Press Release
San Francisco International Airport Celebrates the History of Japanese Ceramics
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San Francisco International Airport Celebrates the History of Japanese Ceramics
SAN FRANCISCO — Japanese Ceramics: An Enduring Tradition, a new exhibition now on view at San Francisco International Airport, presents many of Japan's ceramic styles from the Medieval period (late 1100s-late 1500s) to the twentieth century—from glazed stoneware to teabowls and porcelain food-serving vessels. A variety of underglaze blue and overglaze enamel porcelains is also on display.
The Japanese have created pottery for thousands of years and continue to uphold a special reverence for ceramics. The earliest Jomon pottery dates to about 10,500 BCE. Although Japan imported techniques and styles from China and Korea, artisans quickly mastered production methods and created distinctly Japanese-style wares.
Ceramic production grew exponentially during the Edo period (1615–1868). During this era of peace and prosperity, the country experienced a cultural and economic renaissance. The ceramics industry flourished due to the influence of Korean potters living in Japan; the use of new materials, techniques, and production methods; and the establishment of new kilns. The advent of the ritual tea ceremony also called for a number of new ceramic forms. A booming export trade and an active domestic market fueled by wealthy Japanese patrons, such as samurai and merchants, complemented this period of growth.
By the 1830s, the number of kilns throughout Japan rapidly increased, making ceramics accessible to all levels of Japanese society. In 1854, Japan opened its doors to the West after living in relative isolation from the rest of the world for over two hundred years. With the establishment of the Meiji period (1868–1912), Japan quickly industrialized. In addition to factory-made pottery, studio potters began to create a wide and imaginative range of wares.
Images from the exhibition are available online at: http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/about/news/pressres/exh-japaneseceramics.html.
Japanese Ceramics: An Enduring Tradition is located pre-security in the International Terminal Main Hall. The exhibition is on view free of charge through March 14, 2011. This exhibition was made possible by a generous loan from Richard Mellott.
San Francisco Airport Museums
The San Francisco Airport Museums program was established by the Airport Commission in 1980 for the purposes of humanizing the Airport environment, providing visibility for the unique cultural life of San Francisco, and providing educational services for the traveling public. The Museum was granted initial accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 1999, reaccredited in 2005, and has the distinction of being the only accredited museum in an airport. Today, the San Francisco Airport Museums features approximately twenty galleries throughout the Airport terminals displaying a rotating schedule of art, history, science, and cultural exhibitions, as well as the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, a permanent collection dedicated to the history of commercial aviation.
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About San Francisco International Airport
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