Joan Takayama-Ogawa

Joan Takayama-Ogawa comes from a family that for six generations has been interested in ceramics, reaching back to relatives who produced pottery in Japan. At the age of thirty-five, and after receiving degrees in East Asian studies, geography, and education, Takayama-Ogawa began studying ceramics with Ralph Bacerra at the Otis Art Institute. The artist creates colorful teapots because of their association with Japanese culture. She uses ancient Japanese ceramic forms as her guide, but makes them contemporary by decorating them with imagery that represents her modern American life.