Professional artist, educator, and author, John Toki is well known to the Bay Area as an award winning leader in the world of ceramic arts. His numerous monumental public installations include The Oakland Museum of California and City Hall, The American Museum of Ceramics, Carnegie museum, the Contemporary Museum in Cincinnati, and the Los Angeles County Arboretum. He has taught internationally both in professional colleges such as California College of Arts and as workshop leader in some of the world’s best art residency studios including Kohler Arts Center in Wisconsin, European Ceramic Work Center in Holland, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Maine, Anderson Ranch Art Center in Colorado, and Idyllwild Art and Mendocino Art Center in California. Having literally written the text- book on ceramics (Hands in Clay, Oxford University Press, 1st edition, 1979 - 6th edition due Aug., 2022) he brings great technical expertise alongside his artistic vision to the Teravana Ceramics Program.
