Oral history interview with Eugene and Hiroko Sato Pijanowski
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 12 min.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Pijanowski, Eugene, 1938-
label: Interviewer
content: Fisch, Arline M.
label: Interviewee
content: Pijanowski, Hiroko Sato, 1942-
label: Names
content: Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
topic: label: Topic
content: Decorative arts
label: Topic
content: Asian American art
label: Topic
content: Asian American artists
label: Topic
content: Japanese American art
label: Topic
content: Japanese American artists
label: Topic
content: Asian American metal-workers
label: Topic
content: Jewelers -- Hawaii -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Metal-workers -- Hawaii -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Japanese American women -- Interviews
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Jewelry making
label: Topic
content: Metal-work
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
creator: label: Interviewee
content: Pijanowski, Eugene, 1938-
label: Interviewer
content: Fisch, Arline M.
label: Interviewee
content: Pijanowski, Hiroko Sato, 1942-
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Eugene (1938- ) and Hiroko Sato (1942- ) Pijanowski are metalsmiths living in Honolulu, Hawaii. Arline M. Fisch is a jeweler and writer.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 102 Pages (Transcript)
label: Extent
content: 102 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 2003 May 15-16
label: Date
content: 2003 May 15-16
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.pijanoeh03
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview of Eugene and Hiroko Sato Pijanowski conducted 2003 May 15-16, by Arline M. Fisch, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
label: Scope and Contents
content: The Pijanowskis speak of their unique relationship in life and work; their early years in Japan; the lack of art schools in Japan; their collaborative process; Gene's tendency to deviate from standard styles; Hiroko's work on Japanese metalwork; they comment on their interest in fabric, Japanese paper cord [mizuhiki], fish skin, and ColorCore (a surfacing material with integral solid color throughout its thickness); their series Gentle Solitude, Amaryllis, and Maple Leaves; student labor; their separate careers as teachers; the presence of Japanese and American cultures in their life; their interest in Dutch design; the significance of their international marriage while living in Michigan and Hawaii; they recall various symposia and workshops; they discuss how their travels have effected their works; Hiroko's enjoyment of scuba diving and inspiration from nature; they comment on the difficulties of working together at the same university; other artist couples they know; retiring to Hawaii; Hiroko's interest in haiku poetry; and her responsibilities in Japan of running her uncle's company and helping her elderly mother. The Pijanowskis also recall Kim Cridler, David Watkins, Wendy Ramshaw, Emmy van Leersum and Gijs Bakker, Takahiko Mizuno, Francis Pickens, Mike Capitan, and others.