Bob Stocksdale and Kay Sekimachi

The Moradian Gallery presents a two-person exhibition of wood turned and fiber objects by Bob Stocksdale and Kay Sekimachi during the 2016 Summer Season. Borrowing from the heralded private holdings of Berkeley-based collector, Forrest L. Merrill, the FAM curators have selected inspired examples of each artist’s work.

The artists are each renowned in their respective mediums and are considered two of America’s foremost pioneers in contemporary craft. Pairing their work for exhibition goes beyond a curatorial choice, because they also married each other in 1972. Both Bob Stocksdale (1913 – 2003) and Kay Sekimachi (b. 1926) have careers spanning 50 years. 

Bob Stocksdale is heralded as the father of American woodworking, creating lathe-turned bowls beginning in the 1950’s. Sekimachi is a master of complex weavings both on-loom and hand-constructed. The visual combination of imaginative fiber vessels with compelling grained wooden bowls is an exhibition instilling wonder and appreciation for what is truly beautiful. 

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website