Raewyn Atkinson has this to say about her time at Shigaraki:
"I went to Shigaraki for three months which was a very valuable and enriching experience which I would recommend. I was totally immersed in clay twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for that time. It is a wonderful way to immediately have contact with important Japanese ceramists as well as those from other countries. I was fortunate though to go at a time when the yen was not as strong as it is now and there was not a studio fee then either. However the accommodation rates are still extremely reasonable, compared with the expensive cost of accommodation outside of the Institute.
Everything is available at the Institute which is very well equiped. Not only does it have a huge gas kiln, among many others, but also technical advice as most of the staff are university trained in ceramics and have a lot of experience."

Guidelines for Applicants for the Artist in Residence Program.
The Institute of Ceramic Studies provides a site for creative work. You receive inspiration in a creative environment, through exchanges with other artists and accomplished ceramists. Set in lush natural surroundings, Shigaraki is a town full of ceramic art and industry with a twelve-hundred-year history. The Institute of Ceramic Studies is a modern, well-equipped center for work, study and experimentation.

Applicant Qualifications, Staying Term and Expenses

1. Studio Artist
Qualifications:
Those who desire to be ceramists and have basic knowledge of and experience in ceramic art. Preference will be given to applicants between the ages of 20 and 45.

Period of Stay:
The period of stay may be of any length between three and eight months during the period from the beginning of August 2001 to the end of March 2002. (The office is closed for about one week from the end of the year to the beginning of the year for national holiday.)

2. Short Stay Studio Artist
Qualifications:
Those who have a wealth of experience and enough knowledge in ceramic art. Preference will be given to applicants more than the age 30.

Period of stay:
The staying term may be of any length between one and three months during the period from the beginning of August 2001 to the end of March 2002. (The office is closed for about one week from the end of the year to the beginning of the year for national holiday.)

3. Deadline for Application
April 17, 2001 (The application must arrive here on or before April 17.)

4. Expenses :
(The following data is as of January 2001.)
Artists at the Institute of Ceramic Studies are required to pay kiln and studio rental fee, purchase their own materials, and rent a room in the dormitory or elsewhere.

Studio Rental:
30,000 yen per month.
In case you enter or leave the Institute in the middle of a month, the fee will be collected by the day. The studio rental fee does not include materials such as clay, glaze and plaster.

Dormitory Fee:
15,100 yen per month
Artists may opt to rent a room at the dormitory, adjacent to the Institute. There are ten single rooms, each equipped with a bathroom, and a kitchen and dining room for common use. If you enter or leave the dormitory in the middle of a month, the fee will be collected by the day. Use of electric appliances consuming large amounts of current will require additional payment equivalent to actual expense. During seasons that require air conditioning, an extra 2,550 yen per month will be added. Bedding fee of approximately 3,100 yen per month will also be added if you rent it.

Kiln Fee:
(per-firing) Type of Kiln Bisque Firing Glaze Firing:
5.2†G Gas Kiln 14,480 yen 29,100 yen
0.8†G Gas Kiln 5,710 yen 11,420 yen
0.1†G Gas Kiln 2,420 yen 4,440 yen
50kw Electric Kiln 16,630 yen 33,300 yen
20kw Electric Kiln 8,830 yen 17,650 yen
10kw Electric Kiln 5,190 yen 10,300 yen
Anagama - 52,900 yen
Climbing Kiln - 64,500 yen
Note: Actual cost of wood fuel will be added to the fee for use of the Anagama (approximately 250,000 yen) and Climbing kiln (approximately 350,000 yen). The firing takes about four days. You need labour costs during firing as well.

For further information please contact:
Artist in Residence Program
THE SHIGARAKI CERAMIC CULTURAL PARK
2188-7 Chokushi, Shigaraki-cho
Kohga-gun, Shiga
Japan
TEL. 81-748-83-0909
FAX. 81-748-83-1193
Email:scc-park@mx.biwa.ne.jp
*If you use e-mail to request an application form, please mention your name, address, and country.

website

back to top