Metio Studio's Asian Zodiac kit wins best Custom Product MSA '23

At the recent Museum Store Association annual trade show, held this year in Denver, Colorado, Metio Studio's Asian Zodiac kit won the prize for Best Custom Product.

The kit was designed for the Japanese American National Museum, located in Los Angeles. Maria Kwong, manager of the store, envisioned a kit featuring all 12 of the Zodiac animals and Metio Studio's designer Emma Carlow created the winning kit. 

All Metio Studio kits come unpainted, but on our labels and website we present the kits painted in the style representing the folk tradition on which they were inspired. For the Asian Zodiac kit, Emma referenced the Mingei style that emerged in Japan in the mid-1920's. 

The Mingei style was developed in reaction to the rapid modernization and Westernization of Japanese society and also in a conscious attempt to distinguish and elevate ordinary functional objects. By focusing on the creation of beautiful objects made by ordinary craftsmen, as opposed to objects mass produced, Mingei served to preserve important Japanese traditions such as lacquer ware, pottery, textiles, and woodwork.

To learn more about Mingei, visit: https://japanobjects.com/features/mingei

To purchase the Asian Zodiac Kit click here: https://metiostudio.com/products/asian-zodiac