the medium restrict his approach. He started as a painter, became celebrated as a ceramicist, and eventually added practices like glass casting and opera design to his repertoire. Kaneko continues to experiment, emphasizing that mastery of new materials is at the heart of his practice.
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