Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Names:
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Extent:
102 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
2003 May 15-16
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.
Biographical / Historical:
Eugene (1938- ) and Hiroko Sato (1942- ) Pijanowski are metalsmiths living in Honolulu, Hawaii. Arline M. Fisch is a jeweler and writer.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 12 min.
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.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
An interview of Hiroko Sato Pijanowski conducted 2003 May 13-15, by Arline F. Fisch, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Pijanowski speaks of her American/Japanese identity; childhood in Japan and her small family; the Christian schools she attended; Geidai University; learning Japanese jewelry design in the U.S.; attending Cranbrook Academy of Art; her thesis on line-inlay, a Japanese technique; meeting Eugene (Gene) Pijanowski, her future husband, at Cranbrook; life in Japan with Gene; moving back to the U.S.; her teaching philosophy; teaching at the University of Michigan; computers and other technological advances that have changed the way metals are taught; her presentation at a 1999 SNAG conference, "A Look Into the Future: The Implementation of Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing for Metalsmiths"; the importance of sharing information; her creative work and its relation to teaching; working with Japanese paper cord [mizuhiki]; Zen philosophy; her reoccurring childhood dreams; her line of jewelry "Hiroko Sato Pijanowski"; and the different types of molds she has made in wax, silicon, and rubber. Pijanowski also discusses jewelry tradeshows; her series Gentle Solitude; Issey Miyake's approach to design and his influence; her haiku club; orchids as inspiration; scuba diving experiences; the World Crafts Conference in Kyoto in 1978; the importance of exhibitions, such as "International Jewelry" in Vienna and "Poetry of the Physical" at the American Craft Museum, New York; galleries such as Helen Drutt in Philadelphia and Yaw Gallery in Michigan; the custom of "renting a gallery space" in Japan; and she concludes the interview with a discussion of the effects of of her depression. Pijanowski also recalls Ruth Taubman, Jim Hopfensperger, Leslie Leupp, Michael Rodemer; Stanley Lechtzin, Herman Junger, Albert Paley, David Watkins, Bob Ebendorf, Otto Kunzli, Michael Rowe, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Hiroko Sato Pijasnowski (1942- ) is a Japanese American metalsmith from Honolulu, Hawaii. Arline M. Fisch is a jeweler.
General:
Originally recorded on 6 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 11 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 42 min.
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.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Topic:
Jewelry making -- Equipment and supplies Search this
Five slides of jewelry designed and made by Miye Matsukata; a letter from Matsukata to Ostrum; and a clipping about her work.
Biographical / Historical:
Ostrum is a collector; Califon, New Jersey. Miye Matsukata (1922-1981) was a Japanese American jewelry designer and metalsmith based in Boston, Massachusetts. She worked at her jewelry firm Janiye in Boston from 1950 to her death.
Provenance:
Donated 1984 by Sarepta Pierpont Ostrum.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The papers of jewelry designer and metalsmith Miye Matsukata measure 13.45 linear feet and date from circa 1900 to 1982, with the bulk of the material dating from 1964 to 1981.The papers include correspondence, interviews, journals, writings and lectures, exhibition files, Janiye business records, printed materials, scrapbooks, artwork, sketchbooks, and photographic materials that document Matsukata's work as a jeweler and owner of Janiye, an atelier located in Boston, Massachusetts.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of jewelry designer and metalsmith Miye Matsukata measure 13.45 linear feet and date from circa 1900 to 1982, with the bulk of the material dating from 1964 to 1981.The papers include correspondence, interviews, journals, writings and lectures, exhibition files, Janiye business records, printed materials, scrapbooks, artwork, sketchbooks, and photographic materials that document Matsukata's work as a jeweler and owner of Janiye, an atelier located in Boston, Massachusetts.
Correspondence is with family, James Hubbard, various customers, galleries, and colleagues. Interviews include recordings of Matsukata and Takashi Oka, Judy Hickey and Miyo, and two interviews from 1968.
Eleven journals contain Matsukata's writings about her work, travel experiences, impressions of Mikimoto, and include some sketches. Writings and lectures consists of five appointment books; biographical statements and resumes; essays; lecture recordings, manuscripts, and slides; twelve memo books; notes; two travel itinerary books; and writings by James Hubbard that include an essay about Matsukata.
Exhibition files consist of correspondence, price and invitations lists, loan forms, and drafts for jewelry shows at the Art Asia Gallery, Fitchburg Art Museum, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Principia College, and other galleries. Business files for Janiye include donations, financial and legal material, inventory books, publicity files, and sales records; and client and vendor files containing invoices, correspondence, and special order details for works produced by Matsukata and other jewelers at Janiye.
Printed materials include booklets, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, an invitation, press releases, and Janiye sales catalogs. Two scrapbooks feature clippings and sketches of dinnerware, and early brochures and photographs of Janiye.
Artwork consists of sketches of jewelry, dinnerware, mountains, and landscapes. Additionally, 47 sketchbooks of travel, jewelry, and dinnerware are found in the collection. Photographic materials include photographs, negatives, slides, and several glass slides depicting Matsukata, her family, Janiye, jewelry and dinnerware, and travel.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 11 series.
Series 1: Correspondence, 1957-1981 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Interviews, 1968-1978 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 3: Journals, 1966-1981 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
Series 4: Writings and Lectures, 1962-1982 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 2-3)
Series 5: Exhibition Files, 1964-1980 (0.3 linear feet; Box 3)
Series 6: Janiye Business Records, 1948-1982 (7.1 linear feet; Boxes 3-10, 17)
Series 7: Printed Material, circa 1965-1982 (0.2 linear feet; Box 10)
Series 8: Scrapbooks, circa 1945-1980 (0.2 linear feet; Box 15)
Series 9: Artwork, 1946-1981 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 10, 15)
Series 10: Sketchbooks, circa 1950-1981 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 10-11, 15)
Series 11: Photographic Material, circa 1900-1982 (2.3 linear feet; Boxes 11-14, 16)
Biographical / Historical:
Miye Matsukata (1922-1981) was a Japanese American jewelry designer and metalsmith based in Boston, Massachusetts. She worked at her jewelry firm Janiye in Boston from 1950 to her death.
Matsukata was born in Japan to Shokuma and Miyo Matsukata and had four sisters named Haru, Naka, Taneko "Tane," and Mari. After coming to the United States in 1940, Matsukata attended Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, graduating in 1944. Afterwards, she attended The Museum School in Boston. In 1950 she established Janiye, a jewelry atelier, with former classmates Naomi Katz Harris and Janice Whipple Williams. The name Janiye is a combination of the three co-owners' names. By 1958, Matsukata became the sole owner of the company with James Hubbard, a stone cutter, serving as business manager and agent. Nancy Michel, Alexandra Watkins, and Yoshiko Yamamoto became the leading team of jewelers to execute Matsukata's designs.
Matsukata traveled extensively to Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Peru, India, western and central Europe, and to Scandinavia after winning a scholarship in 1950. She also spent a substantial amount of time in Japan, especially during her collaboration with the Japanese pearl company Mikimoto. Her work was inspired by the places she visited and she often documented the sources of her inspiration through her writings and sketches.
Matsukata died in 1981 in Boston. Janiye remained open after her death with Michel and Watkins as the new owners.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds several collections related to Miye Matsukata, including Photographs of Miye Matsukata, Slides of jewelry designed by Miye Matsukata, Alexandra S. Watkins papers concerning Miye Matsukata, Miye Matsukata note with sketch to Mrs. Bartlett, Jane England Chandler papers regarding Miye Matsukata necklace, and Photographs of Miye Matsukata jewelry.
Provenance:
The Miye Matsukata papers were donated in 1984 by Mrs. Edwin O. Reischauer, Matsukata's sister and in 2008 and 2017 by Ann Hubbard Gaddis, the sister of Matsukata's business partner and heir, James Hubbard.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Use of archival audiovisual recordings and born-digital records with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.
Korea (South) -- History -- April Revolution, 1960
Date:
2007 July 30-2008 July 26
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Chunghi Choo conducted 2007 July 30-2008 July 26, by Jane Milosch, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at the artist's home, in Iowa City, Iowa.
Choo speaks of establishing the Metalsmithing and Jewelry program at the University of Iowa in Iowa City; the elaborate equipment, tools, and safety protection used in the studio; her experience teaching silent metalforming at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine; participating in international workshops and seminars in Korea; the extensive world traveling she does with her husband, Dr. Charles Read, including destinations in Scandinavia, Thailand, Austria, Italy, and South Africa, among others; the house she designed in Iowa City; her love of the city and being surrounded by treasured friends, a supportive university, and beautiful environments; an interest in creative cooking and appreciation for diverse dishes from all around the world; her childhood and young adulthood in Inchon, Korea; growing up with an appreciation for beautiful art objects and classical music; an early interest and talent in drawing; attending Ewha Women's University as generations of women in her family had previously; experiences during the Korean War and April 19 Revolution in 1961; coming to the United States in 1961 as a student; studying English, ceramics, enameling, and stone cutting for one semester at Penland School of Crafts in Penland, N.C.; attending Cranbrook Art Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and studying metalsmithing with Richard Thomas, ceramics with Maija Grotell, and weaving with Glen Kaufman; living with Mrs. Loja Saarinen during her three and a half years at Cranbrook; teaching general craft at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Rapids from 1965-1968; pioneering the mixed-media studies with her students at UNI; accepting the challenge to build a metalsmithing and jewelry program at the University of Iowa in Iowa City in 1968; learning and teaching electroforming; the development of the electro-appliqué technique; extensive donor support and fundraising for the Metalsmithing and Jewelry program and its students; finding inspiration in nature, East Asian calligraphy, classical music, and travel; her long friendship with Jack Lenor Larsen and the great influence he has had on her work; being represented in major art museums and institutions world-wide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Museum fur Kunsthandwerk in Frankfurt, Germany, and many others; the joy she has when her students succeed and surpass her; and plans for future work, writing projects, and travel. Choo also speaks of the 2008 flooding of Iowa City and the state of Iowa during which her studio was severely damaged and many things were lost. Choo also recalls Park, No Soo; Lee, Sang Bong; Ruth Kao; Stanley Lechtzin; Yuho Fujio; David McFadden; Paul J. Smith; Rosanne Raab; Cody Bush; Jocelyn Chateauvert; Mary Merkel Hess; Sandra Mayer-VanderMey; Kee-ho Yeun, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Chunghi Choo (1938- ) is a Korean American educator, metalsmith, jeweler, and textile and mixed media artist based in Iowa City, Iowa. Interviewer Jane Milosch is a curator from Silver Spring, Maryland.
General:
Originally recorded 5 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 27 digital wav files. Duration is 5 hr., 22 min.
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.
Restrictions:
This transcript is open for research. Access to the entire recording is restricted. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Forty slides (1969-1979) taken by Watkins of jewelry and a bathroom frieze designed by Miye Matsukata, two press releases (1980), and three photocopies of clippings (1979) concerning Matsukata and her work, one is an obituary.
Biographical / Historical:
Watkins is a jeweler, goldsmith, Boston, Massachusetts who headed jeweler Miye Matsukata's workshop for many years and photographed pieces as they were returned for cleaning or repair. Miye Matsukata (1922-1981) was a Japanese American jewelry designer and metalsmith based in Boston, Massachusetts. She worked at her jewelry firm Janiye in Boston from 1950 to her death.
Provenance:
Donated 1985 by Alexandra Solowij Watkins.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
One photograph of the jeweler Miye Matsukata, 1970, and two of pencil portraits of Matsukata done by Liliane Desloovere for an exhibition of her portraits of women artists in Boston.
Biographical / Historical:
Desloovere is a portrait painter; Miye Matsukata (1922-1981) was a Japanese American jewelry designer and metalsmith in Boston, Massachusetts.
Provenance:
Donated 1982 by Liliane Desloovere.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
A note from Matsukata to Mrs. Bartlett [Lula Court Bartlett], requesting approval of earrings she has designed, containing a color sketch of the pair and listing the price.
Biographical / Historical:
Miye Matsukata (1922-1981) was a Japanese American jewelry designer and metalsmith based in Boston, Massachusetts. She worked at her jewelry firm Janiye in Boston from 1950 to her death.
Provenance:
Donated 1987 by Lula Court Bartlett.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Shows jewelry designed by Miye Matsukata for Mrs. Herbert Fields.
Biographical / Historical:
Miye Matsukata (1922-1981) was a Japanese American jewelry designer and metalsmith in Boston, Massachusetts.
Provenance:
Donated 1983 by Mrs. Herbert Fields.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Photographs taken by Miye Matsukata of a ring she designed for Sarah W. Bartlett. The verso contains notes by Bartlett based on comments by Matsukata.
Biographical / Historical:
Miye Matsukata (1922-1981) was a Japanese American jewelry designer and metalsmith based in Boston, Massachusetts. She worked at her jewelry firm Janiye in Boston from 1950 to her death.
Provenance:
Donated 1990 by Sarah W. Bartlett.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
