On Thursday, April 6, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, Stremmel Gallery will host an opening reception for an exhibition of works by artists Jun Kaneko and Michael Sarich. Both are painters who also work in clay and have collaborated on a number of projects in the past. The exhibition will continue through April 29.

Born in Japan in 1942, Jun Kaneko came to the U.S. in the 1960's and studied with Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner and Jerry Rothman in California during what is now referred to as the contemporary ceramics movement. He is best known for his monolithic ceramic forms he calls dangos (Japanese for dumpling), which are some of the largest ceramic works being created in the world. With an exhibition history that spans over 40 years, his work appears in numerous international solo and group exhibitions annually, is included in more than forty museum collections and over twenty-five public art commissions worldwide. For the last 2 years he has been working on the set and costume designs for Opera Omaha's production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly, which opened March 17.

Verdi artist Michael Sarich's works are filled with narrative icons, whose metaphorical images are of a highly personal, yet universal nature. He studied printmaking and drawing at the College of Salzburg in Austria, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking at Northern Illinois University and a Master of Fine Arts in drawing, painting and sculpture at the University of Oklahoma. Since 1989, he has been an Associate Professor of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno. His works in printmaking, painting, ceramics and sculpture have been included in many national and international exhibitions, including a large solo show in Maine in 2005 and a group exhibition in Belgium in 2004.

An opening reception will be held on Thursday, April 6, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The public is invited to attend the reception, view the exhibition and meet the artists. The show will continue through April 29. Stremmel Gallery is located at 1400 S. Virginia Street. Hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm.

VIEWABLE WORKS

Return to the list of viewable works

PRESS RELEASE

Jun Kaneko + Michael Sarich