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SVA and MoMA Wholesale are Giving Designers a Chance to Learn Traditional Japanese Crafts in Japan

Made in Yame is a new SVA Destinations program that will take product designers to Japan to study traditional Japanese crafts and design contemporary products using those traditional tools and techniques. Product prototypes will then be shown to MoMA Wholesale with an opportunity to have them licensed and distributed globally.

The School of Visual Arts has for years provided artists and graphic designers the opportunity to study abroad in the Summer through its SVA Destinations programs. Now, SVA has added product design to its roster with Made in Yame: Traditional Craft and Contemporary Product Design in Japan. Anyone can apply to SVA Destinations programs regardless of any affiliation with the school. 

Made in Yame will take designers to Yame City, Fukuoka City, Arita and Kyoto to learn over a dozen traditional Japanese crafts and guide them through a design process toward a contemporary product using those traditional tools and techniques. We have seen similar programs in the past, but what sets this one apart is its partnership with MoMA Wholesale.

“The SVA MFA in Products of Design is in its fourth year of partnering with MoMA Wholesale, and so far they have licensed and manufactured a dozen or so of our students’ designs,” says Products of Design faculty member and Made in Yame program coordinator, Sinclair Smith.

Gabrielle Zola, MoMA’s Manager of Business Development & Wholesale, Retail added, “MoMA has a soft spot for rediscovering traditional techniques and applying them to modern designs. We’re thrilled to extend our partnership and look forward to the results of Made in Yame.”

According to the website, prototypes by the participants will be flown from Japan to MoMA where buyers will have the option to license and produce the designs for global distribution. So you get to see Japan and its incredible craft traditions, and you might even get your product manufactured by one of the most reputable names in contemporary design. Not bad.

Visit madeinyame.sva.edu for more information and to apply.

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