• Ester Ikeda married Yoshiro Ikeda, a ceramics artist, in 1972, and moved with him from California to Kansas in 1978, after he accepted a position as assistant professor of ceramics at Kansas State University.

• In her artist statement, Ikeda credited her husband with inspiring her clay career, but she made a point of differentiating her practice from his, stating that “I have always maintained a utilitarian aspect in my work because I feel there is so much to explore and accomplish. For the last several years my work has continued to evolve toward functionality with a twist of humor so my pieces can interact with the viewer.”