Meet the Managing Partners

Elaine Tajima only does good work for good reasons and with that in mind, she founded Tajima Creative in 1996. She's not only worked with some great brands, such as Macy's and Apple, but she has also been able to extend her beliefs into her work by overseeing projects such as Women Beyond Borders, the Global Nuclear Disarmament Fund, and Shinnyo-En's Six Billion Paths to Peace Forum.

Joan Takayama-Ogawa is a renowned ceramic artist and educator at Otis College of Art and Design. Her work is in many permanent collections around the world including the Smithsonian Institution and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. As an educator, Joan teaches ceramics, is a member of the Product Design faculty at Otis as well as an Associate Professor of English.

Tom Sandonato's kitHAUS. Featured in Dwell, Metropolitan Home, and the New York Times, kitHAUS reinvents the traditional backyard room as an elegant, module flexible enough to become yoga studio, office or greenhouse. Modular in design, these pre-fab, aluminum-framed structures can be assembled in a matter of days to produce an elegant modernist addition or entire dwelling with minimal fuss.

Robert Apodaca graduated from Otis College of Art and Design, and has spent several years since then working at several architecture and design firms exploring what the design world had to offer. Inspired by the creative possibilities within the intersections of art, design, and architecture, Robert has taken those ideas into the heart of a number of exciting projects including his own creative space, and Shibui Designs.

Polina Leytman
A self-described “jack of all trades”, Polina graduated from Otis College of Art and Design. Polina’s design skills were spotted well before graduation when she was asked to contribute her creative skills for Shibui pop-up galleries. Polina has shown her work at OBJCT Gallery, Shibui Pop-up Gallery, Fifth Floor Gallery, and Turpan. She is currently working with Tajima Creative on projects for Levi Dockers. In addition to working with commercial clients, she creates outdoor sculptures and trellis systems for private commissions.

Maxine Wong is an artist, photographer, product designer, and problem solver. Maxine has received national press attention when her street photography work at the Studio Museum in Harlem was mentioned in the New York Times. She caught the attention of Shibui Designs partner and Kithaus founder, Tom Sandonato while working on a sculptural trellis for an elementary school through Otis College of Art and Design. She’s currently assisting Tajima Creative on projects while continuing her line of “Embow” teacup sets, which have be auctioned at events and sold at various galleries in Southern California.