Joan Takayama-Ogawa

Professor / Contemporary Clay Minor Area Head | Interdisciplinary Studies, Liberal Arts and Sciences, BFA Product Design

takayama@otis.edu

Education

Master of Arts, (Education), Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
Bachelor of Arts, (Geography and East Asian Studies), University of California, Los Angeles

Otis College of Art and Design, (Ceramics), Los Angeles, California
International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan

Bio and Affiliation

"Creative people know that what is 'work' is nothing of the sort. To understand what an artist does is to consider the whole of his/her existence. The dedication borders on obsession." Joan Takayama-Ogawa

Since the 15th century, JoanTakayama-Ogawa’s family has been creating ceramics in the ancient kiln city of Tokoname, Japan. Her father studied ceramics with Glenn Lukens while enrolled in USC’s School of Architecture. She studied with Otis’ renowned artist, Ralph Bacerra. Despite her historically significant lineage, Takayama-Ogawa’s technically diverse ceramics blend unexpected methods to create contemporary environmental, social, and political commentary. She sees beauty held in check with playfulness and appreciation for the absurd. As a teacher, she pushes students beyond traditional boundaries by integrating clay with digital and rapid prototyping technologies. She was honored as Otis Teacher of the Year, Commencement Speaker, and Crossroads School “Teacher of the Year.” She served as a Pasadena Design Commissioner, the Board of Directors for the American Museum of Ceramic Art and received a Center of Cultural Innovation Investing in Arts Equipment Grant to purchase a large, new front-loading energy-efficient kiln.

Ceramic Beacon- Joan's 30-year survey mounted by the Craft in America Center, that also traveled to the Riverside Art Museum.

Awards and Honors

Otis Faculty Development Grants: Fall 2015, Fall 2013, Spring 2010, Spring 2006
Otis TLC Technology Grant: 2006

Professional Accomplishments and Exhibitions:

Permanent Collections:

Smithsonian Institution, Renwick Gallery, Washington DC.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
DeYoung Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, California
Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California
Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, California
American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California
World Ceramic Exposition Foundation, Icheon, South Korea
Princessehof Leeuwarden Nationaal Keramiek Museum, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
Newark Art Museum, Newark, New York
Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin
Stanford University Cantor Art Center, Stanford, California
Utah State University, Logan, Utah
Hallmark Collection, Kansas City, Kansas
George Ohr Museum, Biloxi, Mississippi

Public Art:

Orange County Sheriff Department Officer Memorial, Tustin, California

Recent Solo Exhibitions:

2021 Craft in America Study Center, LA, CA., Survey
2020 Craft in America Study Center, LA, CA, Climate Change; Monterey Museum of Art
2019 Themes and Projects Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Mimbre Inspired Vessels
2018 Themes and Projects Gallery, San Francisco, CA. Global Warming

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2023 Zylin Gallery, Joan Takayama-Ogawa, Agnes Lee, and Keiko Fukazawa, Beverly Hills, CA
2020 Craft in America Study Center, Democracy, Making Waves, Los Angeles, CA
- Department of Cultural Affairs, Climate Change, LAX Southwest Terminal, Los Angeles, CA
2016 Flint Art Institute, Function, Form, and Fantasy: Ceramics from Dr. Robert and Deanna Harris Burger Collection
2015 Long Beach Museum of Art, Small Treasures, Long Beach, CA
2014 Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin. "White Gold: The Appeal of Lustre"
2011 American Museum of Ceramic Art, "Post-Digital Ceramics," Pomona, CA
2010 OBJECT Gallery, "Design Process, Mentors and NexGen Makers" Curator: Jo Lauria, Claremont, CA
2007 DeYoung Museum, "The Diane Sandy and Besser Collection: A Gift to the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco," San Francisco, California
2006 Holter Museum of Art, "Yixing Effect," Helena, Montana
- Kentucky Museum of Art and Design, "Life Insight: The Human Experience," curator Gail Brown, Louisville, Kentucky
2005 3rd Ceramic Biennale Korea, "Delightful Teapot," Icheon, South Korea Garth Clark Gallery, "Homage to Ralph Bacerra," NY
2004 Princessehof Leeuwarden Museum, “Deliciously Decadent,” Leeuwarden, Netherlands
2003 Lancaster Museum of Art, "Crafts National," Lancaster PA
2001 Mint Museum of Craft and Design, "Mint Condition the Rare, Unusual and Unobtainable," NC
2000 Los Angeles County Art Museum, "Color and Fire," Los Angeles, CA
1998 Carnegie Museum of Art, "Pittsburgh Collects Clay," Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1997 Northern Arizona University Art Museum, Color, and Lowfire Processes Color and Image, Flagstaff, Arizona
- Ceramics Arts Foundation, "Night of 101 Cups," New York, New York
- The Sybaris Gallery, "Cup as a Metaphor: Works in Clay," Royal Oak, Michigan
1994 Islip Art Museum, "I'm a Little Teapot...," East Islip, New York
- Nancy Margolis Gallery, "Extravagant Teapots," New York, New York
1993 American Craft Museum, "Tea Party," New York, New York
1992 Pasadena Armory of the Arts, "Transformed in Clay," Pasadena, CA
1990 San Angelo Museum of Fine Art, "Monarch Tile Competition," San Angelo, Texas
1989 Downey Museum of Art, "Ceramics Now," Downey, CA

Publications:

Ceramic Beacons-Scroll down to see online catalog of 30-year Survey, September/December 2022
American Craft Magazine. “Joan Takayama-Ogawa,” Portfolio, April/May 1996.
Clark, Garth. The Artful Teapot, Thames and Hudson, Great Britain, 2001.
Clayton, Peirce. The Clay Lover’s Guide to Making Molds. Lark Books: Asheville, North Carolina. 1998.
Ferrin, Leslie. Teapots Transformed. GUILD.com, 2000.
Flint Institute of Arts. Function, Form, and Fantasy: Ceramics from the Dr. Robert and Deanna Harris Burger Collection, Tracee J. Glabb and Janet Koplos essays, 2016.
Lauria, Jo. Color and Fire Defining Moments in Studio Ceramics 1950-2000, Rizzoli International Publications, New York. 2000.
Levin, Elaine. "Keiko Fukazawa and Joan Takayama-Ogawa: A Confluence of American and Japanese Cultures," Ceramics Monthly. December 1994.
Lovelace, Joyce. "The Ubiquitous Teapot." American Craft. April/ May 1994.
Ostermann, Matthias. The Ceramic Surface. A & C Black Publishers Ltd. London, England.
Ostermann, Matthias. Masters: Earthenware Major Works by Leading Artists, Lark Books. New York. 2010.
Perry, Sara. The Tea Book. Chronicle Books: San Francisco, California. 1993.
Peterson, Susan. The Craft and Art of Clay, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.1992.
Peterson, Susan. Contemporary Ceramics. Watson-Guptill Publications, New York. 2000.
Peterson, Susan. Smashing Glazes. GUILD.com, 2001.
Peterson, Susan. Working with Clay, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1998.
Seckler, Judy. "Recollecting the Past Joan Takayama-Ogawa's Wit and Whimsy." Ceramics Monthly. February 2005, pp. 37-41.
Seckler, Judy. “Tea Time.” Pasadena Weekly. July 15, 1999. p.11.
Snyder, Jeffrey B. editor. Ceramics Today. Schiffer Publishing, Pennsylvania. 2010.
Triplett, Kathy. Handbuilt Ceramics. Lark Books, North Carolina. 1997.
Watabe, Hiroko. "Joan Takayama-Ogawa: Japanese Inspired, American-Fired." Pronto. May 1990. (in Japanese English translation available)

Clients and Employment History:

1979-1985: Crossroads School, Santa Monica, California; Academic Dean, faculty.
1985-Present: Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, California; Associate Professor, Ceramics, Product Design, Ceramic Coordinator, English, Public Speaking
1990-Present: Themes and Projects and Ferrin Gallery