In 2015, as America and Japan celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, few remembered – if they ever knew – that twelve American prisoners-of-war were on the ground in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and were killed by the atomic bomb that destroyed the city that day.
One of the Americans was Normand Brissette, a teen-age Navy flier from Lowell, Massachusetts; another was Sgt. Ralph Neal from Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
This powerful new film tells their story.
And the story of Shigeaki Mori, himself a Hiroshima survivor, who never knew the American bomb victims but who has devoted his life to finding their families and dedicating monuments to their memory.
Obi braided by Makiko Tada, Japan Original obi tie method by Matsuko Levin, US Kimono on loan from the collection of Matsuko Levin
After attending the MFA panel on Kimono Wednesdays on Sunday I dashed off to Newton to the opening reception of Twisted Again: The New Kumihimo, an exhibit of kumihimo art. Kumihimo is a Japanese textile art that traditionally involves the braiding of silk strands to make a cord. The exhibit showcases the work of six female artists from Japan, the US, the UK, and Australia who work with a variety of materials from the more traditional silk to modern materials such as monofilament. The pieces were really diverse and beautiful. It's a little out of the way for those who live in the city, but well worth the trip.
Twisted Again: The New Kumihimo
Follow the tracks of the ancient caravans and nomadic peoples
throughout the world and you will find braids – fiber interlaced on the
bias to make strong bands, belts, and cords needed to make everyday life
possible. Using natural fibers of different shades, wonderful patterns
emerged. When traders came to a natural stopping point, like the Island
of Japan, various stands to make the braids were invented and perfected
making possible more and more complex braids using dozens of bobbins of
many colors in multiple layers. The Japanese word for making these
complex braids is “Kumihimo”.
While there is no census, and there are many braiders and ways to
braid, maybe only 100 or so people in the world work at the advanced
levels of Kumihimo. In the making, there is a great sense of connection
with the past and pleasure in rediscovering and perfecting the
traditional patterns and working with the silk made in Japan only for
work in Kumihimo. But for some, Kumihimo is also a path for innovation
and personal expression. It becomes not just a technique but an art
medium. We celebrate this group in this show.
Our show brings together the work of six artists using the Kumihimo
braiding techniques, all of whom are innovators with a unique voice.
This first in the US show combines work from four continents: Australia,
Japan, the UK, and the US. When you come to the show, you will have a
unique opportunity to listen in on the conversation between individuals
and cultures as seen through these works. Some follow an engineering
approach – inventing new braid structures to create never-before-seen
patterns and effects. Others follow a more evolutionary approach,
experimenting with the process to see what will emerge as a piece
grows. While the traditional silk is still much in evidence, all of the
artists experiment with different materials and fibers including paper,
monofilament, and wire. Some want some functionality in their work and
so have gone in the direction of fashion applications, true wearable
art. Others have left functionality and focus on art expression. But no
matter the direction of exploration, these works all exude the joy and
delight of discovery.
Date & Time
Open through Saturday, February 20, 2016
(Note: Some sites and materials mistakenly show the exhibit as being open through the 22nd.)
Informal conversation with curator and artist, Lyn Christiansen, on Friday, February 12, 2016, 4:00 - 6:00pm.
Please see the exhibit website for hours.
A nice feature of the exhibit is that there's a "Touch Table" with examples of most of the work in the exhibit. As a fiber artist I always want to touch textile arts, but it's a rarity to be able to do so. This was a great idea.
This was a completely unexpected find. Apparently Lasell College has owned this Japanese temple bell from Myokoku (outside Kyoto) since the 1800s when it was bought by Milton S. Vail, a friend of Lasell's principal, Dr. Charles C. Bragdon. This is not the only Japanese temple bell in the area. There is another Edo era Japanese temple bell in the Back Bay Fens. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy offers docent-led tours to see it.
I had intended to write something much longer about this exhibit but I've run out of time. This is the last week of the MFA's Made in the Americas: The New World Discovers Asia. Made in the Americas showcases the work of artists from North and South America, including indigenous artists, who were influenced by goods coming in from Asia. Some of the objects in this exhibit come from the MFA's own collection and some were loaned from The Hispanic Society of America in New York and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In some cases they copied motifs (shown with a Peruvian tapestry that included Chinese mythological creatures and was clearly copied from imported Chinese textiles) and in others, came up with new techniques to replicate the look of Asian art (as with japanning). These days many of these artists would likely be accused cultural appropriation. It was incredible to see the way Asian art had inspired them to create art that was similar but uniquely their own. If you have time to see it before it closes on Monday, February 15th, I highly recommend it.
Made in the Americas: The New World Discovers Asia
Within decades of the “discovery” of America by Spain in 1492, goods
from Asia traversed the globe via Spanish and Portuguese traders. The
Americas became a major destination for Asian objects and Mexico became
an international hub of commerce. The impact of the importation of these
goods was immediate and widespread, both among the European colonizers
and the indigenous populations, who readily adapted their own artistic
traditions to the new fashion for Asian imports.
“Made in the Americas” is the first large-scale, Pan-American
exhibition to examine the profound influence of Asia on the arts of the
colonial Americas. Featuring nearly 100 of the most extraordinary
objects produced in the colonies, this exhibition explores the rich,
complex story of how craftsmen throughout the hemisphere adapted Asian
styles in a range of materials—from furniture to silverwork, textiles,
ceramics, and painting. Exquisite objects from Mexico City, Lima, Quito,
Quebec City, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, dating from the 17th
to the early 19th centuries, include blue-and-white talavera
ceramics copied from imported Chinese porcelains, elaborately decorated
furniture inspired by imported Japanese lacquer, and luxuriously woven
textiles made to replicate fine silks and cottons imported from China
and India.
The timing of the exhibition marks the 450th anniversary of the
beginning of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade between the Philippines
and Mexico, which was inaugurated in 1565 and ended in 1815, two and a
half centuries later.
Date & Time
Through Monday, February 15, 2016
See MFA's website for hours.
The Southern Barbarians Come to Trader Kanō Naizen
A Peruvian Cover is on display alongside a Chinese embroidered tapestry (on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art) that was made for export. Such tapestries have never been found in South America but were known to have been exported to Europe and the Americas. The MFA notes in the label that the Peruvian artisans "closely cop[ied] their format, style, and iconography." You can see how similar the motifs are, in particular, the mythical xieshi. The Chinese embroidery is believed to be from the Guangzhou region and was probably exported to Japan in the 17th century. It has been heavily re-embroidered, most likely in Japan in the 19th
century. (Additional information provided by Pamela Parmal, Curator of Textiles and Fashion Arts.)
If you're aware of a 3.11 event that I haven't listed, please post
a comment with a link to the event or details if the info isn't on a
public webpage. This page will be updated if I find out about more events.
This year is the fifth anniversary of the tsunami, earthquake, and nuclear disaster that happened in Japan on March 11, 2011. Although the world's attention has moved on to other disasters, some
groups in Boston continue to be involved in supporting Japan through
this crisis and educating the public. If you're interested in learning
more, please consider attending one of these events. Events are listed in chronological order.
MIT Japanese Tea Ceremony will hold their annual remembrance and fundraising event at the Sanzashi-An Tea House
on Showa Boston's campus. Each session is about 75 minutes, includes
Japanese Tea Ceremony performance with Japanese confectionery and green
tea. Children are welcome to join and babysitter available upon request.
This charity event is to commemorate the North-Eastern Japan Earthquake
and Tsunami Disaster that happened on March 11, 2011. We hope to support
the survivors to improve their living conditions, rebuild the area, and
for each of us to remember the tragedy.
The major part of the areas where struck by the earthquake
and Tsunami started to recover and rebuild little by little, but is
still suffering from the long-existing damages. Even with all the
donations and funds collected by countless organizations, groups, and
individuals from all over the world, they are still experiencing
difficulty making improvements from the destructions. With a great help
of our supporters, we hope to become a part to help Japan's retrieval of
the losses from the affects.
We believe that we learned something important from this
incident. Please do not forget what happened on March 11, 2011, and how
the struggles have been made. Take this opportunity for memorials and to
support.
"Peacefulness through a Bowl of Tea" is phrased by Sen
Genshitsu, the Great Grandmaster of Urasenke Japanese Tea Ceremony. He
has always been flying around the world to spread the Japanese Tea
Ceremony along with peacefulness; to share one bowl of tea together with
all. We, as a part of his family clan, attempt to succeed his
expression in the United States as well.
As a extent of our effort, we try our best to support Japan to come together to successfully overcome the tragedy.
Date & Time
Sunday, February 21, 2016
10am/11:30am/1pm Registration form must be received by Friday, February 19, 2016
Panelists Richard Samuels (MIT, Political Science), Tatsujiro Suzuki
(Former Vice Chairman of Japan Atomic Energy Commission of the Cabinet
Office), Kenneth Oye (MIT, Political Science & ESD), Miho Mazereeuw (MIT, Architecture) and Akinobu Murakami (University of Tsukuba) will speak on the current state of
Northeastern Japan five years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear
meltdown. This panel is part of the Starr Forum.
Five years
have passed since the devastating events of March 11, 2011, when the
triple disaster of a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear
meltdown in Fukushima hit northeastern Japan. Nearly 16,000 lives were
lost, and around 2,500 remain missing. Indeed, beyond the physical
damage, emotional grief, and the immediate humanitarian response to
these, the Great East Japan Earthquake has had an immeasurable impact on
the country’s security relations, business and economic environment,
energy policy, and domestic politics and institutions.
How has
this disaster changed Japan's political and economic spheres? What
policy-making lessons has Japan learned, and what lessons can other
countries learn from it? Within five years, has Japan returned to how it was before 3/11, or has it even improved?
The Japan Club at The Fletcher School invites you to an
interdisciplinary panel to assess reconstruction, recovery, and
resilience since 3/11. The panel will examine closely developments in
the U.S.-Japan security alliance, sustainable economic growth,
challenges in energy policy, and reactions of domestic politics and
institutions.
Opening Remarks: Fumi Tataki (MIB 2016) Moderator: Prof. Shinsuke Tanaka (Fletcher School) Panelists: Prof. Keiko Hirao (Harvard University/Sophia University) and
Yoshikazu Watanabe (Eastern Army Commanding General, Ret., Japan Ground
Self Defense Force)
Coastal Fisheries and Industrial Development in Fukushima Satsuki Takahashi, Toyota Visiting Professor, Center for Japanese Studies, Univ. of Michigan and Assistant Professor of Anthropology, George Mason University
Network Crisis Archiving: From First Response to Remembrance Kyle Parry, Postdoctoral Fellow, Visual and Cultural Studies and Digital Humanities Center, University of Rochester
Community Reconstruction in the Tohoku Region Andrew Littlejohn, PhD candidate in Social Anthropology, Harvard University
Moderator: Theodore C. Bestor, Reischauer Institute Professor of Social
Anthropology and Director, Reischauer Institute, Harvard University
"Natural and Unnatural Disasters: 3/11, Asbestos, and the Unmaking of Japan's Modern World," the talk given by Brett L. Walker on January 29th will be given again at MIT on Friday, February 19th. The talk was very interesting and Professor Walker also talked a little about his research on 9/11 as an environmental disaster.
Trees Make Happiness
This will be the fourth year that Boston Children's Museum welcomes students from Tohoku University of Art and Design to mark the anniversary of 3.11. For the second year the students will have an art and friendship exhibit. The public is invited to attend the exhibit opening. Children can meet the artists from Japan and engage in a hands-on activity. See photos from last year (here and here) when they had fun making monsters. The exhibit is brought to the museum by artist Minatsu Ariga and her “ART THINKING” project team at the university.
Enjoy the special opening event of Art Exhibition in the Japanese
House Gallery: Art as Ecology – Building the future by exploring the
trees that make happiness grow!
Meet the artists from Tohoku, Japan.
This
special art show and programs are brought to you by the members of the
“ART THINKING” project team at Tohoku University of Art & Design in
Japan. After the devastating earthquake and tsunami in their hometown in
March 2011, they decided to use the special power of ART to make the
world a better place and connect with many friends like you. Please stop
by and say hi to the student artists from Tohoku, Japan and enjoy
hands-on activities!
Admission
Please see the museum's website for admission details.
Please note that "Adults unaccompanied by children must leave proper photo identification
at the Admissions Desk. Examples: State Driver’s License or Passport."
Tewassa,
a Cambridge-based volunteer group that produces "message quilts" for
schools and organizations in the Tōhoku region, will be holding a memorial event.
"It has passed almost five years since Great East Japan Earthquake.
However, it is still important to “never forget” about the incident. On
the day, we will share information from Japan, introduce our activities,
and an activity for those attending. We will also prepare free coffee
and snacks, feel free to come and join us!"
Date & Time
Saturday, March 12, 2016
2:00 - 6:00pm
Public Transit & Parking
GrayMist
is accessible by the 72 and 75 buses from Harvard Square. There is free
on-street parking along Huron Ave. and neighboring streets.
Cranes on the Square 2015 Photo courtesy of Timothy Nagaoka
This
year is the fourth annual Cranes on the Square event organized by local
Japanese language teacher Timothy Nagaoka with support from the Boston Parks & Recreation
Department, the Japanese Consulate, and the Japan Society of Boston.
Volunteers will teach people how to fold origami cranes which
will form a temporary public art piece in Copley Square then be
collected and delivered to people in the disaster area.
Date & Time
Sunday, March 13, 2016
11:30am - 4:30pm
5th Anniversary Commemoration for Tohoku: ~ Tohoku, 5 Years After ~ :: 東北は今 ::
Date & Time
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
6:00 - 8:30pm
6:00 - 6:15pm: Registration & Opening Remarks
6:15 - 6:30pm: Keynote Speech by Mayor of Ofunato Kimiaki Toda
6:30 - 8:00pm: Speakers Presentations & Performance by TOMODACHI Suntory scholars at Berklee College of Music
Born out of the
natural disasters that devastated northeastern Japan on March 11,
2011, the FYS has quickly developed into one of Japan's finest
youth orchestras. Led by conductor Tetsuji Honna,
and featuring soloists Panos Karan (piano) and
Zach Tarpagos (flute), the FYS will perform a
program including concertos by Mozart and Rachmaninoff, as well as
orchestral works by Glinka and Barber. This concert is part of a
unique cultural exchange program, supported by the governments of
Japan and the United States, and by the Tomodachi Program's Fund
for Exchanges of the U.S.-Japan Council, in commemoration of the
fifth anniversary of the disasters of 2011.
The Fukushima Youth Sinfonietta was created by students from
four Fukushima high schools in the immediate aftermath of the
earthquakes/tsunami/nuclear disasters of 2011. Determined to aid in
the recovery of their devastated communities, the students found
solace in music. They asked pianist Panos Karan and flute virtuoso
Zach Tarpagos, two professional musicians visiting from Greece, to
help them form an orchestra. Since 2011, Karan and Tarpagos have
returned nearly twenty times to Fukushima to coach the orchestra
and have invited other international musicians from Europe, the
U.S., and India to join in working with the FYS. The orchestra has
contributed significantly to the Japanese recovery, bringing
confidence and hope to the devastated area, and it has been widely
recognized as a leading symbol of communal cohesion during the
period of rebuilding. In April 2014, the British charity Keys of
Change invited the FYS to London for a highly successful
performance at Queen Elizabeth Hall. In August 2015, the FYS made
its Tokyo debut in a major concert at Tokyo Opera City Concert
Hall, in the presence of the Empress of Japan.
Update 2/14/16: I'm sad to report that Robert Maeda, the subject of Kimi's play, Bend, passed away in January. Kimi's tour will continue as planned as a memorial to her father's life.
Japanese American theatre artist, Kimi Maeda, is bringing her one-woman show, Bend, back to New England this month. She'll have five shows in the Boston area (details below) as well as three more at Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vermont, Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire (please see her website for details on these shows). The tour was made possible by the New England chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League through a grant from the national JACL Legacy Fund Grants Program. Kimi's tour is part of the New England JACL's commemoration of the Day of Remembrance.
I saw Kimi perform at Brandeis University last April. The show was deeply moving and the most innovative theater I had seen in a long time. It seemed like the sort of show you need to see more than once so I'm looking forward to seeing it again.
Using sand, shadow, and projection, Bend tells the story of two men
interned in a Japanese American relocation camp during World War II.
The first is Robert Maeda (puppeteer Kimi Maeda's father) an Asian Art
historian who was only a young boy when he went into the camp. The
second man would become the subject of Dr. Maeda's research: Isamu Noguchi, a half-Japanese-half-American sculptor whose work appears in a
wide range of spaces and contexts from the giant Red Cube in New York’s
Financial District to countless lamps, tables, and stone sculptures in
private homes.
Late in life, Dr. Maeda began working on a
book about Noguchi, but as dementia gradually overtook his life, his
work was never finished. His daughter, Kimi, was inspired to take on the
task he started decades ago, exploring the life of Noguchi in relation
to his (and her) own personal history. Using sand as her canvas, Kimi
skillfully transforms image after image, combining live feed projection
of these drawings with archival footage from WWII. The result is a
sublime evening of visual theater that captures the transient, elusive
quality of time and memory.
Date & Time
Friday, February 19, 2016
3:00pm
Location
UMass Boston
Snowden Auditorium, Wheatley Hall, 1st Floor, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125
Admission
Free
Date & Time
Sunday, February 21, 2016
1:00pm
Location
Tufts University Balch Arena Theater, 40 Talbot Ave., Medford, MA 02155
Admission
Free
Date & Time
Thursday, February 25, 2016
7:00pm
Location
MIT Tang Center, Bldg E51 Room 095, 2 Amherst St., Cambridge, MA 02142
Admission
Free
Date & Time
Friday, February 26, 2016
8:00pm
Saturday, February 27, 2016
8:00pm
Followed by a reception hosted by the New England JACL.
Update 2/1316:Video of the panel is now available on the MFA's YouTube channel. I am working on my response and hope to have it posted in another week or so.
Update 2/4/16: I just received word from the MFA that although the Remis Auditorium is sold out, they will have an overflow room. This information will be posted to the event page shortly.
A limited number of first-come-first-serve free tickets for a live-feed in the Museum’s Riley Seminar Room will be available starting at 12:30pm on Sunday in-person at the MFA. For MFA members, proceed to the Remis Box Office to pick up a live-feed ticket. For non-members, visit any ticket desk for a free admission ticket and then proceed to the Remis Box Office to pick up a live-feed ticket.
Update 2/3/16:Tickets now seem to be available again. ... and they're sold out again. Update 1/30/16: The panel is now "Sold Out."
Yesterday the MFA announced that they will be hosting "Kimono Wednesdays: A Conversation", a panel discussion on the Kimono Wednesdays protests of last summer and the issues raised by the protests (Facebook event page here, but make sure you register for tickets on their website). The panel will be recorded and posted to their YouTube channel a few days after the event.
Last year The Boston Globe reported that it would be a symposium "developed with input from MFA audiences, on art history and traditions of representation." I had been told that it would present the topic of representation
broadly and would not be focused only on Asian art and that the MFA was planning the event on their own. They apparently decided to go in a different direction. Here is a statement I received from the MFA:
"The MFA recognized that in order to foster an inclusive and open dialogue around the issues raised by “Kimono Wednesdays,” all perspectives needed to be welcome, including those critical of the MFA such as Decolonize Our Museums (DOM). DOM and the MFA held in-person meetings, phone calls, and e-mail exchanges throughout the fall and early winter, with DOM advising the MFA on speaker choice and the event’s structure. Additionally, input was sought from other internal and external individuals and communities." – Jasmine Hagans, Curator of Lectures, Courses, and Concerts, Museum of Fine Arts
Those who have been following the story since the beginning will recognize the names of three of the panelists: Dr. Elena Tajima Creef and Xtina (Christina) Huilan Wang were on the AARW/NAPAWF panel last September (the promised audio recording and transcript are not available but I wrote about it hereUpdate 1/28/16: audio recording is now available without transcript) and Ryan Wong was on the Hyperallergic panel in Brooklyn last October (archived here).
Kimono Wednesdays: A Conversation
Date & Time
Sunday, February 7, 2016
1:30 - 3:30pm
Admission
Admission is free but tickets must be reserved. The auditorium seats 380. Note that if you order online you will be required to set up a login on the MFA's website. If you don't want to do that you can also order by phone or in person.
Last summer, the MFA offered programming focused around Claude
Monet’s “La Japonaise,” with the goal of exploring the painting with
visitors, as it documents both Monet’s interest in Japanese art and his
reaction to the fad of “Japonisme” in Paris. Reproduction kimonos made
in Japan for a Japanese audience were available for visitors in Boston
to try on, an experience intended to engage them both with the garment
and Monet’s rendering of it. The framing of the event through a Western
lens sparked protest, counter-protest and much conversation and debate
about issues including Orientalism, racialized iconography,
institutional racism, representation of minority groups, and
cultural appropriation.
How can institutions such as the MFA be more accountable to their
publics? Who speaks for whom? Following an hour-long panel discussion,
moderated by Elena Creef and featuring Xtina Huilan Wang, Reiko Tomii,
and Ryan Wong, we invite you to join us in an informal dialogue: we want
to hear your opinions and thoughts. We invite you to critically shape
this conversation with all comments, ideas, and questions welcome.
Tufts alumna Misako Ono's documentary The Genki Spark is available online here! It's an incredibly moving look at what The Genki Spark does and why a group like theirs is so important. Launched in 2010 at the Boston Asian American Film Festival, they are the only multigenerational, pan-Asian, women's taiko troupe in the United States. While based in Boston, they have traveled around the US and to the UK to perform and host workshops. Locally they're known for hosting two annual events – their Making Women's History event (video from 2013 & 2014) and the Brookline Cherry Blossom Festival which they host with Brookline High School.
The Genki Spark just celebrated their 5th anniversary which is remarkable for a niche arts organization. Running a nonprofit is always challenging and even more so for arts and minority nonprofits. They're currently fundraising so they can continue their amazing work for another year. and are trying to reach $10,000 by Wednesday, December 16th. Any amount is appreciated! Details for how to donate are available on their website. If you don't have any spare cash you can still help by spreading the word on social media. Please help them reach their goal!
