Junco Sato Pollack is a

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not t ...

artist. As a native of Japan, having lived in the United States for more than 30 years, she aims to combine Eastern and Western influences in her art and create work that has a modernist, minimal design.

Early life and education

Pollack was born in Japan. She received a bachelor's degree in English Linguistics and Literature from

Aoyama Gakuin University is a private Christian university in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Originally established in 1874 by missionaries from the Methodist Episcopal Church, it was reconfigured in its current form in 1949 as part of Aoyama Gakuin. Aoyama Gakuin University ...

in 1972. She completed her post-baccalaureate study and apprenticeship under Tsuguo Odani at Seian Women’s University in Kyoto, Japan. Between 1974 and 1980, she studied sericulture, reeling process, spinning, and weaving silk at Kyoto Fiber Polytechnic University. In 1989, Pollack studied with Marie Ann Quette at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France. She completed her Master of Fine Arts in textile design in 1991 at the School for American Crafts, College of Fine and Applied Arts,

Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in the town of Henrietta, New York, Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree ...

in Rochester, New York.

Career

Junco Sato Pollack received her Masters of Fine Arts degree in textile design from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1991. In 1992 she began teaching as an Associate Professor of Textiles at The Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design at

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the largest institution of hig ...

until 2012. Her abstract, textile artwork aims to combine Eastern influences of mediation and

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

with Western influences. Since 2000 she has worked by combining paintings and digital imaging. She transfers the images onto polyester and metallic fabrics in a process known as dye sublimation. This process helps her to create her large and light reflective fabric sculptures that seem to float in space. This process is environmentally sustainable. Pollack has led workshops on

Kudzu Kudzu (; also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot) is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing deciduous perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands, but invasive in many parts of the wor ...

processing aimed for weavers, paper makers, knitters, designers and artists. These workshops stem from her interest in kudzu as a sustainable and viable resource in art. Pollack has received grants, fellowships and awards, and participated in exhibitions.

Work

Notable collections

Museum of Art and Design The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), based in Manhattan, New York City, collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the mus ...

, New York, New York * Frances Loeb Memorial Library Materials Collection of the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University * Rochester Institute of Technology Wallace Library Art Collection, New York * Kaikan Museum, Arimatsu, Japan

Installations

* Hotel Mandarin Oriental Miami, Miami, Florida * Pittsburgh Airport, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Pinnacle Assurance, Denver, Colorado

Awards and nominations

* Finalist, the 11th International Lace Biennial Competition and Exhibition, Brussels, Belgium (2004) * Finalist, Outstanding Achievement and Recognition, International Textile Design Contest, Tokyo, Japan (1994)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pollack, Junco Sato Living people 21st-century Japanese women artists 21st-century Japanese artists 21st-century American women artists 21st-century women textile artists 21st-century textile artists Rochester Institute of Technology alumni Aoyama Gakuin University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)