Kinji Akagawa

Noted sculptor and longtime professor of art Kinji Akagawa creates places for contemplation; his best known work might be the serene spot offered in Garden Reading, Seating, Thinking in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center. Kinji chooses native wood and stone to realize his response to the site and purpose of his work.

The artist, who was born and raised in Japan, came to the United States to attend Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield, MI and received his MFA from the University of Minnesota. Kinji spent 40 years in teaching; so embedded is this experience in the artist that, on the occasion of his retirement from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, he requested an exhibition of his students’ work, declining a solo show. Recognized in 2007 with the prestigious McKnight Foundation Distinguished Artist Award, Kinji now devotes his time to completing commissions and exploring new forms.

Biographical Information:

Studio – Afton MN

Diploma – Kuwazawa Design School; Tokyo, Japan
BFA – Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis MN
MFA – University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN

Professor/ Lecturer –
            Minneapolis College of Art and Design
            University of Minnesota School of Architecture
            Bauhaus University; Weimar, Germany
            Osaka University of Arts, Japan

Grants and Fellowships Include –
            Carnegie Mellon Foundation
            McKnight Foundation
            Bush Foundation
            Ford Foundation

Commissions Include –
            Minneapolis Park and Recreational Board, Lyndale Park Peace Garden Project
            Macalester College Public Art Master Plan, St. Paul MN
            Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
            Nicollet Mall Project, Minneapolis

Exhibitions Include –
            Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis
            Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis
            Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
            City of Houston
            East Carolina University, Greenville NC