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Dahte brings messages of love and peace with work By Melinda Latham Art has always been important in Mahoko Dahte's life. When she was a girl growing up in Tokyo, she was fascinated by her music teacher's collection of authentic ukiyoe, antique woodprints from long ago. As a young adult, she made jewelry and created silk flowers. When she came to America in 1989, she studied and taught ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging. In creating her arrangements, Dahte wanted an appropriate vessel for her work. Soon this necessity turned into a full-time focus on ceramic art. Her ceramic work has won her many awards, including the 2002 Distinguished Artist of the Year Award from Cupertino, which the Cupertino Fine Arts Commission will present to her at 7:30 p.m. on August 10 at Memorial Park. "I am so happy and honored to have this great award," Dahte says. "When I came here, I started my American life in Cupertino. It's my hometown now." When she first started her life here in the United States, Dahte built her reputation as a flower arranger. In looking for ways to display her work, she started to explore ceramics. She took classes at De Anza College to develop her skills. Dahte says she really liked the teacher-student relationship. "In America, I think it's more open between students and teachers," she says. She adds that she also liked how the art was less structured, as opposed to Japan, where it was more conservative. However, even more than the openness, she enjoyed working with a new medium. "I touched the clay and I got very happy and involved, and I began to create," she says. Soon she started to make vases for her floral arrangements, but her ceramics grew beyond a supplementary role to become the sole focus of her artistic abilities. Contrary to the methodical art of ikebana, her ceramic pieces are developed from a more chaotic creative process. "I don't like to sketch," Dahte says. "I just touch the clay." Dahte moved on from her vases to create ceramic wall sculptures that embrace the philosophy behind roji, the stone path that leads to the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, which Dahte performs. Dahte says that roji purifies, both inside and outside, as one passes the stones on the garden path. In addition to the roji-inspired wall sculpture, Dahte has created illuminated ceramic globes, tea ceremony utensils and free-standing sculptures. All of her work contains something more substantial than the clay. "I like my art because when people see the artwork, they are taking in an image, a message„of love and peace," Dahte said. Dahte enjoys sharing her work with the world, and that hasn't been difficult. She has had exhibits at many local museums and shows, including the Triton Museum in Santa Clara, the Aegis Gallery in Saratoga Village and the Euphrat Museum in Cupertino. In the future, she says, she would like to further share her message by displaying her art in a public space, like a park or a children's playground. "I feel like my life is a mission," Dahte says. "I have to share my work and my message with people. I'm so lucky. It's good for me to share with someone." |
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