Taking Shape, a large-scale ceramic installation by artist Juliane Shibata featuring ceramic cherry blossoms created through JASM community workshops, will be on display during the 2026 Obon Festival at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory. We hope you'll have the opportunity to experience this unique installation.
Taking Shape: A Malleable Ceramic Public Art Installation
on Display during the 2026 Obon Festival at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory
Taking Shape, a large-scale collaborative ceramic public art installation made in partnership with the Japan America Society of Minnesota (JASM), will be on display for public view during the 2026 Obon Festival. Taking Shape is a group project, conceived and led by Juliane Shibata, that includes over a thousand floral-shaped pieces made by over 45 individuals, most of whom did not have any prior art or ceramics experience.
Creating Installation Pieces through Community Workshops
Since February, Juliane has led three pairs of workshops for community participants. The first workshop centered on people designing a stamp out of clay that visually communicates an element of their heritage. Once these stamps were bisque fired, participants returned for the second workshop in which they used the stamps to transfer their designs onto slabs of clay. They then used cookie cutters shaped like cherry blossoms to create the installation components.
Experiencing the Installation
On August 16, participants’ ceramic pieces will be represented in an architectural installation where viewers will be invited to reflect on the nuanced and multifaceted nature of identity. Those who encounter the installation will be able to touch, manipulate, and move some of its components, thus contributing to its evolution as a work of art. Juliane hopes to encourage reflection about whom art is for, what role it can play in civic life, and what impact every individual can have on the environment around them as they design, shape, and re-shape the artwork.
This project was made in collaboration with:
Organizations
Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, Japan America Society of Minnesota, Normandale Community College, Northern Clay Center, Northfield Arts Guild
Workshop Participants included:
Mayumi Amada, Kat Dalager, Denise Daly, Kim Fackler, Marissa Gunderson, Rachel Hanson, Cheryl Hirata-Dulas, Jessikah Holmes, Morgan Hoversten, Sarah Kass, Gloria Kumagai, Scott R. Larson, Lori Lee, Sheila McNellis Asato, Rachel Martinson, Rick Murray, Clara Nelson, Luke Nelson, Meagan Nishi, Melanie Peterson-Nafziger, Alex Nafziger, Jamie Nafziger, Kristin Partlo, Megan Reed, Julia Rodman, Rio Saito, Chris Senn, Tomas Stegemann, Dawn Swanson, Ben Takash, Kirstin Thielen, Dalton van Buren, Jennifer van Buren, Will van Buren, Kana Vang, Arlo Nora Weckman, Kate Woodstrup, Hanna Ueno, and Yoko Ueno.
Taking Shape Location: Como Park Zoo & Conservatory
Ordway Gardens (indoor bonsai area)
1225 Estabrook Dr.
Saint Paul, MN 55103
Date: Sunday August 16, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Access:
About the Artist and Organizer
Juliane Shibata is a ceramic artist and educator based in Northfield, Minnesota. Her work is informed by the Japanese concept of mujō (mutability and impermanence) as well as the Pattern & Decoration movement. Juliane draws viewers to her work through the rhythm of repeated forms that visually energize the space around them. Her temporary installations in unexpected spaces draw attention to both the nature of our own existence in relation to the constructed environment and to traces of activity in and around the architecture we encounter.
Recent grants include a 2026 Forecast Public Art Mid-Career Project Grant, a 2026 Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, a 2025 Center for Craft Teaching Artist Cohort Grant, and a 2021 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Ceramic Artists. Juliane has been a resident artist at Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Upperville, VA; Art Omi in Ghent, NY; The Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen, China; Starworks Center in Star, NC; and the College of Biological Sciences Conservatory at the University of Minnesota.
--------------------------------------------------------
Related Exhibition:
Taking Shape | Celebrating 50 Years of the Normandale Japanese Garden
After being displayed at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, Taking Shape will be exhibited at Normandale Community College in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of their Japanese Garden. In mid-July, Juliane will work with two sections of ceramics students at Normandale; their ceramic creations will contribute to the installation in the Gallery of Fine Arts.
Location: Normandale Community College
Gallery of Fine Arts, 9700 France Ave S., Bloomington, MN 55431
Exhibition dates: August 24 – October 2, 2026
Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 16, 4:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Taking Shape is funded by Carleton College, Forecast Public Art, and the Minnesota State Arts Board.
This project is supported by Forecast Public Art through funding from The McKnight Foundation.
Juliane Shibata is a fiscal year 2026 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
jasm@mn-japan.org
P.O. Box 26639
Minneapolis, MN 55426
