Profile
Born and raised in New Jersey, Tacy received her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree along with an art teaching certification from West Virginia University. She went to Japan to study wood fire ceramics, and spent over 2 years as an apprentice in the village towns of Hagi and Shigaraki. She later moved to Kyoto city where she spent the next 4 years studying at Doshisha University, receiving her MA degree in Japanese Cultural History. She then opened a ceramics studio in Kyoto, and for the next 10 years exhibited at professional galleries throughout Japan and the U.S.
Tacy currently lives in the Asheville, NC area of Weaverville.
Education and Honors
Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan. MA in Japanese Cultural History
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. BFA with specialization in ceramics and teaching certification in art.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeship with master Hagi potter, Koki Nosaka. Hagi, Japan
Two year apprenticeship with master Shigaraki potter, Kiyotsugu Sawa. Shigaraki, Japan
Apprenticeship with master Ongi potter, Oh Hyang Jong. Kwangju, Korea
Awards and Achievements
Art Performance Fellowship. West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Japanese Ministry of Education Scholarship (Monbusho) for cultural studies. Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
Co-produced and performed in “Yume no Naka” telelvision video, airing nationally (Japan) and internationally, highlighting Kyoto’s cultural history in relation to Tacy’s ceramics career.
Translated Japanese - English for international viewing.
Professional Experience
Ceramic artist specializing in wood fire (1989 - present)
Ceramic art instructor at various universities and private settings including Kyoto University of Fine Arts, Kyoto, Japan. Peters Valley Craft Center, NJ. Augusta State University, GA, and Odyssey Clay Center, NC. (1989 - present)
828-775-4624