Our residency program “Book Becoming Mushroom” with Hiroko Fukumoto at Amu Arts offered workshops creating her live mushroom books at the Pixar Animation Studio at the Sonoma Community Center in January through March, 2025.

The mesmerizing work of Hiroko Fukumoto in the exhibition Book Becoming Art 「芸術になった本」from January 18 ~ April 27, 2025 were showcased at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. From Kyoto, Hiroko Fukumoto is a visionary book artist who incorporates mushrooms into her three-dimensional artwork and installations with banned books.

Here are some photos from presentation and hands-on creation by Hiroko Fukumoto at the Pixar University! We inoculated Blue Oyster Mushrooms and Italian Oyster Mushrooms on January 22 in 2025 through the beginning of March.

At the Sonoma Community Center, thank you for joining us for a unique and interactive community event celebrating creativity, nature, and the wonders of fungi!

A large Mushroom Book was displayed in the Sonoma Community Center foyer, where it was nurtured daily with misting, and be able to watch as the mushrooms begin to sprout, evolve, and mature over time. Thank you Jill, Sean and MC for taking care of the books every day and creating the live camera!

You’re invited to visit the Sonoma community Center on March 2 from 2 ~ 4 PM for a celebration of the fully-grown book—an exploration of how her art continues to evolve. Please sign up here for this special celebration before Hiroko returns Japan!