Ceramic Beacon: Joan Takayama-Ogawa at Riverside Art Museum
We are delighted to have this recent exhibit extend its reach and travel to the Riverside Art Museum!
Riverside Art Museum, 3425 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92501
Known for conveying her prophetic take on contemporary life through playful and witty narratives in ceramics, this exhibition celebrates the sculptural and functional work of Joan Takayama-Ogawa. Ceramic Beacon is the first significant survey of this respected Pasadena born-and-based artist’s work thus far. When she decided to take a ceramics course at Otis College in 1986, she found her creative home. She has worked there as an artist and professor ever since. She has developed a language based on color, pattern, form, humor, outrage, and beauty.
Unequivocally and fearlessly spotlighting issues ranging from the housing crisis and fossil fuel dependency, to the pandemic, Internment camps, and human-induced species loss, Takayama-Ogawa makes objects that embody her world view and life experience. She draws the viewer into her intricate sculptures because they are a pleasure to behold. Her toylike reinventions of the miniature figurine and game board are intimate and irresistible sculpture satires. They lure the child in us all to look deeper. Once captivated by their elaborate detail, her work initiates a conversation.
An educator to her core, Takayama-Ogawa’s ceramics visually articulate her beliefs and they inform. She has been a guiding light both for her Otis students and as an artist who sheds light on critical topics. She encourages the viewer to consider, to evaluate, and more so, to act and speak out to make change happen.
Always outspoken and ahead of the curve, Takayama-Ogawa tackles the key issues that define our contemporary society, from the political, to the historical, social, and environmental. Channeling fury into artistic power, she creates works that respond to the most pressing demands of the 21st century.
Printed copies of the catalog published by Craft in America are available on Blurb for $24.
Dry throwing & tool sharpening
Watch potter Ayumi Horie sharpen her tools and demonstrate dry throwing. Bonus video from the INSPIRATION episode
Ayumi Horie creates her Ramen Bowls
Watch potter Ayumi Horie create her Ramen Bowls. Bonus video from the INSPIRATION episode
Ceramic Beacon: Joan Takayama-Ogawa
Known for conveying her prophetic take on contemporary life through playful and witty narratives in ceramics, this exhibition celebrates the sculptural and functional work of Joan Takayama-Ogawa. Ceramic Beacon is the first significant survey of this respected Pasadena born-and-based artist’s work thus far. When she decided to take a ceramics course at Otis College in 1986, she found her creative home. She has worked there as an artist and professor ever since. She has developed a language based on color, pattern, form, humor, outrage, and beauty.
Printed copies of this catalog are available on Blurb for $24.
Click on the catalog to view full screen and zoom options 
We are grateful for the support of special funders for this exhibition:
Nobuko Aoto, John and Liz Kida, and Jan and Lisa Takata
The Craft in America Center is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.
www.lacountyarts.org
Maddy Leeser on her Memory Jugs
Ceramic artist Maddy Leeser on her Memory Jug series inspired by Betye Saar, her grandmother’s collection of memory jugs. Bonus video from the INSPIRATION episode
Syd Carpenter on working with her students
Ceramic artist Syd Carpenter on how she works with her students at Swarthmore College. Bonus video from the HOME episode
Syd Carpenter segment
Meet ceramic artist Syd Carpenter featured in the HOME episode.
Ayumi Horie segment
Meet potter Ayumi Horie featured in the INSPIRATION episode.
Alison Saar, Betye Saar, Maddy Leeser segment
Meet the Saar family of artists, Alison Saar, Betye Saar, and Maddy Leeser featured in the INSPIRATION episode
Ayumi Horie on decals
Potter Ayumi Horie her decals and creating objects for learning. Preview from the INSPIRATION episode