HIROSHI YAMANO

“Japan is a country that has four distinct seasons, and the seasons have traditionally been a popular subject in Japanese art.  An appreciation of the changing seasons also permeates popular culture, as people take the time to enjoy scenes of natural beauty at different times of the year, to eat seasonal foods and to decorate their homes with objects that reflect the changing seasons.

I, too, have a strong awareness of the natural world that surrounds me.  As I grow older, I find myself wanting to spend more time in nature for the peace of mind that it brings to me.  I value the simplicity and quiet that I encounter there, surrounded by the beauty of the Japanese landscape.

My art is a reflection of that beauty; nature is the source of my creativity. In my work I want to interpret the feelings and sensations of having a close connection to nature, and through it share the beauty of the changing seasons in Japan with the viewer.

Hiroshi Yamano attended the California College of Arts and Crafts, the Tokyo Art Institute, Penland School of Crafts (where he served as an assistant), before receiving his MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY, in 1989.

He has instructed and lectured throughout the world, including at both the Tokyo Glass Institute and the Pilchuck School of Glass, as well as serving as guest artist in Waterford Crystal in Ireland in 1998.  His works are in major collections in Japan, the US, and abroad.

“Japan is a country whose identity is deeply associated with the sea. Seen as both a bridge and a barrier to the west, the sea for many Japanese has become an evocative symbol for the conflicts between tradition and change, isolation and openness, protection and danger. Sculptor Hiroshi Yamano has repeatedly explored these issues throughout his career as he has used the fish as his elusive, alter ego. Working in the tradition of blown glass, this accomplished artist has translated his own personal experiences, as a man continually traveling between the cultures of east and west, into universal statements that convey the delicate relationships that either ensure or disrupt one’s sense of harmony and belonging. . . Yamano’s current “Fish Catcher” series distinctly reveals how his formal elegance and technical mastery quietly expresses the deeper poetic undercurrents of his work.” ~ From “Elusive Catch: The sculpture of Hiroshi Yamano”, by John Brunetti, critic, curator, and educator.

EDUCATION

1981  B.A. Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan

1982   California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA, USA

1984   Tokyo Glass Art Institute, Tokyo, Japan

1989   M.F.A. Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA

INSTRUCTOR

1986   Leon Applebaum Glass Studio, Plattsburg, NY,  USA

1988   Penland School of Crafts,  Penland, NC, USA

1990   Tokyo Glass Art Institute, Tokyo, Japan.

1991   Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA, USA

1994   Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA, USA

2000   Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA, USA

2002   Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA, USA

2003   Chair of Glass Department, Osaka University of Arts, Osaka, Japan

2004   Grand Crystal Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

2005   Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA, USA

2006 - Present   Professor of Glass Department, Osaka University of Arts, Osaka, Japan

SELECTED COLLECTIONS

Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI, USA

Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, USA

Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY, USA

Gerald L. Cafesjian Museum of Contemporary Art, Yerevan, Armenia

Grand Crystal Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

Kurokabe Glass Museum, Nagahama, Japan

Lowe Art Museum, Miami, FL, USA

Museum of American Glass, Millville, NJ, USA

Museum of Arts and Crafts, Itami, Japan

Rochester Institute of Technology Library, Rochester, NY, USA

Winter Park City Hall, Winter Park, FL, USA

Potash Corporation, Northbrook, IL, USA

Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA, USA

Hotel Murano, Tacoma, WA, USA

AWARDS

1989  2nd Prize, 100 American Craftsmen, Buffalo, NY, USA

1990  Best of Show, Winter Park Festival, Winter Park, FL, USA

1991  Rakow Award, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY, USA

1993  Asahi Newspaper Company Prize, Glass in Japan, Tokyo ,Japan

1994  Town Prize, Japan Modern Glass Art Exhibition, Notojima, Japan

2004  Osaka Prefecture Governor Prize, Osaka Kogei Exhibition, Japan

2005  NHK Prize, Osaka Kogei Exhibition, Osaka, Japan