Skip to main content

This exhibition is no longer on view. See what’s on at SAM.

Exceptionally Ordinary: Mingei 1920–2020

Dec 14 2019–Sep 6 2021

Seattle Art Museum

Initiated in 1920s by the Japanese collector and connoisseur Yanagi Soetsu (1889–1961), the Mingei movement elevated functional, everyday crafts to art objects. While folk arts were important sources in the foundation of the movement, Mingei’s impact goes beyond Japanese folk crafts and even beyond the artists closely associated with the movement in the mid-twentieth century. Ranging from mid-century decorative arts to contemporary designs, the ceramics, textiles, sculptures, and prints in this exhibition are seen as exceptional art works in the broad applications of Mingei. Created by artists from Japan, Korea and the US, they all share characteristics of Mingei, such as the anonymity and honest labor of the maker as well as the simplicity and functionality of the objects. Positioning Mingei within a history of crafts and crafts-making, this exhibition celebrates the legacy of Mingei as its centennial approaches.

Support for this installation was provided by
ArtsFund and the Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff Fund for the Decorative and Design Arts
Henri and Tomoye Takahshi Charitable Foundation

Related events

Nothing to see here, check back soon!

See what’s on at SAM


What’s on at Seattle Art Museum

Following Space: Thaddeus Mosley & Alexander Calder

Nov 20 2024–Jun 1 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Joyce J. Scott: Walk a Mile in My Dreams

Oct 17 2024–Jan 19 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Selections from the Shirley Family Calder Collection

Nov 20 2024–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Bethany Collins: At Sea

Nov 14 2024–May 4 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Jacob Lawrence: American Storyteller

Jun 28 2024–Jan 5 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Art and Commerce

Jul 27 2024–Jan 12 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Diego Cibelli: Fiori dei Miei Habiti / La Montagne Enchantée

May 31 2024–May 10 2026

Seattle Art Museum

Lessons from the Institute of Empathy

Mar 31 2018–Oct 5 2025

Seattle Art Museum

American Art: The Stories We Carry

Oct 20 2022–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Yirrkala: Art from Australia’s Top End

May 10 2024–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Impressionisms: The Global Nineteenth Century

Mar 27 2024–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Chronicles of a Global East

Oct 20 2022–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

SAM on Paper: Rembrandt’s Etchings

Mar 27 2024–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Pacific Species

Dec 22 2022–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Conscious Constructions

Apr 29 2011–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Art and Life Along the Northwest Coast

Nov 26 2014–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Deities & Demons: Supernatural In Japanese Art

Oct 20 2022–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Cosmic Beings in Mesoamerican and Andean Art

Nov 10 2018–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Porcelain Room

May 5 2007–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

John Grade: Middle Fork

Feb 10 2017–Feb 2 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Only Connect: The Art of Devotion

Apr 29 2011–ongoing

Seattle Art Museum

Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei

Mar 12–Sep 7 2025

Seattle Art Museum

Tariqa Waters: Venus is Missing

May 7 2025–Jan 5 2026

Seattle Art Museum

Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism

Oct 23 2025–Jan 18 2026

Seattle Art Museum

Samantha Yun Wall: 2024 Betty Bowen Award Winner

Opening Spring 2026

Seattle Art Museum