Clay is alive! Soft to the touch, yielding, flexible. It carries
the memory of the earth from which it came. Each day, I listen to
what the clay has to say as I turn to my work.
CONTACT INFORMATION
phone: 607-277-8563
e-mail: momoko@momo-clay.com
website: www.momo-clay.com
ADDRESS
Kirara-Momo, 119 Irving Place, Ithaca, NY 14850
STUDIO DIRECTIONS
From downtown Ithaca, head east on East State Street/Route 79. At the top of the hill, veer left onto Mitchell Street/Route 366. Shortly after that, veer left again onto Ithaca Road/Route 366. The first street on the left after that is Irving Place. The studio is at the corner of Irving Place and Ithaca Road, facing Bryant Park. Look for a two-story, green building at the end of the driveway.
BIOGRAPHY
I was raised in the ancient capital of Kyoto, Japan, and grew up surrounded by the many traditional crafts of that city. I began studying as a potter in the famous kiln-town of Shigaraki at a time when few women were to be found as apprentices there. That was back in the early 1980's. Next, I spent a couple years studying in the Kyoto Laboratory of Traditional Crafts - one of three women in a class of twenty - learning many aspects of traditional glazes and clay bodies. After that, I went out on my own, starting my own studio in Kyoto and holding annual exhibitions in Kyoto and the surrounding area. In 2002, I moved with my family to Ithaca and built a new studio next to our house at Irving Place.
CONTACT INFORMATION
phone: 607-277-8563
e-mail: momoko@momo-clay.com
website: www.momo-clay.com
ADDRESS
Kirara-Momo, 119 Irving Place, Ithaca, NY 14850
STUDIO DIRECTIONS
From downtown Ithaca, head east on East State Street/Route 79. At the top of the hill, veer left onto Mitchell Street/Route 366. Shortly after that, veer left again onto Ithaca Road/Route 366. The first street on the left after that is Irving Place. The studio is at the corner of Irving Place and Ithaca Road, facing Bryant Park. Look for a two-story, green building at the end of the driveway.
BIOGRAPHY
I was raised in the ancient capital of Kyoto, Japan, and grew up surrounded by the many traditional crafts of that city. I began studying as a potter in the famous kiln-town of Shigaraki at a time when few women were to be found as apprentices there. That was back in the early 1980's. Next, I spent a couple years studying in the Kyoto Laboratory of Traditional Crafts - one of three women in a class of twenty - learning many aspects of traditional glazes and clay bodies. After that, I went out on my own, starting my own studio in Kyoto and holding annual exhibitions in Kyoto and the surrounding area. In 2002, I moved with my family to Ithaca and built a new studio next to our house at Irving Place.


1) “Plant,” wood-fired stoneware, 57x44cm, 2009
2) “Scarf Urn Large,” wood-fired ceramic, 54x41cm, 2008
3) “Urchin,” wood-fired stoneware, 19x32cm, 2009
4) “Curl,” wood-fired stoneware, 49x37cm, 2009
5) Visitors at the artist’s ceramic studio
