Gerard Minakawa was born in New York City to Argentinian and Bolivian-Japanese immigrants and studied industrial
design at the Rhode Island School of Design. He worked for several studios on both coasts as a product designer, started a bamboo-laminate furniture company and eventually moved to Bolivia, where he spent several years developing a sustainable handicraft economy with indigenous artisans in partnership with Aid to Artisans, a U.S.-based nonprofit. In 2007 he founded Bamboo DNA, a design/build company specializing in the creation and installation of architectural spaces inspired by the world’s most gigantic grass: Bamboo! Minakawa has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design and University of CA Santa Barbara and was named one of the Top 20 Innovative U.S.designers by I.D. Magazine. His works have been featured in numerous international books and publications including the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Metropolis and the New York Times.