Oral history interview with Eugene and Hiroko Sato Pijanowski
Object Details
- General
- Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 12 min.
- Interviewee
- Pijanowski, Eugene, 1938-
- Interviewer
- Fisch, Arline M.
- Interviewee
- Pijanowski, Hiroko Sato, 1942-
- Names
- Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
- Topic
- Decorative arts
- Asian American art
- Asian American artists
- Japanese American art
- Japanese American artists
- Asian American metal-workers
- Jewelers -- Hawaii -- Interviews
- Metal-workers -- Hawaii -- Interviews
- Japanese American women -- Interviews
- Women artists
- Jewelry making
- Metal-work
- Provenance
- 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.
- Interviewee
- Pijanowski, Eugene, 1938-
- Interviewer
- Fisch, Arline M.
- Interviewee
- Pijanowski, Hiroko Sato, 1942-
- Sponsor
- Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America. Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
- Biographical / Historical
- Eugene (1938- ) and Hiroko Sato (1942- ) Pijanowski are metalsmiths living in Honolulu, Hawaii. Arline M. Fisch is a jeweler and writer.
- Extent
- 102 Pages (Transcript)
- 102 Pages (Transcript)
- Date
- 2003 May 15-16
- 2003 May 15-16
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Art
- Identifier
- AAA.pijanoeh03
- Type
- Collection descriptions
- Archival materials
- Pages
- Sound recordings
- Interviews
- Genre/Form
- Sound recordings
- Interviews
- Scope and Contents
- 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.
- 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.
- Restrictions
- Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
- Record ID
- ebl-1596375074997-1596375074999-0
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
Oral history interview with Eugene and Hiroko Sato Pijanowski, 2003 May 15-16, Digital Sound Recording (Excerpt)
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