Contemporary Bamboo
Bamboo (take or dake in Japanese), the fastest-growing woody plant on Earth, has been a cultural underpinning in Japan since forever. It has been used there to make everything from cups and ...
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Curator's Corner
A Look at Rainy May Days in Shin Hanga and Sosaku Hanga Prints
Most of May’s weather has been pretty cold and rainy so far, so I thought I’d look at art (which I do every day anyway) to take my mind off of it. Of course, a title including “May R ...
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Curator's Corner
It's the Little Things in Life: Miscellaneous Arts
I despise the terms “decorative arts” and “minor arts” to categorize any art work that is not a painting, print, photograph, or sculpture. I prefer the word “miscellaneou ...
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Curator's Corner
Happy New Year: Japanese Surimono
Since I’m feeling lazy this week, I’m showing you Japanese New Year cards (surimono) again. I think they’re lovely, and who wouldn’t want to receive one of these color woodcut ...
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Curator's Corner
National Monkey Day: Shimizu Seifu
I always admit I’m never too old to learn. This week I learned about National/International Monkey Day, which fell on the 14th of December. The commemorative day has only been around since 2000, ...
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Curator's Corner
The Noble Carp?
It probably doesn’t occur to most people to view a fish as a symbol of heroic qualities, unless maybe it’s a whale or a shark. In Japan, the carp (koi in Japanese) is a symbol of cour ...
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Curator's Corner
More Wearable Art: Reiko Sudo
You may remember that I introduced you to the fiber art of Korean artist Jeung Hwa-Park, whose work is fabulous, back in 2009. Now I’ve discovered this wonderful Japanese artist who bowls me ove ...
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Curator's Corner
The Beauty of Wayō Shodō
Did you known that the Japanese did not have a written language up until the 400s CE? I find cursive Japanese so incredibly beautiful. The story behind its development is very interesting, and I bet y ...
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Curator's Corner
A Neglected Japanese Printmaker: Gosōtei Hirosada
I’m pretty sure there’s generally a misconception about the ukiyo-e phenomenon in Japanese art. It is certainly one I had until I recently came across hundreds of gorgeous woodblock prints ...
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