Wendy Maruyama is an artist and educator from San Diego, California and has been making furniture since 1972. Trained initially as a furniture maker/traditional woodworker, Maruyama's work is known for its deviation from the norm in the field of studio furniture. Her various bodies of work were often inspired by extended residencies and visits to various countries such as France, England, Japan, Korea and China.

Maruyama had been creating works inspired by the memory of her childhood growing up as a Japanese-American, her interpretation of her ethnic heritage, and her observations of  the Japanese culture, looking in from the outside.  Born in La Junta, Colorado, to second-generation Japanese American parents, she has made several pilgrimages to the land of her heritage, Japan. At times reverent of Japan’s craft history and advanced technology, and appalled by Japan’s self-indulgent, materialistic and almost faceless and patriarchal society, Maruyama vacillates between creating works that both emulate and satirize that culture.

Maruyama’s most important work, "Executive Order 9066" is hitting closer to home - the work is influenced by personal and family history and addresses the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans in 1942. This event dramatically changed the Japanese American psyche and is to this day is still a vague segment of history to most Americans.

Most recently, Maruyama’s work has been delving into grief, loss, and memory, coinciding with the passing of many family members and friends in recent years.

Wendy Maruyama now works full time in her studio, which is now located at Bread & Salt, an experimental center for the arts, located in the Barrio in San Diego.

“The social-practice component of her artwork is successful in combining art, advocacy, education and community.  Her work manages to pull you in with stirring visuals and keep you engaged with multiple layers of content. ”

  —Elizabeth Kozlowski, Independent Curator