Joyce Greenberg

Artist Statement

I am a Seattle–based ceramic sculptor and practicing acupuncturist whose work is shaped by Japanese spiritual, therapeutic and aesthetic traditions and embodied ways of knowing. While I am not Japanese, my practice grows from sustained study, travel, and deep respect for Japanese philosophy—particularly Shinto concepts of guardianship, relational balance, and the presence of spirit in everyday life.

Across my work, I explore themes of protection, interdependence, and care as embodied states rather than abstract ideals. Drawing from somatic awareness and an understanding of the body as an interconnected system, I approach sculpture as a relational practice—one that honors touch, presence, and the unseen bonds that hold forms together. My work reflects a worldview in which balance is fluid and emergent, shaped through connection rather than opposition.

The Musubi Ceramic Collection is inspired by Dōsojin—Shinto guardian deities traditionally placed at crossroads and thresholds to offer protection, safe passage, and relational harmony. The sculptures reference the Japanese cultural significance of the monkey (saru), understood in Shinto belief as a protective, liminal figure and messenger of the kami.

Each piece is hand-built in clay through a slow process of shaping, compression, and joining. Paired forms are constructed separately and then united into a single body, leaving shared surfaces visible. This process reflects musubi, the sacred act of binding and becoming, and embodies a worldview in which guardianship and balance arise through togetherness and tender care.