Joan Takayama-Ogawa: Ceramic Beacon

26
zaiden
(FIG. 10)
America’s Schoolhouse
Shooting Gallery
2022
Glazed earthenware
27
ceramic beacon
Takayama-Ogawa’s ceramics visually articulate the knowledge
she seeks to impart. An educator to her core, her pieces are
manifestations of her beliefs and they inform. Takayama-Ogawa
sheds light on critical topics and she is also a guiding light for her
Otis College of Art and Design students. She revived the ceramics
program at Otis in 2011, continuing the legacy of her mentor
Bacerra. She has tirelessly fostered it since then. By linking her
Otis student assignments directly to the content in her social
advocacy studio work, she maintains a connection for fully integrating
teaching into her practice.
Takayama-Ogawa tackles the key issues that define our
contemporary society, from the political, to the historical, social,
and environmental. She is an outspoken powerhouse who is
ahead of the curve. She aims to highlight the “crimes of human
making.” Channeling fury into artistic power, she creates works
that respond to the most pressing challenges of the 21st century.
America’s Schoolhouse Shooting Gallery (FIG. 10), came as
a result of hitting her tipping point with the tragedy in Uvalde,
Texas. Reviewing the statistics of gun violence pushed her to the
brink. Knowing she needed to express her anger and sadness, she
ordered an AR15 candy mold and got to work. Ironically, it took
longer for the mold to arrive than it takes to go out and buy a real
firearm. Aimed upon platforms that are shaped like the u.s., black
and gold rifles surround medallion-targets in the form of typical
symbols of elementary school.