Museum of Contemporary Craft features for the first time the 17 ceramic vessels granted to the Museum by internationally recognized artist Toshiko Takaezu. Former faculty member at Princeton University, Takaezu is widely considered the first person to close – or nearly close – a ceramic vessel. She combines technical mastery with spontaneous painterly glazes that have influenced decades of ceramists worldwide. This exhibition tells the story of Takaezu’s connection to Portland, which began in the 1960s through her close friendship with local artist and educator Ken Shores, and deepened over 25 years as she gave summer workshops at Lewis & Clark College. These works will be on view with the over a dozen other pieces from the collection, comprising one of the largest public collections of Takaezu's works in the Pacific Northwest.
