I always enjoy the lectures in small crit rooms over on Broad Street, they just feel so much more intimate and relaxed. This one was no exception, what a funny lady Wendy Maruyama is. She is a third generation Japanese American and makes furniture and wood work. She was very silly and had the room bouncing with laughter at her ornate tampon boxes, and very sultry wood block prints she showed as research. Again, it was nice to see work in a progressive format, as she started with some of her pieces from the 70's, very organic and loose. It was interesting to see the obvious affiliations and styles of each decade through the 80's, 90's and then the even more influential styles of each place she visited in residencies. Her work would evolve completely after spending time in France, England, China, and Japan. She seemed to soak up every bit of culture and history each time she went somewhere and it would then seep into her work. It seemed as if going to England really changed her work the most though, she began to emulate the craftsmanship of the arts and crafts style. However, her trip to Tasmania inspired her to make a piece about the extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger, you really should go to her site where you can see the video I pulled a still from. It is too sad. Sadder? The last Tasmanian Tiger died due to negligence, the zoo keeper forgot to bring him back inside for the night and he froze to death.
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