Internationally Acclaimed Ceramic Artist Has Work Installed at MCC
Two ceramic pieces by sculptor Jun Kaneko have been installed in the Great Path Academy Building on the campus of Manchester Community College as part of the Art in Public Spaces program through the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism’s Arts Division.
Jun Kaneko has emerged as one of the most important ceramic artists working today and Manchester Community College is fortunate to have three of his works on display at the College. The first installation in 2003 was the terrazzo floor in the lobby of the Arts, Science and Technology Building. The most recent works by Jun Kaneko are two untitled Heads in Great Path Academy, one located in the lobby and the other at the top of the lobby staircase.
Born in Japan in 1942, Jun Kaneko arrived in Los Angeles in 1963 to study painting. He currently lives in Omaha, Nebraska where his studio is located. His artwork appears in international and national exhibitions and is included in several museum collections. He has continually experimented with the technical aspects of the ceramic medium.
As Kaneko has written “I believe each form has one right scale. Whether I’m making a large or small object, in the end I hope it will make sense to have that particular scale and form together and that it will give off enough visual energy to shake the air around it.”
Susan Claussen-Sullivan, professor of Fine Arts at Manchester Community College and Director of the Hans Weiss Newspace Gallery, served as a member of the local site committee that selected the artist. She said about Jun Kaneko, “His work fits with the character and mission of the college by relating to the human experience on a basic level. These objects bring warmth to the space and grab your soul.”
Connecticut’s Art in Public Spaces program was established by the General Assembly in 1978. The program requires that not less than 1% of the cost of construction or renovation of publicly accessible state buildings be allocated for the commission or purchase of artwork for that building. The Art in Public Space program provides an improved public environment by investing in creative works of high quality for public buildings.
The Great Path Academy building, which opened in 2009, is a middle college high school located on the campus of Manchester Community College.
Students of any age who possess the desire to pursue higher education are welcome at Manchester Community College. MCC is proud of its academic excellence, new facilities, flexible schedules, small classes, low tuition and faculty with both academic and “real world” credentials. The College offers over 60 programs, transfer options, financial aid and scholarships, as well as access to baccalaureate degrees through guaranteed admissions programs with several universities. MCC is situated on a park-like campus and is easily accessible from I-84.
