Kay Sekimachi


Kay Sekimachi is an American fiber artist best known for her three-dimensional woven monofilament hangings as well as her intricate baskets and bowls.

Early life and education

Kay Sekimachi was born in San Francisco on September 30, 1926 to first generation Japanese Americans Takao Sekimachi and Wakuri Sekimachi. Sekimachi was interned with her family at Tanforan Assembly Center and then the Topaz War Relocation Center from 1942 to 1944.
From 1946 to 1949 she attended the California College of Arts and Crafts, where she initially studied painting, design, and silkscreening. After she visited the weaving room and saw students working on looms, she spent her entire savings on a loom the following day though she did not know anything about weaving. She started her art career weaving clothing and two-dimensional wall pieces. She heard Trude Guermonprez speak at Pond Farm and later studied with her during the summer of 1954. Guermonprez challenged Sekimachi, leading her to take on more complex artistic projects. Sekimachi commented in an 1959 article that "Until then I was simply using accepted techniques and relying on books and traditional patterns."
She attended the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Liberty, Maine where she studied with Jack Lenor Larsen in 1956. A staunch champion of her work, Larsen also commissioned Sekimachi to design a fabric for his production company.

Career

She started experimenting with nylon monofilament hangings and weaving off loom by 1963. Her complex three-dimensional nylon hangings were featured several of the major exhibitions of the fiber arts movement, including Wall Hangings at the Museum of Modern Art, Deliberate Entanglements at UCLA and the Biennale internationale de la tapisserie, Lausanne Switzerland in 1975 and 1983.
Sekimachi was part of the New Basketry movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her later works comprised small woven baskets. She also created woven paperfold-like boxes with a Japanese influence. She later created baskets of linen warp ends and rice paper. Most recently, Sekimachi has incorporated objects found while beachcombing into her works, also creating jewelry.

Personal life

Sekimachi lives in Berkeley, California. In 1972, Sekimachi married woodturner Bob Stocksdale.

Public Collections

Sekimachi's works are in many museum collections. These include:
Sekimachi's work has been included in numerous exhibitions. Selected solo and small group exhibitions include:
Sekimachi has taught at the Adult Division of the San Francisco Community College as well as stints at the California College of Arts and Crafts, Lake Almanor, and the Town and Country Weavers.