Presentation: Kintsugi, Wabi Sabi Art of Japanese Ceramic Repair

Saturday, 5/17/2025
2:00 - 4:00
Steve Silver Music Center - 4th Fl
Main Library

100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

415-557-4400

Kintsugi is the practice of repairing broken objects by highlighting the cracks with gold, bringing forward their narrative and honoring impermanence. It is often used as an analogy for resilience, encouraging individuals to transform and recover from past experiences. Kintsugi also symbolizes the duality of life—its simultaneous beauty and challenges.

Wabi-Sabi is an ancient Japanese philosophical approach that finds value in imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness. It invites a fresh perspective, drawing on Zen principles such as non-attachment, impermanence, and mindfulness. This philosophy embraces beauty in the insignificant and unconventional, appreciating the value of impermanence and drawing inspiration from the incomplete.

In this demonstration, we will explore the centuries-old Japanese art of kintsugi and the wabi-sabi philosophy while reflecting on thought-provoking questions.

About Ryley
Ryley, the operator of Stone Gold Pottery, is a passionate practitioner of Kintsugi—the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. His entrepreneurial journey began with workshops at the San Francisco Zen Center, eventually leading to the founding of two thriving pottery studios in San Francisco: the original Duboce Triangle location and the recently opened Marina District studio.

As a dedicated meditator, Ryley infuses his teaching with principles of acceptance and finding beauty in imperfection. His work has taken on particular significance in the post-pandemic world, offering a powerful metaphor for healing collective trauma. Through kintsugi, participants transform broken pieces into objects of renewed beauty and purpose, fostering resilience in vibrant studio spaces.

This is not a workshop. The instructor demonstrates and explains what kintsugi is and the philosophy behind it. 

Learn more about kintsugi | Learn more about wabi sabi

Connect: 

Stone Glod Pottery - Website | Stone Gold Pottery - Instagram

 

Weaving Stories: Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Interest

Programs and workshops, book recommendations and more relating to the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) heritage.

Weaving Stories is the Library's celebration of the many diverse histories and cultures from AANHPI communities.

Art, Architecture & Photography

Learn from world-class designers, artists and experts in their fields. 

Japanese Interest

Connect to engaging discussions and performances related to the Japanese community and culture.

Spotlight

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

Public Notice and Disclaimer

This program uses a third-party website link. By clicking on the third-party website link, you will leave SFPL's website and enter a website not operated by SFPL. This service may collect personally identifying information about you, such as name, username, email address, and password. This service will treat the information it collects about you pursuant to its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of each third-party website or service that you visit or use, including those third parties with whom you interact through our Library services. For more information about these third-party links, please see the section of SFPL’s Privacy Policy describing Links to Other Sites.

The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.