National Living Treasure Sensei Manji Inoue visits Albuquerque Wednesday, Sept. 24 through Saturday, Sept. 27 with a visit to the University of New Mexico on Thursday, Sept. 25. While at UNM, he will film a documentary about the art of Arita porcelain taught at UNM for the past 34 years through his association and dedication.

This marks Inoue’s 13th visit to Albuquerque and UNM. During each visit, he has brought many guests and conducted teaching workshops and lectures, also visiting local sites and cultural attractions in Albuquerque. When in New Mexico, he also has visited Santa Fe and local pueblos, meeting with pueblo potters and introducing them to his guests from Japan.

Inoue has presented his highly prized porcelain works to UNM presidents and faculty over the years. Many other works are housed in private collections in the U.S. along with the world’s major art museums. Inoue has donated his porcelain art to the Smithsonian/Saakler Museums and participated in solo and traveling exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad. He has also shown his porcelain works locally with students in Masley Hall Art Gallery, the Maxwell Museum and the Weyrich Gallery.

Inoue has sponsored seven UNM study abroad artist-in-residencies along with travel to Japan for more than 50 UNM students.

Inoue is known for practicing the 400-year-old traditional art of creating porcelain vessels from Arita, Japan, and developing his own porcelain aesthetic, using transparent and green glazes. As National Living Treasure, his work is in the Emperor’s Palace and he has created porcelain in the presence of the emperor and empress of Japan. He is not only one of the world’s great porcelain artists, but also a national representative from the country of Japan.

Inoue, 85 years old, has been creating porcelain since he was 16, after the end of WWII, when he decided to become a porcelain ceramic artist, in the spirit of peace. The year 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the porcelain quarry in Arita. Inoue recently was on national television in Japan and announced his goal for this anniversary to create 400 original porcelain vessels in commemoration.

UNM Dean of the College of Fine Arts Kymberly Pinder said, "We welcome Sensei Manji Inoue and his guests from Japan to Albuquerque as part of his 34-year association with the University of New Mexico. He and his guests will travel a great distance for this visit. Sensei Inoue has taken great effort throughout the many years to continue this rare, international relationship in the arts between the U.S. and Japan, to share this rare and beautiful art with students and our community."

For more information, contact: aritaunm@unm.edu.