SACRAMENTO, CA.-Opening May 18 at the Crocker Art Museum, Echoes of the Earth: Ceramics by Toshiko Takaezu showcases the art of America's greatest living female ceramic artist. Featuring more than 50 of her signature “pots,” as Takaezu refers to them, the show highlights a gift from the artist to the Crocker’s permanent collection.

“The Crocker is proud to be the recipient of 32 works by Toshiko Takaezu,” said Lial Jones, Museum Director. “This gift represents a complete survey of this significant artist’s work joining the Museum’s ever-growing collection of international ceramics.”

Takaezu’s signature closed-mouth forms push the limits of the clay vessel beyond the realm of utility. No longer able to contain, her forms lose their utilitarian meaning and communicate as pure art. Her pieces boast diverse and exquisite finishes that include vibrant matte glazes on porcelain in addition to more subdued smoke effects on stoneware in the Japanese anagama tradition. She finds inspiration in nature and geology, both being ageless and ancient, yet her works are distinctly modern. The forms and their surfaces are visceral, like abstract expressionist paintings. Their impact is almost primordial.

The close relationship of Takaezu’s forms to those of nature is paramount, and the artist’s Buddhist upbringing and Zen training pervade her art and life with ideals of restraint, interconnectedness and continuity. Takaezu says it best: "In my life I see no difference between making pots, cooking and growing vegetables. They are all so related. However, there is a need for me to work in clay. It is so gratifying and I get so much joy from it, and it gives me many answers in my life.”

The Crocker Art Museum was founded in 1885 and continues as the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley. The Museum offers a diverse spectrum of special exhibitions, events and programs to augment its collections of California, European and Asian artworks. The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 AM–5 PM, Tuesday–Sunday; Thursday until 9 PM. Free admission on Sundays from 10 AM–1 PM is made possible through the support of Wells Fargo. For more information on exhibits and events call (916) 264-5423 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.