Mika Laidlaw, MFA

Education

• MFA in Ceramics from Kansas State University
• BA in Studio Art from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
• AA in Applied Art from Casper College

Biography

Born and raised in Kobe, Japan, Mika Negishi Laidlaw worked in the U. S. and Japan. She earned B.A. from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in 1994, and M.F.A. from Kansas State University in 2000. At Kansas State she met her lifetime mentor Yoshiro Ikeda. Other accomplishments include; apprenticeship at Akishino Pottery, Japan from 1994-97, 2001 McKnight Artist Residencies for Ceramic Artists, 2003 Summer Artist Residence at the Archie Bray Foundation, 2004 Emerging Artist at National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), 2006 NCECA demonstrator in Portland, OR, recipient of 2015, 2011 and 2006 McKnight Fellowship for Ceramic Artists, and 2014 Distinguished Faculty Scholar at Minnesota State University. She exhibited nationally and internationally including, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Guam, and Spain. Mika is a Professor of Art at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She lives with her husband Les, two children, and a Weimaraner named Zen.

Recent Exhibitions

• “Duck, Duck, Grey Duck”, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, MN, 2019
• “Transplant Eyes II”, Walkers Point Center, Milwaukee, WI, 2017
• “MAEP Summer Exhibition”, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN, 2016
• “McKnight Fellowship Exhibition”, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN, 2016
• “Unconventional Clay: Engaged in Change”, NCECA Invitational exhibition, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2016