Bridging old and new, East and West, art and nature, Trio of Elements: A Collaboration in Wood, Clay and Silk features three artists whose work is deeply rooted in Japan with strong ties to the US. Using unprocessed natural materials as their primary sources of inspiration, they endeavor to preserve the essential character of the elements in their finished pieces. Curated by Janet L. McCall, Executive Director of the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, the exhibit will feature over 60 pieces, including furniture, sculpture, ceramics, tea ceremony utensils and textiles. Japanese wood artist Tadao Arimoto from Pittsburgh, PA strives to bring out the utmost beauty of each piece of local Pennsylvania wood he chooses for his work, using ancient Japanese tools such as the yariganna and chonna to give a unique texture to the surface of his sculpture and furniture pieces. Using handspun thread from carefully selected Japanese silk worms and natural dyes, Tokyo’s Yoichi Nakajima reconstructs historic silk brocade. His work is used to enhance the beauty of collections in museums across the US. American potter Willi Singleton was first introduced to 16th century Japanese wood-fired ceramic methods while apprenticing in Tamba Tachikui in 1982. After returning to the US, he built a large, four-chamber climbing kiln in Kempton, PA, where he makes use of local materials including creek clay, bamboo and corn stalk ash. This event is free and open to the public.