Akemi Maegawa: Small Sculpture Series

Maegawa is a Washington DC based artist born and raised in Japan. She holds an MFA in Ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI, and BFA from the Corcoran College of Art and Design, Washington DC. “Clay has been my medium to make various sculptures in the last twenty years. But I also often used fabric in my artworks by sewing, stitching, needling, or gluing, depending on what I wanted to express through the work. When I learned the possibility of making a shape with fabric by molding it over a form and heating it, my imagination kicked into overdrive. It was perfect timing to challenge new forms and combinations of ceramic and fabric during the COVID isolation; thus, I started to make the Small Sculpture series. Initially, I fired the ceramic part of the sculpture in my studio and then “baked” the fabric part of the sculpture at home. Combining fabric and clay sculptures reminded me of beloved Wagashi (Japanese traditional sweets). This series is a little bit of nostalgic celebration for me as an artist here, where I live, yet far away from home. I cannot let you touch or eat my Wagashi-like small sculptures, but hopefully, everyone can find something interesting, eye-pleasing, enjoyable, and even ‘tasty’ while looking at them.” – Akemi Maegawa, Fall 2024