BIO & ART STATEMENT: 

Born in Tokyo, Japan, and currently based in California, Eriko Sato is a painter and picture book artist. She studied painting and diverse forms of visual expression at Tokyo Zokei University. After working as an illustrator and exhibiting her work in Japan, she moved to the United States, where she studied art education at San Francisco State University.

Through her work supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, she developed a strong interest in art as a therapeutic practice. She later earned a Master of Social Work from California State University, Sacramento, and became a state-licensed clinical social worker. While advocating for the rights of people with developmental disabilities, she began to focus on creative work as a way to convey positive messages to society.

She is currently engaged in creating picture books that reflect her artistic background and commitment to social care.

AWARDS & JURIED EXHIBITIONS:

1998 MBC Thumb Hole Exhibition Kagoshima, Japan - Finalist
1998 National Pictures for Children Exhibit in Niigata, Japan - Finalist
1998 Jiyuubijutsu (Free Art Group) Exhibition Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, Japan
1998 KFS Art Contest Exhibition Ginza Tokyo - Finalist
1999 National Pictures for Children Exhibit in Niigata, Japan - Honors
1999 DAISHO Contest - Second Place
1999 KFS Art Contest Exhibition Ginza Tokyo - Finalist
2003 Juried Student Show at City College of San Francisco
2019 Juried "the 53rd Mother Lode National Art Exhibition" Sacramento

SOLO EXHIBITIONS:

1993 Gallery KAZE Tokyo, Japan
1994 Studio Cafe Gallery San Francisco, CA
1994 Art Attack Gallery San Francisco, CA
1995 Oka Gallery Tokyo, Japan
1998 Galeria Rasen Tokyo, Japan

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:

1990 Tokyo University of Art and Design Tokyo, Japan
1992 Setagaya Museum Tokyo, Japan
1998 Galerie de Cafe Den Tokyo, Japan
1998 HOUSQUARE YOKOHAMA Kanagawa, Japan
2005 Unity Cafe, San Francisco, CA2006 Javaholics San Francisco, CA2006 Variety Preview Room, San Francisco, CA
2005 2wenty 9ine East Main Cafe' Los Gatos, CA
2005 "Rice Paper" ODC Gallery San Francisco, CA
2006 "Mischief" Studio Gallery San Francisco, CA
2018 "Movement and Behavior" Union Hall Gallery Sacramento, CA

EDUCATION:

Master of Social Work, California State University, Sacramento, Graduated: May 2016

Bachelor Degree of Art in Art, San Francisco State University, Graduated: May 2005
 
Tokyo Zokei University of Art and Design in Tokyo, Japan 1990 – 1993