Clay Unites a Cause

Ikuhiko Shibata and Miya Moore are working together this summer on a very special project. On March 11, 2011, seven year old Miya was enjoying a visit with her relatives from Ishinomaki, Japan. But then the news hit - a great tsunami had crashed into the northern coast of Japan. Ishinomaki was at the center of the destruction. For four days, Miya and her relatives anxiously watched the television, searching for photos of Ishinomaki. For four days, they waited to hear if Miya's grandmother and her family had survived. Finally word arrived. Everyone was alive, but they had lost everything.

About a week later, Miya told her parents, Emiko and Mel, that she wanted to raise money for the people of Ishinomaki. They began the Gaman bracelet project. Gaman means patience and perseverance in Japanese. People who donated $2.00 received a wristband in a beautiful aqua blue embossed with "Gaman." The Moores donated all the money to the American Red Cross Japan Disaster Relief Fund.

In 2012, the Moore family visited Ishinomaki. What had once been grandmother's home and garden was just mud. All around their Matsunami neighborhood, debris had been cleared, thanks to the great efforts of families and volunteers. But now there was mud, blocks and blocks of mud. Roads were cleared with a few lonely foundations. Miya saw that the children needed a place to play. Thus began the Ishinomaki playground Project: http://www.i-playground.org/.

Emiko met two professors at the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning at the University of Cincinnati. They adopted the project for their urban planning class. Five teams of students corresponded with volunteers in Ishinomaki and designed playgrounds based on residents' ideas. On March 11, 2013 the surviving members of the Matsunami district selected their preferred design - the Matsunami Mountain. Estimates are in and fund-raising has ramped up.

Ikuhiko Shibata, a seventh generation ceramic artist, learned about the Ishinomaki Playground Project as he was preparing for his artist in residency in Cincinnati, OH. He volunteered to create 500 tea cups and 25 tea bowls to sell. Over 150 have already been sold. Every penny goes to the playground. His host, Funke Fired
Arts donated all the clay, glazes and kiln time. Other volunteers donated graphic design work, packaging and their time to sell the tea cups.

When everything is sold, I'll give you an update on the results. We'll still have more funds to raise, but support for the project grows every day.

Helen Rindsberg
http://helenrindsberg.com/
http://helenrindsberg.blogspot.com/