Arts
THE OSIDER JULY / AUGUST 2022
SHAPING BOARDS & LIVES THE DONALD TAKAYAMA EXHIBIT AT THE CALIFORNIA SURF MUSEUM WORDS: KATIE LALICATA PHOTOS: RUSSELL SPENCER
If it’s even possible to encapsulate a legend in four words, the California Surf Museum has nailed it. Located here in Oceanside, their current exhibit “Shaping Boards and Lives” featuring the life and works of Donald Takayama perfectly presents and honors a man that did exactly that—shape boards and lives—and so much more. Not only did Donald impact the surfing world and generations of wave riders and their thoughts about shapes of boards and how to experience waves, he was also quite a figure in the local Oceanside community, as well. This exhibit is a beautiful collaboration and collection of photos, words, surfboards, and memories of Donald’s life. The museum committee, Takayama’s family, and members of the surf community worked together to create an exposition that truly honors and represents who Donald was to the world—a talented and masterful surfboard shaper who joyfully represented the Aloha spirit and the community and soul of surfing in its roots. Here you can take a walk through the life of Mr. Takayama— beginning with his early years in Hawaii. At a young age, Donald began shaping and surfing his own boards. This pure raw talent garnered the attention of Dale Velzy—a well-known balsa surfboard shaper of the time—and hence began a relationship. This was the catalyst to get young Donald off the island, and into the shaping bays of the thriving surf scene of Southern California. Traditionally known for shaping noseriders (a long board style), as the surfing world changed, 30
