The McKnight Foundation has named sculptor Kinji Akagawa as the 2007 McKnight Distinguished Artist, in recognition of artistic excellence spanning four decades as a Minnesota sculptor and creator of public art. The annual award, now in its tenth year, includes a $40,000 cash prize and recognizes individual Minnesota artists who have made significant contributions to the quality of the state's cultural life.

"Kinji Akagawa is a model Minnesota artist," says Erika L. Binger, board chair of The McKnight Foundation. "A pioneer in the public art movement, Kinji's ability to transform materials and communal spaces is unparalled. Over the past 40 years, he has enriched our state as both an artist and an arts advocate, while also sharing selflessly of his craft through teaching." In addition to a 1983 McKnight Artist Fellowship, Akagawa's awards and recognitions include fellowships from the Ford and Bush foundations, a cultural collaborations grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, and a faculty enrichment grant from Carnegie Mellon Foundation.

In his sculptures, Akagawa combines the elegant simplicity of traditional Japanese aesthetics with a deep passion for art's impact on public spaces. He consciously unites need with context, often incorporating local materials in works that invite practical and spiritual engagements, emphasizing an intrinsic tie between art and everyday life. For him, the role of the arts in society is critical, and each artist's journey begins with self-awareness directed outward. Regarding his passionate yet pragmatic approach, Akagawa has said, "The world is dysfunctional, but artists try to make it functional by interpreting it."

Importantly, Akagawa does not equate public art with common or universally appreciated art. Despite any piece's setting—from a museum gallery to a garden or a street corner—Akagawa insists, "All aesthetic experience is both private and communal; we come to know it at an intersubjective level."

Since 1973, Akagawa has been on the faculty at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). As a professor of fine arts, Akagawa teaches courses in foundation studies and in contemporary issues in art, and he mentors graduate students each semester. MCAD, which has helped shape great art and great artists for more than a century, employs a faculty comprised exclusively of working artists and designers. Beyond his work at the college, Akagawa continues to create his own pieces in studios at his home and at the college.

Among commissions of Akagawa's work are "Delighted Outdoors Together" (2007) for the Minnesota Department of Transportation regional headquarters in St. Cloud; "Seating, Reading, Thinking" (1987) for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden; and "Bayou Sculpture" (1985) for The Houston Festival for the City of Houston, Texas. Past exhibition venues include Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota; Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis; The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Wisconsin; and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. This summer he hopes to complete installation of a "Peace Bridge" for Minneapolis's Peace Garden at Lake Harriet, a collaboration with architect and fellow MCAD professor Jerry Allen.

Akagawa, who now lives in Afton, was born in and spent his youth in Tokyo. Of his early years, he says, "I thought I would become a poet. There was some kind of connection that drew me into the world of senses and emotions. That was my fascination." Accepted to study at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield, Michigan, Akagawa moved to the United States in 1963 at age 22 to, in his words, "search for my identity within a broader context than Japan." Although early schooling in Japan provided instruction in crafts related to contemporary art standards, he believes it was when he set out to study "other standards, such as the principles of democracy" that he began to discover and refine his own artistic voice. He settled in Minnesota in 1967 and became a U.S. citizen in 1973.

Known today for his masterful manipulation of natural elements, and his sense of place, texture, and space, Akagawa believes public art must go beyond presenting works of art in a public forum; at its best, it represents for him qualities of life—and should be representative of both the public and the natural environment surrounding it. Akagawa also aims to create shared arenas in which to engage in private activities. For Akagawa, "Public art goes beyond white walls... Its focus is pluralistic activities and the ecology of everyday experiences. It provides awareness to a richer world."

Akagawa holds a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and a master's degree from the University of Minnesota. Additional studies in design, crafts, and lithography took place in California, Michigan, Maine, and Japan.

ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT DISTINGUISHED ARTIST AWARD

The McKnight Distinguished Artist Award recognizes individuals who helped lay the foundation for Minnesota's rich cultural life. Despite opportunities to pursue their work elsewhere, they chose to stay—and by staying, they have made a difference. Previous recipients are composer Dominick Argento (1998), ceramic artist Warren MacKenzie (1999), writer Robert Bly (2000), choral conductor Dale Warland (2001), publisher Emilie Buchwald (2002), painter Mike Lynch (2003), orchestra conductor Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (2004), sculptor Judy Onofrio (2005), and theater artist Lou Bellamy (2006).

The McKnight Foundation will formally present the 2007 Distinguished Artist Award to Akagawa at a private reception later this year.

NOTE TO EDITORS AND PRODUCERS

High-resolution photos of Akagawa and select productions may be downloaded from www.mcknight.org/daa2007 or obtained by calling the Foundation at 612-333-4220. To arrange for interviews with Akagawa or McKnight staff, please call Tim Hanrahan at the Foundation.

ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION

The McKnight Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for present and future generations through grantmaking, coalition-building, and encouragement of strategic policy reform. Founded in 1953 and independently endowed by William L. McKnight and Maude L. McKnight, the Minnesota-based Foundation has assets of approximately $2.2 billion and granted about $93 million in 2006.

Contact information
Tim Hanrahan, Communications Director, 612-333-4220

Related links
Curriculum Vitae (PDF, 44KB)
Star Tribune article
Pioneer Press article
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Walker Art Center blog
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