“I feel very fortunate to be here, [it’s] my first time in Texas,” Kubota, via translator, said. “Honestly I was expecting to see cowboys and wild west. But really, I feel like I’m in the Heartland. There is a good energy here.”

Suguru Hiraide, sculpture professor, met Kubota in Japan in 2009. Kubota explained his art and his processes to Hiraide, who was impressed and researched more about him.

“He told me he was interested in doing a show in the United States, because he’d never been here before,” Hiraide said. “I told him if I heard of any opportunities I’d let him know. And last year, I was elected president of the Sculpture Network of Texas, and I told them I was going to host the sculpture symposium at MSU. They approved that, and I remembered Kubota’s work, and I thought this would be the perfect time to invite him.”

Taking advantage of the university’s Visiting Artist Fund, Kubota arrived in Texas in September and will be staying until Nov. 5, when he will return to Japan.

“He is staying with me for the duration of his trip,” Hiraide said. “We’ve visited downtown, but mostly we’ve been going to supply and hardware stores. We’ve gone to S&T Steels, and we picked up the I-beams at Steel and Alloy Specialties. We also found some used pulleys for 15 dollars. We don’t have a big budget, but we’re concerned about safety too.”

Kubota said he got the inspiration to enter this line of artwork from a festival in his hometown in Japan. He’s been doing this kind of art for 16 years, and he is completely self-taught. In comparison to other shows he’s performed, he said so far the process for this one has gone relatively well.

“The trip and the planning has gone smoother than usual,” Kubota said. “In previous experiences, where I’ve been doing an event and I’ve been promised the needed materials, sometimes I’d never get them. This time, the process is going really smoothly. It’s also going better because here I have someone to translate for me, which I didn’t have at events in Europe. The communication here makes it easier.”

While Kubota is excited to be here and everything is falling into place, he does have his concerns as well.

“The main concern right now is the choice of car,” Kubota said. “Previously I’d been using a Honda for this event, but for this specific event I’ll be spinning an old Chevrolet, which is heavier than a Honda.”

Kubota will be giving a presentation on his artwork, processes and places he’s traveled at 2 p.m. today in C111 in Fain. After the symposium ends on Nov. 5, he will be returning to Japan to take a break from performing.

“First coming here, I would have never thought anything big like this would have been here, and now we have the whole Texas Sculpture Symposium,” Tommy Todd, senior in metals, said. “This is my first high-profile artist that I’ve been able to work with. I’ve never thought of something like this. It’s completely different from my [normal] train of thought.”