The International Workshop of Ceramic Art in Tokoname (IWCAT)

c/o The Tokoname Chamber of Commerce and Industry
5-58 Shinkai-cho Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture 479-0837 Japan

Masaru ICHIHARA

IWCAT Executive Committee

Ceramic Workshop: 4 craft workshop rooms of Tokonama Higashi Elementary School, Tokoname City
IWCAT’s wood fired kiln

• Tokoname Higashi Elementary School, Tokoname City  4-100 Segi-cho, Tokoname
• IWCAT wood fired kiln  5 cho-me, Oso-cho, Tokoname

• electric wheels, work tables, electric kilns, tools for ceramics production
• wood fired kiln

1) supermarket
2) Tokoname Ceramic Art Institute
3) Tokoname City Folk Museum

By train: Take the Central Japan International Airport line on Meitetsu railways, and get off at “Tokoname” station; 1.5km (5 minutes by taxi) / 3 km to wood firede kiln (10 minutes by taxi)

In 1984, local residents who were interested in ceramics and international exchange formed a group to discuss how to inform the world about Tokoname. As result, a program to invite young ceramic artists from overseas to Tokoname to learn and exchange techniques of ceramic art, while home-staying with local families, materialized.

To invite ceramic artists from overseas for artistic and technical exchange.
To stimulate local communities and promote international exchange through the promotion of ceramics of Tokoname.

• International ceramic art workshop is scheduled between July 21st and August 27th (38 days)
• 10 artists to be invited from overseas and home stay with local families.
• Foreign artists create works at the workshop and fire them at wood fired kiln.
• Resident artists’ works are exhibited at a venue in city.
• Resident artists participate in community activities such as the Tokoname Ceramic Festival.
• The application deadline is February 28th. The selection of the artists will be made on March 31st. The host family for each artist will be decided at the end of April.
• As 2007 is the Japan-India Friendship Year, Indian ceramic artists will be invited to have exchange programs.

Ceramic art and international exchange

21st July – 27th August (for the 2007 program)

The Applicant should:

• be a ceramic artists or art students in majoring in ceramics.
• be interested in understanding Japanese life and culture through home stay and exchange with local residents.
• have Japanese or English language proficiency.
• have certain skills in ceramic art.
• pay for the participation fee (¥100,000)
• be able to carry out daily activities on their own

• Traveling expense: Not available
• Production fee: Not available
• Studio: Available (The resident artists share the studio facility in a workshop space on lease at an elementary school)
• Living expense: Not available (The cost of home stay is covered by each volunteer host family.)
• Accommodation: Not available (home stay)
• Professional and staff support: Available (support from local ceramic artists and the staff)
• Opportunities for presentations/ exhibitions: Available (exhibitions at the Tokoname Ceramic Festival and galleries in the city)
• Publication and distribution of a program report: Available

Direct mails and e-mail notifications are sent to art universities, ceramic art organizations, past resident artists, and those who made inquiries about the application guidelines posted on the website.

Selection committee

• Committee members consist of IWCAT Executive Committee and ceramic artists
• The selection criteria: quality of artworks, contents of the application forms, and living conditions.

339 artists from 38 countries have been invited in the past 22 years.
Tokoname has been widely known among ceramic artists overseas, and the number of applicants are on a rise every year. The international network of ceramic art is being formed by those who participated in IWCAT.
Many of the past foreign resident artists return to Japan; some reside in Tokoname to continue their ceramic production. Many ceramic artists in Tokoname take advantage of the exchange with foreign ceramic artists through IWCAT.