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The Week of Shichi-go-san: Kitagawa Utamaro

Monday, November 10, 2025 | Karl Cole

“Rites of passage” refer to cultures all over the world in which certain birthdays are celebrated as stepping stones to a new period of life. A Japanese example is Shichi-go-san. The n ...

Curator's Corner

A Fall Landscape: Lan Ying

Monday, October 27, 2025 | Karl Cole

This past weekend we laid to rest my dear father-in-law. He was always a big fan of the color changes to the trees in the fall in New England, which is peaking right about now. I am dedicating this we ...

Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Sekino Junichirō

Thursday, October 23, 2025 | Karl Cole

Sekino Junichirō was a woodblock printmaker in the sōsaku hanga movement, in which the artists draws the subject, cuts the woodblock, and prints the image themselves. These artists often incorpora ...

Curator's Corner

National Apple Day: Art by Yokoi Tomoe

Tuesday, October 21, 2025 | Karl Cole

There are about 7000 varieties of apple in the world. Apples have been a favorite element of still life since still life became an accepted stand-alone subject matter in Western art. The unique pr ...

Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Matsuzaki Kenichi

Wednesday, October 15, 2025 | Karl Cole

Kenichi Matsuzaki exemplifies the richness of the contemporary ceramic art of Japan. His rough surface stoneware works pay tribute to the centuries old traditions of Japanese ceramics, one of the ...

Curator's Corner

Ode to Autumn Pattern: Kawanishi Hide

Tuesday, September 16, 2025 | Karl Cole

One of the traditions of Japanese art through the ages has been documenting the seasons and months of the year in art. My particular favorites are representations of autumn (it’s only a week awa ...

Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Kanō Motonobu

Thursday, August 28, 2025 | Karl Cole

The Kanō School artists—the favored group of painters for the nobility and shogunate—worked in a variety of genre, including traditional yamato-e that included bright patterns and gold lea ...

Curator's Corner

National Peach Day: Chinese Art

Wednesday, August 27, 2025 | Karl Cole

Although not an officially designated national day, it is recognized by the National Day Calendar to celebrate the famous summer fruit. Peaches have been cultivated in the US since the 1600s with the ...

Curator's Corner

August Is National Dog Month: Kofun Period

Monday, August 11, 2025 | Karl Cole

I am not a “cat person” at all, but I absolutely love doggies of all sorts, big and small. I get my almost weekly dose of cuteness when I visit my sister-in-law and brother-in-law and get ...

Curator's Corner

World Watercolor Month: Kawakami Ryoka

Wednesday, July 30, 2025 | Karl Cole

Japanese artists have been proficient in water-soluble media for centuries. Early forms of water-soluble media included gofun—crushed white clam shells mixed with water and pigments—and di ...

Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Rirkrit Tiravanija

Monday, July 21, 2025 | Karl Cole

Since the beginning of the 2000s, contemporary art of Thai artists has taken a prominent role in world art history. Rirkrit Tiravanija is renowned for his installations and sculptures that address num ...

Curator's Corner

Gem of the Month: Seto Ware

Monday, June 30, 2025 | Karl Cole

Let’s welcome the coming month of July with a gorgeous example of ceramics from Japan. Japanese ceramics have an incredibly long history and tradition of excellence. This tradition dates back to ...

Curator's Corner

Gem of the Month: Ryōhei Tanaka

Monday, June 2, 2025 | Karl Cole

My gem of the month for June is a fantastic printmaker from Japan, Ryōhei Tanaka. If you ever want to teach a lesson about use of line to depict nature, this artist fills the bill for imagery. His ama ...

Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Chunghi Choo

Friday, May 23, 2025 | Karl Cole

Chunghi Choo works in the ages-old tradition of gold or silver overlay on copper vessels. Like other far Eastern cultures, Korea had a great reverences for all art forms, including those considered &l ...

Curator's Corner

National Iris Day: Muhammad Zaman

Thursday, May 8, 2025 | Karl Cole

The iris is a beautiful flower that was first planted in the United States in Virginia in the 1600s. The flower started being commercially imported around 1869. The iris is the symbol for the city of ...

Curator's Corner

National Pet Day: Isoda Koryūsai

Friday, April 11, 2025 | Karl Cole

National Pet Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated on April 11. It was founded 2005/2006 by animal advocate and pet and family lifestyle expert Colleen Paige. The day is dedicated to all types of pe ...

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The Week of Shichi-go-san: Kitagawa Utamaro

A Fall Landscape: Lan Ying

Artist Birthday: Sekino Junichirō

National Apple Day: Art by Yokoi Tomoe

Artist Birthday: Matsuzaki Kenichi

Ode to Autumn Pattern: Kawanishi Hide

Artist Birthday: Kanō Motonobu

National Peach Day: Chinese Art

August Is National Dog Month: Kofun Period

World Watercolor Month: Kawakami Ryoka

Artist Birthday: Rirkrit Tiravanija

Gem of the Month: Seto Ware

Gem of the Month: Ryōhei Tanaka

Artist Birthday: Chunghi Choo

National Iris Day: Muhammad Zaman

National Pet Day: Isoda Koryūsai

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