Momoko Usami received a BFA and MFA from Kyoto City University of Art in Kyoto, Japan. After she completed two years as a resident artist at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago in 2009/2010, she built her own house and studio in rural Missouri near Kansas City with her partner, where she taught small art classes for the community.  Now she is starting a new chapter of her life in rural Japan with her family. Momoko draws inspiration from many things, including Japanese painting from the Edo period, dreams, and daily encounters on the street. Her unique, playful and often interactive ceramic works have been shown in the United States, Canada, and Japan.

Crystal Bridges, Museum of American Art,

museum shop

600 Museum Way, Bentonville,  AR 72712, U.S.A.

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

museum shop

4420 Warwick Boulevared, Kansas City, MO 64111, U.S.A.

Lillstreet Gallery

4401 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL 60640, U.S.A.

Belger Crane Yard Studio, Red Star Studios

2011 Tracy Ave., Kansas City, MO 64108, U.S.A.

Wonder Fair

841 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, KS 66044, U.S.A.

Charlie Cummings Gallery

2040 NW 6th St., Gainesville, FL 32609

CLAY AKAR

257 Iowa Avenue, Iowa City, IA 52240

Vale Craft Gallery

230 West Superior, Chicago, IL 60654, U.S.A.

Woman Made Gallery

685 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60642, U.S.A.

MUSEUM, GALLERY &SHOP

  • 2024

    Digital Debut, Featured Artist [Belger Crane Yard Studio, Red Star Studio / Missouri, U.S.A.]

    2022

    “Lachrymalia” [Habitat Contemporary gallery/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    Featured Artist [Charlie Cummings gallery/ Florida, U.S.A.]

    Featured Artisan popup [Crystal Bridges museum/ Arkansas, U.S.A.]

    2021

    “Relics of the Deluge” [ BECO gallery/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    2018

    Featured Artist [Lillstreet Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    2016

    Featured Artist [Wonder Fair / Kansas, U.S.A.]

    Maryville Public Art Business Indoor Gallery [Maryville Public Library / Missouri, U.S.A.]

    2015

    Digital Debut [Belger Crane Yard Studio, Red Star Studio / Missouri, U.S.A.]

    2014

    Momoko Usami Trunk Show [Lillstreet Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    2012

    “Momoko Usami Solo Show” [Charno Gallery of Kansas City Artist Coalition/ Missouri, U.S.A]                   

    2010

    “Room of Evening Traveller” [Studio #502 / Illinois, USA]

    2006

    “fu ton” [human + art Taiyojimu / Kyoto, Japan]

    2005

    “Holy Teeth” [Galerie Weissraum / Kyoto, Japan]

    2003

    “Scene” [Gallery Collage / Kyoto, Japan]

  • 2024

    “Read the Room” [Charlotte Street Foundation/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    “Summer Invitational” [Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    “Our America/Whose America?” [Wickham House at The Valentine Museum, Ferrin Contemporary Gallery, at NCECA/ Virginia, U.S.A.]

    Midwest Pottery Fest, Invited Artist [Zhou B Art Center KC with KC Urban Potters/  Missouri, U.S.A.]

    2023

    “Project: Cup” [Charlotte Street Foundation, Artaxis/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    “Noodle Bowls” [Charlie Cummings gallery/ Florida, U.S.A.]

    “Gutters are Elastic” [Nanaimo Art Gallery/ British Colombia, Canada]

    2022

    “Our America/Whose America?” [Ferrin Contemporary Gallery/ Massachusetts, U.S.A.]

    Art Market San Francisco, Habitat Contemporary Gallery [California, U.S.A.]

    Art of Healing Galleries [Mosaic Medical Center/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    2021

    Our lives in clay II [Charlie Cummings gallery/ Florida, U.S.A.]

    Functional Canvas VI [Charlie Cummings gallery/ Florida, U.S.A.]

    Raising Voices, Online AAPI Exhibition Fundraiser [applied contemporary craft gallery/ California,         U.S.A]

    Annual Auction [Kansas city Artist Coalition/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    2020

    Holiday Clay Jam 2020 [Charlie Cummings gallery/ Florida, U.S.A.]

    Forest Deity, Window Gallery [ Sointula Art Shed/ British Columbia, Canada]

    Distant Ceramic, Online International Ceramics Exhibition, Juror: Shoji Satake

    Salon 2020 [BECO Gallery/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    Cup: The Intimate Object XVI [Charlie Cummings gallery/ Florida, U.S.A.]

    Functional Canvas V [Charlie Cummings gallery/ Florida, U.S.A.]

    Handmade for your Valentine [Clay AKAR/ Iowa, U.S.A.]

    2019

    The Americano 2019 [Clay AKAR/ Iowa, U.S.A.]

    “Merry and Bright” Holiday show [Lillstreet Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A.

    First Friday Guest Artist [Bredin-Lee gallery/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    The 13th Yunomi Invitational [Clay AKAR/ Iowa, U.S.A.]

    Creature Comfort [OGGI Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    First Friday [Beco Gallery/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    NCECA Companion Gallery Emarging Artist [Minnesota/ U.S.A.]

    2018

    The 12th Yunomi Invitational [Clay AKAR/ Iowa, U.S.A.]

    2017

    NCECA Gallery Expo, Lillstreet Gallery booth

    Annual Auction [Kansas city Artist Coalition/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    Mugshot Monday [Lillstreet Gallery / Illinois, U.S.A.]

    2016

    Women in Ceramics [Gallery Zeke / Missouri, U.S.A.]

    Lillstreet 40th Anniversary Exhibition [Lillstreet Gallery / Illinois, U.S.A.]

    North on 71, A Regional Collaborative Exhibition [The Art Statuary Building / Missouri, U.S.A.]

    NCECA Gallery Expo, Lillstreet Gallery booth[Kansas City Convention Center / Missouri, U.S.A.]

    2015

    Holiday show [Mo Faux Studio / Illinois, U.S.A.]

    2014

    Playdate [The Ceramics Center Gallery/ Iowa, U.S.A]

    2013

    GIFT [Sfera Exhibition/ Kyoto, Japan]

    2011

    All Steamed Up [CINEMA Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    “Co:Operation Tableware” Society of Northern American Goldsmith, Seattle conference exhibition, Collaboration with enamel artist Christine Simpson-Forni [Fancy Gallery/ Washington, U.S.A.]

    2010

    Gethsemane Garden Center Art Fair [Gethsemane Garden Center/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    Residency Artist Show [Lillstreet Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A]

    Lillstreet Faculty Show [Lillstreet Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A]   

    Residency Artists open studio [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, USA]                                                               

    2009

    34th Annual Holiday show [Lillstreet Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A]

    Materiality: Emphasis on the media [Woman Made Gallery/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    Annual auction [Access Gallery/ Vancouver, Canada]

    2008

    PERMISSION (taken for) GRANTED [Gallery no_space/ New York, U.S.A.]

    Perpetual Triggers [Gallery 116/ New York, U.S.A.]

    11th Annual Tokyo-New York Friendship Ceramic Competition [Nippon Gallery/ New York, U.S.A]

    Art Student Exhibition in NY 2008[ISE Cultural Foundation/ New York, U.S.A.]

    2007

    iwainokatachi [human + art Taiyojimu / Kyoto, Japan]

    The Map of All Possible Paths [STORAGE gallery / Vancouver, Canada]

    2006

    スープの時間 (Time for a soup) [human + art Taiyojimu / Kyoto, Japan]

    The Packet Agency #2 [STORAGE gallery / Vancouver, Canada]

    茶碗展 (rice bowl exhibition) [UTSUWAWAICHI / Ishikawa, Japan]

    The Packet Agency [TCB gallery / Australia]

    The mass of small works [Dohjidai gallery / Kyoto, Japan]

    2005

    Ceramic exhibition of four people [ceramic gallery FUMONSYA / Kyoto, Japan]

    Ceramic exhibition [Craft Gallery SHU / Kyoto, Japan]

    Experimental shop [1928 building / Kyoto, Japan]

    The Line of Artists [Ishidataiseisya / Kyoto, Japan]

    Ceramics for Flowers [Kyoto craft center / Kyoto, Japan]

    靭白昼夢祭り(the daydreaming festival in Utsubo) [gallery maison d’art / Osaka, Japan]

    Let’s seek Florence Tuscany at Nisiki market [miho project, mori yu gallery, Nishiki market / Kyoto, Japan]

    The 1st International Triennial of Silicate Arts exhibition [Erdei Ferenc Cultural Centre and Art school / Kecskemet, Hungary]

    2004

    陶箱展 (containers) [gallery GEN / Kyoto, Japan]

    Ceramics for Use: A New Perspective [Commons Gallery / Hawaii, USA]

    長皿展 (long plates exhibition) [gallery GEN / Kyoto, Japan]

    Aya Nakata & Momoko Usami [White cube KYOTO / Kyoto, Japan]

    Graduate Exhibition of Kyoto City University of Arts graduate school [Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art / Kyoto, Japan]

    2003

    OSHIKURAMANJYU [gallery MARONIE / Kyoto, Japan]

    2002

    CLAY DUET [IMURA ART GALLERY / Kyoto, Japan]

    Graduate exhibition of Kyoto City University of Arts [Kyoto municipal Museum of Art / Kyoto, Japan]

    2000

    群 (flocks) [University hall FOYER / Kyoto]

  • 2023

    Capsule Collection for an exhibition ‘A Life in Frame’ by Julie Blackmon [Kemper Museum/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    2020

    Bust of Harry S Truman installed at Hotel Kansas City, MO [commissioned by Nine Dot Arts/ Colorado, U.S.A.]

  • 2024

    “The Bust of Harry S Truman” Slide lecture [University of Colorado Boulder/ Colorado, U.S.A.]

    2023

    “The Bust of Harry S Truman” Slide lecture [University of Colorado Boulder/ Colorado, U.S.A.]

    2022

    “The Bust of Harry S Truman” Slide lecture [University of Colorado Boulder/ Colorado, U.S.A.]

    2019

    Wondrous World of Momoko Usami [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    2018

    Ceramics Symposium Pottery Jam: the Handbuild Edition [Lawrence Art Center/ Kansas, U.S.A.]

    2017

    Narrative Clay [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    Slide show [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    2014

    Pinhole Viewers [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    2010

    Visiting Artist, Slide show, Workshop [Lane Tech High School/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    2009

    Visiting Artist, Slide lecture [Art Institute of Chicago/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    Slide lectures, Artist talk, Workshops [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, U.S.A.]

    2007

    Slide lecture for the class of Dr. John O’Brian “Art and the Atomic Era”[Ritsumeikan University/ Kyoto, Japan]

    2004 Asia Pacific Ceramics Student Workshop in Hawaii [University of Hawaii at Manoa/ Hawaii, U.S.A.]

  • 2022

    Art of Healing Galleries, Runner Up People’s Choice Award [Mosaic Medical Center, Northwest Missouri University/ Missouri, U.S.A.]

    2010

    Gethsemane Garden Center Art Fair, Award of Excellence [Gethsemane Garden Center/   Illinois, U.S.A.]

    2009/2010

    Artist in Residence [Lillstreet Art Center/ Illinois, U.S.A]

    2002

    Graduate exhibition of Kyoto City University of Arts, Encouragement prize [Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art/ Kyoto, Japan]

  • 2022

    The Beginner’s Guide to Hand Building, Functional & Sculptural Projects for the Home Potter by Sunshine Cobb

    2021

    October 22nd KC Studio magazine “Momoko Usami: Relics of the Deluge,” Beco Gallery

    October 1st, The Pitch “Momoko Usami’s “Relics of the Deluge” on display at Beco Gallery”

    2019

    April, Ceramic Monthly “quick tip”

    2019

    March/ April, Pottery Making Illustrated “Story Telling Slide Box”

    2018

    September, Hello Atelier! Podcast “Ceramicist Momoko Usami”

    2018

    September Missouri Life Magazine “Homegrown”

    2014

    November 4th, Maryville Daily Forum “Artist renders change into beauty”

    2014

    August 28, St. Joseph News Press “From Japan to rural Missouri, ceramist finds function in art”

    2014

    July 31st, Nodaway News Leader “ART FARM COMRES TO BARNARD”

    2013

    May 17th, 京都新聞 Kyoto News Paper Article 親子でアートに触れて group show “GIFT” at Sfera Exhibition in Kyoto, Japan.

    2002

    陶説Tousetsu [Japanese ceramic magazine] Article about show “CLAY DUET” at IMURA ART GALLERY in Kyoto, Japan.