Alum Kris Marubayashi Returns to Ceramics After 30 Years

SACRAMENTO BEE -- The clay was calling. For 30 years, Kris Marubayashi ignored that voice, too busy with other passions. With a doctorate in education, she dedicated her professional career to recruiting new teachers for public schools. Her hobby? Playing taiko drums. Then this Sacramento grandmother retired and found some quiet time. That’s when clay spoke to her again. Marubayashi transferred to San Francisco State University and studied with ceramic artist David Kuraoka. But then, she radically changed course again. “It was the 1970s and San Francisco State; I got involved in student organizing,” she said. “I dropped clay – bam! Done! Didn’t think about it again for decades.” Marubayashi devoted herself to education and recruiting new teachers. At age 40, she picked up taiko drums as a way to connect to her heritage. But clay was her true love; she just needed to rediscover its pull. “I started trying new things,” she said. “I like to experiment.”