Yumiko Goto

Yumiko Goto manipulates clay into abstracted collages of natural elements and natural forces, allowing it to simultaneously express and defy its own inherent qualities. A heavy, raw and cracked surface may, for example, be punctuated by an impossibly delicate and beautifully glazed rococo construction that seems as natural as an exotic coral yet almost alchemical in its presence. Her ceramic sculpture, whether on the wall, floor, or tabletop, draws viewers to its rich and varied surfaces, often rewarding close viewing with puzzled delight.

Yumiko Goto was born and raised in a suburb of Osaka, Japan. She moved to the United States in 1999 and earned an associate art degree from Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, TN. She received her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art in ceramics with an emphasis on Fiber, Metal and a minor in Enameling in 2004. The Cleveland Institute of Art awarded her the Helen Greene Perry Traveling scholarship, the Viktor Schrekengost Endowment Fund for Excellence in Ceramics, and the Jane Iglauer Fallon '36 Scholarship for Excellence in Crafts. Goto received an MFA from the University of Florida where she was awarded the Graduate Alumni Fellowship and the Penland School of Craft partnership scholarship. She has shown at River Gallery, Lakewood, OH; Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art, Biloxi, MS; The Borell-Edwards gallery, Lawrenceville, PA; Planet Art Gallery, Mt. Lebanon, PA; and Warp House Gallery; Gainesville, FL; among others.