This private preview of the exhibition and sale will feature:
- Meet the artists (Daven Hee, Ken Kang, Robert McWilliams, Sanford Murata, Yukio Ozaki, June Sandrich, Roy Yamashiro and Gary Yee).
- Early access to the exhibition and sale before the general public.
- Light refreshments and JCCH parking validation will be provided.
Space is limited and registration (by invitation only) is required to attend.* These items will be available for purchase at the JCCH Gift Shop for a limited time only. A portion of sale proceeds will benefit the JCCH!
*JCCH members and VIP guests received an email to RSVP on Friday, January 24, 2025. You may sign up or renew your membership at bit.ly/jcchmember. If you have any questions please email [email protected].
Schedule of Events
Friday, February 7, 2025 | 4:00 - 7:00 PM - Private Exhibition Preview
Saturday, February 8 - 28, 2025 - Exhibition and Sale is open to the public during JCCH Gift Shop hours (Wednesday through Saturday from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM)
Meet the Artists
Daven Hee: Daven Hee is a ceramic artist from the island of Oʻahu. He teaches at Mid-Pacific Institute, an arts-focused private school in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, where he serves as instructor of ceramics and leads the 3D art program.
Alongside mentoring students of all ages, Daven maintains an active studio practice. His work can be found in permanent and private collections nationally and internationally, including at the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and the National Institute for the Arts, Australian National University.
Daven holds a Master of Arts in the Visual Arts from the Australian National University School of Art & Design and he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Statement from Daven: As a potter inspired by the Japanese tea ceremony, I work at blending tradition with creative freedom. Through the principles of wabi-sabi - the beauty of imperfection - I explore forms and textures that balance classical and contemporary elements. Each piece is both functional and meditative, inviting touch and reflection through tactile surfaces and organic forms.
Ken Kang: For 50 years my passion for clay derives from the challenges it gives me. From the thought of a new piece and all the steps to the final firing, the failures can be many, but the successes are extremely satisfying. To try to overcome these failures, I am constantly thinking of new ideas throughout the whole process.
The feel and smell of wet clay drives me, whether making something on the wheel or hand building. In doing tea ware, I often complement my ceramic pieces with my hand-crafted and painted wood covers. I find that combining my love of Japanese culture with pottery and woodcraft is both exciting and very fulfilling. For me, creating a piece is only to please myself first, then hopefully, it will please others as well.
Robert McWilliams: I have been a potter on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, since 1976. After making my living as a solo production potter for over 10 years, I branched off into a combination of making pottery and teaching part-time at BYU-Laie for a few years in the 1990s; and then as a full-time high school ceramics teacher at Punahou School from 2000-2019.
Since the early '80s I have been in many juried and invitational exhibits across our USA. I have also written articles for Ceramics Monthly and Studio Potter. Now, retired from teaching, I can make what I like to make and participate in exhibits, like "Simple Cups 2024" in Seattle.
Sanford Murata: Creating pottery is not just a passion - it's a joyful journey of artistic expression and discoveries. From early on, I made tea bowls (chawan), which I continue to make along with other Japanese tea ceremony ceramics (chato). My interest in chawan likely was inspired by my mom's collection of chato. She was an avid practitioner of chanoyu for many years.
Indicative of many influences and explorations, including visits to pottery villages and galleries in Japan, my pottery evolves constantly, learning and unlearning, filled with surprises and "aha" moments.
My work has been exhibited in prominent shows such as Artists of Hawaii, Ceramics of Hawaii and Hawaii Craftsmen, and others. My chawan have found homes in Hawaiʻi, California, Japan, Sweden and Bahrain.
Yukio Ozaki: Yukio came to Hawaiʻi in 1972 and earned a BFA from UH Mānoa in 1977. He then taught at Chaminade University from 1987 to 2020. Career credits include: Five SFCA architectural murals, 21 works in the collection of SFCA, named as a Living Treasure of Hawaii by the Honpa Hongwanji of Hawaii in 1986, and Carnegie Academy's Professor of the year in 1989.
On Ceramic Tea Utensil: Tea Ceremony related work is rather a rarity among my works today. It is partly due to my impatience to many of the rules of “Cha-no-Yu” which require a committed way of life in mastering the arts including the behavior and the lifestyle.
As a result, I make/made Tea related utensils imagining that they may be used by my family and friends just as daily utensils. That shows in the way of appearance and the lack of consideration to the real practical use for Tea Tradition which is essential for the Tea Ceremony Wares.
Throughout my life as a potter/ceramics and wood artist, I developed general recognition as a large size work artist, so, it is an extra effort to work in exquisite size. Another personal tendency is to make things distinctly different from the general approach/concept of refined work of craft. As a result, my work may appear a little out of place from the general path. Please enjoy viewing my work as a “playing process” of finding fun in doing it.
June Sandrich: I took my first ceramics class at Pottery Northwest in Seattle around 1990 and was instantly smitten. I have always felt that something in my genetic makeup predisposes me to work with clay. My heritage – and aesthetic – is Japanese, so I see tea bowls as a natural place to explore and express myself.
Roy Yamashiro: Roy Yamashiro has always been interested in ceramics and his interest in chato developed during his many visits to Japan and the ceramic villages and studios there. He has studied the making of chato (chawan, mizusashi and hanaire) at Hawaii Potters' Guild and has participated in several chato exhibits at the Hawaii State Library. He also attended chanoyu classes prior to the Covid pandemic. He continues to enjoy making various styles of chato, some of which are exhibited at this exhibition.
Gary Yee: Gary Yee is a retired architect who discovered a passion for pottery in the mid-1990s, a hobby he shared with his son. He has long believed that many architects are frustrated artists, often unable to devote time to the finer aspects of art. For Gary, the tactile, three-dimensional nature of pottery aligns seamlessly with an architect's sensitivity to shapes, volumes, and spatial relationships.
Upon retiring eight years ago, Gary redirected his creative energy from architecture to ceramics. He joined the Hawaii Potters' Guild, immersing himself in classes and collaborating with the talented artisans there. Additionally, he had the privilege of training at the Chozen-ji Zen Monastery, where pottery was integrated with martial arts, Japanese tea ceremony, and Zen meditation—a practice that deepened his artistic and spiritual approach to ceramics.
Gary's professional career allowed him to live, work, and travel extensively in China, Southeast Asia, and Japan for over two decades. These experiences exposed him to a rich tapestry of Oriental arts and culture, profoundly shaping his creative vision. His work reflects the deep influence of this heritage, blending historical and cultural elements with a contemporary utilitarian sensibility.