Akio Takamori papers
name: label: Creator
content: Takamori, Akio, 1950-
label: Names
content: Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
label: Names
content: Halper, Vicki
label: Names
content: Kaneko, Jun, 1942-
topic: label: Occupation
content: Ceramicists -- Washington (State) -- Seattle
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- Washington (State)
label: Topic
content: Asian American artists
label: Topic
content: Japanese American artists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The Akio Takamori papers were donated in 2004 by Akio Takamori as part of the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.
creator: label: Creator
content: Takamori, Akio, 1950-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Akio Takamori papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of ceramicist and sculptor Akio Takamori measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1981 to 2004. The collection comprises professional files containing an artist statement, correspondence with Vicki Halper and others, a digital photographic print of Takamori with Jun Kaneko, a presentation book, and a work plan for the European Ceramics Work Centre. Also found are printed materials featuring Takamori, and artwork by Takamori including drawings and sketches in pencil, pen, and ink.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Akio Takamori (1950-2017) was a Japanese American ceramicist and sculptor based in Seattle, Washington. He is known for his figures, some life-sized, based on his childhood memories of Japan, and observations about his native Japanese and adopted American cultures.

Takamori was born in Nebeoka, Miyazaki, Japan. His father, an obstetrician, introduced him to art through art and medical books. Takamori went on to graduate in 1971 from Musashino Art College. After graduation, he became an apprentice to a master potter in Koishiwara ware and met American ceramicist Ken Ferguson who encouraged Takamori to study in the United States. Taking Ferguson's advice, Takamori moved to the United States and studied at Kansas City Art Institute, graduating in 1974. Takamori continued his studies at Alfred University earning his Master of Fine Arts degree. He eventually moved to Seattle, Washington in 1993 where he continued to produce ceramic sculptures and worked as an associate professor at the University of Washington. 

Takamori died of pancreatic cancer in 2017.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 0.5 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1981-2004
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.takaakio
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Drawings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 3 series.

Series 1: Professional Files, 1981-circa 1995 (5 folders; Box 1)

Series 2: Printed Materials, circa 1981-2004 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 3: Artwork, circa 1990s (2 folders; Box 1, OV 2)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sarah Mundy in 2022.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of ceramicist and sculptor Akio Takamori measure 0.5 linear feet and date from 1981 to 2004. The collection comprises professional files containing an artist statement, correspondence with Vicki Halper and others, a digital photographic print of Takamori with Jun Kaneko, a presentation book, and a work plan for the European Ceramics Work Centre. Also found are printed materials featuring Takamori, and artwork by Takamori including drawings and sketches in pencil, pen, and ink.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Also in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Akio Takamori conducted on March 20-21, 2009, by Mija Riedel for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Takamori's studio, in Seattle, Washington.