Hands In The Clay!

Sofia Vidal, Peruvian ceramicist and former product designer, brings an Asian touch to the Boca Raton Museum of Art through her functional clay and mold pieces. On Saturday, Jan. 14, the museum is hosting a meet and greet to learn about her life, artistic work and everything in between.

For Vidal, 43, creativity goes hand in hand with change, so it is not surprising that she is constantly evolving. She graduated from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru in 2002, and after working for three years as a product designer, she knew it was time for a drastic yet adventurous turnaround in her life. She applied for a scholarship and moved to Japan to pursue a master’s degree in Ceramics Design at the Musashino Art University in 2006.

“I wanted to find a country and an institution where I could learn about traditional ceramics but also be inspired by modern art and design,” says Vidal. “And in Japan, I found both. I wasn’t scared of going to the other side of the world. I was actually very excited.”

Vidal attributes her time in Japan, and then China (four years in total), to her techniques in ceramics. Through her work and brand “Kumiko” (“beautiful child” in Japanese), she makes things that make people smile and laugh and that are fun to have around your home.

“One of the best things I learned there was to be patient,” she says. “The Japanese culture is very traditional, and they follow a lot of steps and have hierarchies in their way of living. There’s a joke saying that ceramics is for masochists because we have to wait and make mistakes all the time. So, to make ceramics, you also have to be very patient.”

Back in Peru in 2010, she opened her ceramics studio, taught a ceramics design class at the university for three years and worked as a product designer making glass bottles for a cosmetics company. After 11 years, she wanted a change. “I loved my job, but it was like having two different marriages and two different husbands, and I knew I had to choose one,” she says. She moved with her husband and two kids to the U.S. a year ago and is now the head of the ceramics department at the Boca Raton Museum Art School.

“It’s been a really big change for me because I used to work in Peru as a ceramicist and product designer, but now I only focus on ceramics – which is what I really love doing,” says Vidal. She teaches an adult class on ceramics design in the museum, where she shows students the process of creating functional pieces through slip-casting and mold-making techniques.

“People in Boca really love clay because they’re at another stage of their lives where they can take their time to create what they want. They’re more mature and don’t need to follow instructions from anyone else.”

As for her love to this art form, she said there’s nothing better than clay. “Clay gives many more possibilities than other materials that are too tight. With clay you literally use your hands to shape your work. The material is just amazing, and I think people fall in love with it.”

Vidal explains ceramic is also therapeutic. “It’s like yoga for your hands,” she says. “It helps your body, mind and soul.”

What inspires Vidal? Traveling and changing her routine. “Creativity is about changing and having new ideas. It’s just a state of mind.”

For more information about Sofia Vidal’s presentation, visit bocamuseum.org.