Past Exhibitions

Spirits and Memory: The Ceramics of Pam Murakami showcases the 40-year career of local ceramicist and longtime Hartnell College educator Pam Murakami. Murakami's work reflects her appreciation for imperfection and the many historical influences that have impacted her work throughout her career. Weaving together aspects of Chinese pottery, Japanese tea ceremony, mythic entities, household items, and more, Murakami's work combines traditional ceramics with her own personal history and beliefs.

About the Curator

Gary Smith is an educator, gallerist, and curator based in Carmel Valley with a specialized focus on ceramics. For more than 30 years, he taught ceramics and art history courses at Hartnell College in Salinas, California, and co-directed the Hartnell Art Gallery for nearly 50 years. Smith served as the Central California Coordinator for the Community Colleges Study Abroad Program and as an instructor for the Boronda International Study Travel Program, teaching in London, Paris, and Florence. He holds a BA from Lewis and Clark College, Portland, and an MFA from the University of California at Santa Barbara and has served on the Board of Trustees for Monterey Museum of Art and the Arts Council for Monterey County.

Pam Murakami, Marriage of Kitsune and Tengu, 2012, stoneware, 3 1/4 x 11 3/4 x 12 in. Collection of the artist. © Pam Murakami

Support for the Winter 2026 Exhibition Season provided by Suzanne Taunt.

Support for this exhibition provided by Anonymous, Susan DuCoeur, and Robin and Chris Sawyer.