In the historical context of Japanese regional craft traditions that have developed over centuries around hand crafted objects by unknown folk artists and craftspeople, this lecture will focus on a selection of innovative leaders in Japan's rich craft traditions of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Many of these avant garde artists, who work in both traditional and non-traditional materials, are featured in the accompanying Houston exhibition CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE ARTS AND CRAFTS at Chase Bank.

Lecturer, William Thrasher, from Boston, Massachusetts, is an independent curator and a Lecturer in Japanese Art at Rhode Island School of Design who has specialized in both traditional and contemporary Japanese craft for more than 25 years, and who has lived in and travelled extensively throughout Japan. In addition to developing exhibitions of the work of Japanese artists and craftspeople, his exhibitions frequently explore cross-cultural approaches to craftsmanship, such as THE WAY OF TEA: AMERICAN ART FOR THE JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY, and KINDRED SPIRITS: THE AESTHETICS OF FUNCTION IN AMERICAN SHAKER AND JAPANESE ARTS OF DAILY LIFE.