Toru Sugita, born and raised in Japan, traveled extensively throughout Latin America and the Middle East, eventually becoming involved in the Bay Area community as an artist and an art educator. Toru received a MFA in printmaking from San Francisco State University. He illustrated the award-winning book, “Floating Lanterns and Golden Shrines.” His prints can be found in public collections including the Achenbach Foundation of Graphic Arts in the Fine Art Museum of San Francisco. In 2006 Toru moved to Grand Junction, Colorado, where he focused on teaching and multimedia collaborative works. In 2009 he returned to the Bay Area as a faculty member at Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, where he is in charge of the printmaking programs. His recent projects include residencies at Ucross Foundation, WY and Taller Grafica Libre, Oaxaca, Mexico.