Sayaka Suzuki

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Sayaka Suzuki, born in Japan, received her MFA in Craft and Material Studies from VCU in 2005. Now, a faculty member of VCU, she creates based on her reflections and interpretations to further communicate those experiences through mixed media such as performance, community-based processes and installation.

Born 1977, Yokohama, Japan

Education

2005
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, MFA in Crafts and Material Studies

2000
Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, BFA in Glass Sculpture, BA in Political Science

1996
The American School in London, England

Select Solo Exhibitions

2011
Sayaka Suzuki, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach, VA
Food For Thought, Gateway Gallery, Medical College of Virginia Hospitals & Physicians

2010
Shut Up and Cook! Vault Space, Quirk Gallery, Richmond, VA

2009
Support Your Right to Arm Bears, Gallery Locker 50B, Richmond, VA

2008
Parallel Existence, Worn Galley at The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
Parallel Existence, Worn Gallery, Richmond, VA

2005
907 MFA Thesis Exhibition, Virginia Commonwealth University Anderson Gallery, Richmond, VA

2002
Reconstructing the Hoop, Pensacola Museum of Art, FL

2000 Trickling Effect, Martin LaBorde Gallery, New Orleans, LA

Select Group Exhibitions

2013
Zillion Seeds, Two-Person Exhibition: Lorrie Sanders Gallery, Norfolk, VA
Future Perfect, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA
E-Merge/ Evolve, RCBA Gallery, Emeryville, CA
Building Upon The Past: Page Bond Gallery, Richmond, VA

2012
E-Merge 2012, New Mexico Museum of Art, NM
E-Merge, Biennial Competition, Bullseye Gallery, Portland, OR and San Francisco, CA
Glass Masters of Japan, Bowling Green State University, OH
I Like Soup, In Conjunction with Andy Warhol Exhibition, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art
Four Petals, Lorrie Sanders Gallery, Norfolk, VA
National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia, PA: 13th Annual Glass Auction
Phantasmogoria-Allegorical-Glass, Gallery A, Richmond, VA
Catch-22, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Island Entropic, Capitol One, VA

2011
“Made” New Hope Arts Center, New Hope, PA
Asian Heritage Festival, Capitol One Gallery, VA
Achtung”, FAB Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, VA
Tacit “ Visual Art Center of Virginia, Richmond, VA

2010
HeART Throb” Suffolk Center for the Cultural Arts, Suffolk, VA
Pilchuck Gallery, Stanwood, WA
Pilchuck Glass School 32nd Annual Auction, Seattle, WA

2009
Animal Nation, Caladan Gallery, Cambridge, MA
The Art of Communication, Gallery RFD, Swainsboro, GA
Art and Artifice, Sawhill Gallery, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
Save Planet Art, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Garden of Earthly Delights, at the Linden Row Inn, VA

2008
Remediation, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Holiday in a Box, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA
Small Wonders, Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD
30th Annual Contemporary Crafts Exhibition Mesa Contemporary Arts Center, Mesa, AZ

2007
OPTIONS 2007: Washington Project for the Arts/Corcoran” Edison Place Gallery, Washington DC
The Green Show, The Show Room, Spartanburg, SC
Radius 250, Artspace, Richmond, VA
Pleasant Under Glass, Quirk Gallery, Richmond, VA
Silent Night III, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA

2006
The Provincial, Grand Forks Art Gallery, BC, Canada
That Moment and This Moment: Works by Marya Roland and Sayaka Suzuki, William King Regional Arts Center, Abingdon, VA
Dispersal Tactics Artspace, Richmond, VA

2005
3 Cities Against the Wall, Montreal, QC, Canada
Chance Encounters, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Activist Art Show, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA
Fluff My Pillow, Inns of Virginia, Richmond, VA
EnvironMent, Reynolds Gallery, Richmond, VA

2004
Top Shelf, The Barrel Factory, Richmond, VA
PYT, Flat International, Richmond, VA
Graduate Sculpture Exhibition,  FAB Gallery, Richmond, VA
HoDge PoDGe, FAB Gallery, Richmond, VA
Candid, Plant Zero, Richmond, VA
Kasserole, Art Works, Richmond, VA

2003
Wo(a)nder, FAB Gallery, Richmond, VA
Made in Virginia, Longwood University, Farmville, VA

2002
Paperwork, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, New Orleans, LA
Juried Exhibition Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, Alexandria, LA

2001
No Dead Artists, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, New Orleans, LA

2000
100-Mile Radius: New Orleans, Pensacola Museum of Art, FL
Retrograde, Carroll Gallery, New Orleans, LA

Bibliography

2012
E-Merge Biennial International Glass Competition
3C Richmond (The Creative Change Center) Featured Artist May 2012
ALTDaily Featured Exhibition: Four Petals, March 2012

2011
New Glass Review 33 International Glass Competition

2009
1000 Ideas For Creative Reuse by Garth Johnson, Rockport Publishers/Quarry Books
Belle Magazine: October 2009

2008
Art Papers: January/February 2008

2005
Sustainable Eating Volume 2: “Food Activism”
Style Magazine Richmond, VA

2003
Kansas City Review Vol. 5. No 6: “Unnatural Materials”

2000
Cover Art: “Bad Girl” Magazine

Awards, Grants & Fellowships

2012
Kiln Caster Award” E-Merge Competition, Bullseye Glass
Alumni Award: Dedication to the Field and Education at VCU

2011
Lucy Morgan Scholarship: Penland School of Crafts, NC

2007
Third Place “Radius 250” Artspace, Richmond, VA

2003-05
VCUarts Graduate School Scholarship/ Department of Crafts and Material Studies.

2004
Full Scholarship: Pilchuck School of Glass, WA
Full Scholarship: The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass, NY

2003
John Roos Memorial Scholarship (VCU)

2000-02
Partial Scholarship: Penland School of Crafts, NC

2000
‘Best in Show’ Pensacola Museum of Art, FL

Select Collections

The Studio at The Corning Museum of Glass, NY
Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA
Erskine Glass Studio, Paxton, MA
Kathleen Hudnall
John Hadad
Suzanna Fields and Richard Douglas
Pamela Bonacic-Doric

Work Experience

2012
Visiting Artist Presentation and Demonstration: Bowling Green State University, OH

2011
Xu Bing: Artist Assistant, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

2009
Curator:  “Co-Efficiency of Expansion” VCU Glass Student Exhibition
Petersburg Area Art League, Petersburg, VA

2008-07
Board member: 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA (Education & Outreach Committee)

2008
10 Artist Lecture: The Studio of Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
Translator: Artist Presentation for Kimiake and Shin-Ichi Higuchi. Corning Museum of Glass, NY

2007
Visiting Artist Presentation: Department of Sculpture/Kinetic Imaging, VCU
Visiting Artist Presentation: Toyama Glass School, Japan

2006
Visiting Artist: Art Foundation Program, VCU

2003
Artist Presentation, Centro Studio Vetro, Venice, Italy

Teaching Experience

2009-present
Virginia Museum of Fine Art: Statewide Workshop, Richmond, VA

Fall 2005-present
Adjunct Faculty: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Department of Craft and Material Studies
Independent Studies: Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Advanced and Introduction Kiln-Working (Glass Casting/ Mold Making)
Summer Workshop: Slumping and Fusing Glass
Art Foundation, Space Research/ 3-D Design Methods

2009-10   Visiting Artist Program: Fox Elementary School, Richmond, VA

2009-11
Program for Art Educators: Kilnworking Virginia Commonwealth University

2005
Introduction to Glass blowing, Virginia Commonwelath University

2003
Teaching Assistant: VCU Department of Craft and material Studies.  Introduction to Glass blowing

2000-02
Glass Artist: Gaffer and Assistant, Rosetree Glass Studio and Gallery, New Orleans, LA

1999-00
Gallery Assistant, Martin LaBorde Gallery, New Orleans, LA

1998-00
Teaching Assistant: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA

1997
Volunteer: Tutor for General Education Degree (GED), Women’s Prison, New Orleans, LA
Volunteer: Teaching Assistant, McDonough Elementary School, New Orleans, LA

Artist Residencies

2007 Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, NE
2005 The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass, NY

Artist Workshops

2013
Penland School of Crafts, NC

2012
Public Demonstration, Bowling Green State University

2011
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, VA Beach
Suffolk Museum of the Arts, Suffolk, VA

2010
Rawls Museum Arts, Courtland, VA
Blacksburg Regional Arts Association, VA
Hampden Sydney College, Farmville, VA
The Studio: The Corning Museum of Glass, NY

2009
Suffolk Art Center, Suffolk, VA
Erskine Glass Studio, Paxton, MA
Fox Elementary School, Richmond, VA
Visual Art Center of Virginia, Richmond, VA
Soverow Glass Studio, Birmingham, AL
Summer Workshop for Art Teachers (K-12): Virginia Commonwealth University, VA

2008
The Studio: The Corning Museum of Glass, NY

2002-08
Teaching Assistant: Kimiake and Shin-Ichi Higuchi
The Studio: Corning Museum of Glass, NY

2003
Teaching Assistant: Kimiake Higuchi and Shin-Ichi Higuchi
Centro Studio Vetro, Venice, Italy

Technical Workshops Participated

2012
Teaching Assistant to Daniel Clayman: Corning Museum of Glass, NY

2011
Glass Casting with Daniel Clayman: Penland School of Crafts, NC

2002-2010
Teaching Assistant: Pate de Verre with Kimiake and Shin-Ichi Higuchi: Centro Studio
Vetro Italy, Pilchuck Glass School, Corning Museum of Glass

2004
Hot Glass with Boyd Sugiki: Pilchuck Glass School, WA
Hot Glass with William Gudenrath: The Studio of Corning Museum of Glass, NY

2002
Hot Glass with Einar de la Torre and Jamex de la Torre: Penland School of Crafts, NC

2001
Flameworking with Janis Miltenberger: Penland School of Crafts, NC

2000
Hot Glass with Laura Donefer: Penland School of Crafts, NC

1999
Hot Glass with Mamoru Uchida and Hiroshi Kaito: Glass House Studio, Tokyo, Japan

Conferences

2012
Glass Art Society Conference, Toledo, OH
Art Exhibition and Public Demonstrations: Bowling Green State University, OH

2009
Glass Art Society Conference, Corning, NY
Lec-Mo Presenter/ Translator: Kimiake and Shin-Ichi Higuchi

2008
MACAA (Mid-America College Art Association) Biennial Conference, Herron School of Art and Design/IUPUI, Indianapolis, Indiana, October 15-18, 2008. Panel Discussion Presenter, “Material as Alphabets; Encouraging a Flexible Grammar”

 

Everywhere I look, I see decomposition- of abandoned lots, flightless birds, rusted train tracks, forgotten hoops, and tarnished walls of old Richmond. But they are all beautiful- they whisper their existence- ephemeral, serene, and often historicized mementos that resonates potentiality. I attempt to capture these curiosities in my work- beauty of our recent past and of our unique presence.

My work is a theatrical space, an experience that is created for personal discoveries. At times my work is commemorative, at other times it reflects urgency, and often times it provides a reflective moment.  But all of which hopefully transforms a space or an object into a moment of discovery. All reflect the world of possibilities. Through using materials that reflect the sensibility and sensitivity of human hands, such as hand worked glass, fabric, and recycled items, I work to give concrete proof of our existence.

Alongside these notions of decay lies my hopefulness- by reincarnating the forms and challenging the way people see the forms. I investigate the possibilities as I rediscover forgotten histories and lives. My work captures my process of remembering and celebrating while simultaneously imagining our capacity to function as philanthropists.

Like the silent movies of the past, I hope to create experiences that resonate, experiences that remain personal to the viewers.