Manami Ishimura was born in Tokyo, Japan, received her BFA degree in sculpture at Tama Art University in Japan in 2012 and earned her MFA degree in sculpture and ceramics at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2018. Her handwork strives to depict the ephemeral beauty of moments that generally go unseen.
Ishimura conceptually addresses the cultural social issue using an extensive approach sculpture to space to generate emphatic aesthetic crossing cultures. Her art practice is a wide range from temporary installation to public art. Ishimura’s continued exploration of ways to celebrate universality of art across cultures led her to exhibit both nationally and internationally including at Biwako Binnale, Shiga, Japan, Gallery C at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan; Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, Louisiana. She contributed a permanent public art piece as a Windgate Artist in Residence at Arkansas Tech University.
Areas of Expertise
Sculpture, Installation, Contemporary Art Practice
Education
2018 — Master of Fine Arts from Texas A&M University at Corpus
Courses Recently Taught
This course presents an introduction to three-dimensional art through exploration of its basic elements (line, plane, mass and color) and its basic ordering principles (unity, balance, rhythm and dominance). Students explore sculpture techniques through figurative modeling, digital fabrication, and familiarizing the equipment in the woodshop. As students learn how to use the tools and equipment in the Sculpture Studios, proper care for the tools and space in addition to professional finish and presentation are expected. The course format includes slide lectures, group critiques and individual instruction. Material purchases are the responsibility of each student. This counts toward the introductory course requirement for the major. No prerequisite. Offered each semester.
In this course, students are expected to create at least three sculpture projects such as figure modeling, mold making, welding, digital fabrication, and/or their own projects. An instructor gives step-by-step assignments and homework following the content of projects. Students are familiarized with sculptural techniques and the equipment through the projects. The course is designed to facilitate the development of ideas that contribute to the artist’s content and decision-making process, as well as the development of the applied skills needed to manifest these ideas. As students work on projects, this development is paired with research on artists and exercises for writing short artist statements. Ideas and the ability to articulate them verbally are crucial in the understanding of self-expression. Throughout the term, we critically analyze and interpret sculptural works of art both verbally in critiques and through written assignments. This counts toward an intermediate-level course required for the major. Prerequisite: ARTS 103.
This course allows students to explore art that is based on a merger of space and time and on a relationship between the artist and the visitor. Perhaps the most inclusive and pervasive art form in the last 40 years, installation art has roots in cinema, performance art, set design, architecture, graphic design, land art, public art, curating, art criticism and history in addition to the more traditional visual arts. In this class, students create immersive environments that are either site-specific or nomadic. They also have the opportunity to integrate performance, video and audio components in their projects. Components range from everyday objects to surveillance video, from large wall drawings to interactive switches for participants to manipulate. The class consists of demonstrations of art skills particularly useful in installation (sculptural, video, audio, graphic presentation and so on), presentations, readings, weekly critiques and cumulative projects. Previous experience with any creative media such as writing, dance, music or performance is helpful. This counts toward the intermediate course requirement for the major. Prerequisite: ARTS 102, 103, 106, 107. Offered once a year.
This course is designed to enable students to further develop their personal artistic vision based on the foundation of their earlier studio courses and ARTS 480. Well into their senior projects at the start of the semester, students continue to refine their concepts and skills into a cohesive body of work for exhibition at the end of the semester. Critiques, discussions and presentations continue to amplify the studio experience. Professional presentation, writing artistic statements and resumes, and visual documentation skills are part of the course. The Senior Capstone, an exhibition required of studio art majors, includes artwork made during this course. This course is required for studio art majors. Prerequisite: ARTS 480. Senior art majors only. Offered every spring.
