Joan Takayama-Ogawa is an accomplished sansei, or third-generation Japanese American. Building on her family’s rich creative history, she studied under the renowned Ralph Bacerra and went on to develop work that used ancient Japanese ceramic forms as a guide in creating contemporary pieces that utilize decoration and imagery of an American lifestyle. She continues to push the boundaries of ceramics by integrating clay with digital and rapid prototyping technologies. She served as a Pasadena Design Commissioner and on the Board of Directors, American Museum of Ceramic Art. Takayama-Ogawa has published over 30 books and magazines, and in 2004 she was Otis Teacher of the Year and Commencement Speaker.
Her ceramics are in the permanent collections of the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, deYoung Museum Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco, World Ceramic Exposition Foundation, Icheon, South Korea, Princessehof Leewarden Nationaal Keramiek Museum, Leeuwarden, Netherlands, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Oakland Museum of California, Long Beach Museum of Art, American Museum of Ceramic Art, Racine Art Museum, George Ohr Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana, Hallmark Collection, and Celestial Seasoning Tea Company.
Joan Takyama-Ogawa, Detail Great Barrier Coral Reef, 2016, 45”H x 14”W x 14”D, Collection Leslie LassiterJoan Takayama-Ogawa, Coral Reef Hanging Sculpture, 2016, 48”H x 18”W x 18”D, LAX Southwest TerminalJoan Takayama-Ogawa, Outdoor LED Illuminated SculptureJoan Takayama-Ogawa, Madagascar Coral Reef, 2018, 17″W x 9″W X 7″D, AMOCA CollectionJoan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020Joan Takayama Ogawa, Hope for a Cure Cupcakes, 2020
Interviews with the Artist:
Ceramic artist Joan Takayama-Ogawa on her family history
Joan Takayama-Ogawa on ceramics education at Otis College and Ralph Bacerra
Ceramic artist and Otis College Professor Joan Takayama-Ogawa on environmental issues and her work
Joan Takayama-Ogawa on her narratives and functional ceramics
Ceramic artist Joan Takayama Ogawa on using sushi as social commentary
Ceramic artist Joan Tayama-Ogawa on social commentary in her work
