MA student James Jack's Recent accomplishments

MA student (Japanese Art History) James Jack is the recipient of the prestigious 2008-2010 Crown Prince Akihito Scholar 2008-2010 award. He has begun his year as a research student at Tokyo University of the Arts in the Department of Fine Art examining contemporary Japanese art with a particular focus on the group Mono-ha (Things School.)

KGMB 9 Honolulu will air the thirty minute show on Empress Michiko and Emperor Akihito on July 13th at 6:30pm. It will include selections from an interview with Jack in his studio in Ueno in the second half about Crown Prince Akihito scholars.

While in Japan, Jack is also doing some art writing for Tokyo Art Beat. Read his recent review of the touring show "Neoteny Japan. As if these activities are not enough, James is also an exhibiting artist. His artwork will be included in "Dynamo", a sub-section of the Echigo-Tsumari Triennialwhich opens in late July.

Gaye Chan on front page of Honolulu Advertiser

Gaye Chan's collaborative project EATING IN PUBLIC is on the front page of Honolulu Advertiser.
See blog on the latest development.

MA students curate exhibition at the Honolulu Academy of Art

The student curators (L-R): Eiyo Baba, Sawako Chang, Karana Vierra, and Mizuho Murakami.

Mingei: Yanagi Soetsu and the Folk Art Movement exhibition at the Honolulu Academy of Art was curated by UH Art Department MA students Eiyo Baba, Mizuho Murakami, and Karana Vierra and History Department PhD student Sawako Chang, members of Professor John Szostak's seminar on Japanese folk art. The students were responsible for all stages of the planning and execution (researching the collection, selecting objects, writing the labels and explanatory text, and designing the layout of the gallery) all with the gracious advice and support of the HAA Asia curatorial staff.

Exhibition runs from May 28-Sept 6, 2009

"Mingei: Yanagi Soetsu and the Folk Art Movement" examines the impact of the influential critic, philosopher and collector Yanagi Soetsu (1889-1961), who incorporated Zen Buddhist, Socialism, and other influences to create a comprehensive standard of beauty for Japan. That standard, he believed, was best exemplified by hand-made crafts produced by anonymous craftsmen, and the resulting Mingei (folk-art) movement had a profound impact on Japan's craft and design industry.

Featured are objects produced by Japanese, Okinawan and Ainu artists and craftsmen, including textiles, ceramics, and otsu-e paintings from the Academy's collection. The exhibition is the first collaborative curatorial project between the Academy and the University of Hawai‘i.

Linda Kane does Art Lunch at HiSam

Art Lunch Lecture: “Digging through the Past.” A free lecture by Alum and Lecturer Linda Kane, who will discuss her work, inspired by visits to archeological sites in Hawai‘i. Scheduled June 30, from 12 noon-1 p.m. The Art Lunch Lecture Series is presented by the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and Friends of the Hawai‘i State Art Museum, on the last Tuesday of the month. Free and open to the public. Hawai‘i State Art Museum, Multipurpose Room – 1st Floor, 250 S. Hotel St. For more information, call 586-0900.