In 2016, I had the honor of presenting at UCDA’s Annual Design Conference in San Antonio, TX. It was truly one of the best conferences I’ve attended, both for learning and networking with fellow creatives and campus communicators. (Hint…if you’re a designer in higher ed, see if there’s any way you can make it there. It’s in Grand Rapids, Michigan this year and I promise you won’t be disappointed.)
As a thank you for presenting then UCDA Design Conference Chair (and current Clemson University Art Director), Christine Prado, gave me a lovely little book, titled, Grace in Uncertainty. It’s a tidy little treasure that I immediately tucked into on my flight back from the conference. Equal parts philosophy, cultural anthropology, design thoughts, and environmental stewardship, Uncertainty’s text and images were captivating. By the end of the book I wanted to know more about its author and hoped copies might be available to order and share with friends.
Grace in Uncertainty, by Jerry Takigawa
The author is designer and photographer, Jerry Takigawa, of Takigawa Design. He responded quickly to my email requesting additional copies of the book and expressed happiness with the resonance I discovered among its pages. Since then, I’ve sent copies to very dear friends and relatives and hold a couple in reserve for future gifts.
Takigawa’s photographs are currently on exhibit at the New Orleans Art Alliance and appeared in my Twitter feed a couple of days ago. Instantly, I knew this was a #whoshareswins post. If you’re in the New Orleans area this weekend, you can check out Takigawa’s Balancing Cultures, described by Griffin Museum of Photography‘s Paula Tognorelli as, “…[leading] the viewer into the work by way of a quiet, often-meditative aesthetic.” In my opinion, Tognorelli’s description is equally descriptive of Takigawa’s text. There is a calmness in his words that carries the reader through the complexities of the work.
Balancing Cultures will also be featured as part of Humans – 2018, created by the New York Center for Photographic Art, and will be on exhibit at Jadite Galleries in New York City from September 25 through October 6.