Joan Takayama-Ogawa: Ceramic Beacon

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FOREWORD
How Joan Takayama–Ogawa
is Changing the World
CAROL SAUVION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CRAFT IN AMERICA
Anger turns into beauty in the sculptures of Joan Takayama-Ogawa. Anger? Does it
have a place in the arts? Joan thinks it does and sees her ceramic practice as a venue
to express her ideas about many topics: climate change, violence, school shootings,
the covid pandemic, women’s roles and rights and the current political climate that
endangers our democracy. Quite an enormous undertaking, but in Joan’s mind and
talented hands, all of these issues are boldly considered and artfully presented. Quite
an accomplishment, but one would expect nothing less from this gifted ceramic artist
whose roots in clay run deep. Her life and her work exemplify her dedication to her
dual careers as college professor and artist.
I first understood Joan Takayama-Ogawa when I saw her interact with the students
she brings to the Craft in America Center as part of her Made in the usa course at Otis
College of Art and Design. She was the perfect combination of authority and laissez
faire, directing her students but also allowing them time and space to make their own
discoveries. I was immediately impressed by her powerful presence and my admiration
has grown with time.
Joan Takayama-Ogawa: Ceramic Beacon, at the Craft in America Center, is a
journey through thirty years of the artist’s work: ceramic teapots and cupcakes and
bleached coral and miniature narratives of world events. The gorgeous glazes on perfect
shapes belie the seriousness of the subject matter. She captures our attention with
beauty and luster and changes our lives with the impactful results of her dedication to
(TITLE PAGE, FIG. 17)
Bleached Coral Chandelier
2015
Glazed earthenware,
aircraft cable, LED lights
(CONTENTS SPREAD)
Tea Towers
1999
Glazed earthenware
(ABOVE, FIG. 6)
Tipping Point Series, SUVs
2008
Glazed earthenware
making the world a better place.
The world is a better place because of Joan Takayama Ogawa. We at Craft in
America salute her and join her as she changes the world one idea at a time. And
always there is beauty.