Ban Kajitani

Born 1941 Hirata, Shimane, Japan

EDUCATION

1965    Asagaya Art Academy

1966    Study Certificate of the Ceramics Department with the Government Industrial Techniques Institute, Nagoya, Japan

1974    BFA Utah State University, Salt Lake City, Utah

1976    MFA Utah State University, Salt Lake City, Utah

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1968-1969       Ceramic designer, Aida Ceramic Designer, Japan

1969-1972       Established ceramics studio, Japan

1969-1972       Ceramic instructor, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan

1972-1974       Lab assistant, ceramics, Utah State University, Salt Lake City, Utah

1974-1975       Ceramics instructor, conference and institute division and vernal extension school, Utah State University, Salt Lake City, Utah

1975-1976       Ceramics teaching assistant, Art department and ceramics instructor, Moab extension school, Utah State University, Moab, Utah

1976-1992       Columbus College of Art and Design, Ceramics Department Head, Columbus, Ohio

 1992-               Studio Artist, Kasama, Ibaraki, Japan

BIOGRAPHY

Ban Kajitani is a Japanese American ceramic artist known for marbled ceramic ware (Japanese neriage), incorporated into large-scale steles (upright monument), colorful vessels, murals and site specific works.

In the early 1960’s Kajitani saw an exhibition of American ceramic artists in Tokyo. He was impressed by the work of Richard Shaw and Marilyn Levine. When Kajitani first immigrated to the USA he studied with Larry Elsner at Utah State. Kajitani took inspiration from the Southwestern desert which impacted his work throughout his career.

Public Collections

American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California

Canton Museum of Art,  Canton, Ohio

Bibliography

“Ban Kajitani: Artist Biography.” Permanent Collection: Canton Museum of Art, accessed June 29, 2021, https://www.cantonartcollection.com/artistbio.php?artist_id=361

Hunt, William. “Ban Kajitani: A Ceramics Monthly Portfolio.” Ceramics Monthly, January 1991.

Kajitani, Ban. “The Use of Clay Forms to Symbolize the Quality of the Southern Utah Landscape.”  Graduate Thesis: Utah State University, 1976.

Southern Highland Craft Guild