On October 13, 2021, Michihiro “Michi” Kosuge passed away. Michi was an important figure in Portland’s art community for many years and a longstanding faculty member in Portland State University’s School of Art + Design.
Born and raised in Tokyo, where he studied architecture at the Tokyo Sumida Technical School of Architecture, he moved to the United States in 1967, and in 1970 he earned an MFA at the San Francisco Art Institute in California. In 1978, he accepted a position at Portland State University, where he taught in the Art Department, now the School of Art + Design, for 25 years. He became a full professor in 1989 and earned emeritus status after his retirement in 2003.
In Michi’s studio practice, he worked primarily in stone, creating large-scale sculptures that speak of the relationship between nature and humanity. His work has been shown at major museums around the country, including exhibitions at the Portland Art Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Art, the Oakland Museum and the Seattle Art Museum, and in public installations and landscape projects.
"Beacons of Creativity" by Michihiro Kosuge, Broadway Gallery, Lincoln Hall"The interaction of humans with nature and a profound respect for the natural world were enduring concerns in Michi’s work,” the Russo Lee Gallery wrote in a statement honoring his life and career. “His interest in combining the natural qualities of stone with hand-made manipulation allowed his sculptures to maintain an organic presence as they reflect and integrate with the places they inhabit, while at the same time creating opportunities for human connections.”
“For anyone who knew Michi, they recognized a passionate soul who was intently thoughtful and considerate of those around him,” the gallery’s statement said. “Like his sculptures that created welcoming places of peace and reflection, Michi possessed a deep kindness and willingness to listen and collaborate with a diversity of voices.”
Michi’s sculptural work “Beacons of Creativity” (2016) can be seen in the Broadway Gallery of Lincoln Hall. Commissioned through a gift from the estate of Denis Norstrom, the work is composed of two granite pillars, each with a foundational stone representing the College of the Arts and topped with four stones representing the schools within the college (Architecture, Art + Design, Music & Theater and Film). Read more about “Beacons of Creativity.”
He will be greatly missed by the countless students and faculty members who worked with him and learned from him.