Looking to Japan for artistic inspiration

Since I have been back from Japan, I have made some new additions to my art curriculum, incorporating Japanese art materials and methods. Some of what my students have done is of a traditional nature, and some are variations of classic art forms.

I brought back sumi-e (ink brush painting) materials from Japan:
an ink stone, ink stick, bamboo brushes, a paper weight in the form of the Tengu (goblin) with a long nose, washi (paper), liquid sumi ink, kanji seals and red ink pads.

I showed my 6th grade students examples of brush paintings, both from Japan and China. We discussed how the paintings reflect the power of nature and the insignificance of humankind in the face of this power. I discussed the phrase “ichi-go, ichi-e”, which means that time is fleeting and we should cherish and respect each moment. They then tried their hand at brush paintings of spring branches of cherry blossoms and magnolia flowers. When they finished their paintings they used the red ink and seals to put their ‘signature’ on their finished piece of art. I showed them how to make their own seals using art gum erasers and red markers.

We have also done relief printmaking, created Mon (family crest) noren (small banners) sewn from felt, different methods of puppet making inspired by Bunraku puppetry, created an interdisciplinary performance of a Japanese folk tale about the Tengu Children and created cut paper collages of Japanese proverbs. I’ve posted some examples of their work.

Sumi-e Paintings

Creating Mon (family crest) banners

Puppets inspired by Bunraku

Learning about each other through art

Since I have been back in the states I have been processing my experiences in Japan.I find each day I revisit many of the places I went and I think of the many people that I met. One of my Fulbright projects that I initiated is an art exchange with the children of Yukuhashi City. When I visited the elementary school I spent time with a wonderful group of fifth grade students. I had brought photographs of my fifth grade students with me and I showed these photos to the Japanese children that I spent the day with. They were immediately intrigued and curious. I could see they wanted to know more about these 10 and 11 year olds from New York City.

Children throughout time have had pen-pals, writing letters and learning about other children who live in a different geographical location. I decided to create an ‘art exchange’ rather than a letter writing exchange. I spoke with the English teacher at the elementary school on the day of my visit and asked her if she could help me communicate with the fifth grade teacher about my idea. The teacher was very
interested and enthusiastic and she saw this as a great learning opportunity for her students.

In early January I received a large flat package in the mail, with the Japanese elementary school as the return address. I was very excited, and I knew from the size and shape that this was, without a doubt, artwork. When I opened the package I saw inside a collection of beautifully made paintings by the fifth grade students. Each one was exquisitely drawn in ink and then painted with watercolor paints.

I shared these paintings with my fifth grade students and they were very excited and extremely impressed with the skill of these students. We looked closely at the art and tried to learn as much as we could from these images. My students were given a window into the daily lives of these children who live so far away. As we looked at the artwork they made observations such as the different ways they handled the paint, how they drew sensitive line drawings and they were inspired by the attention put to details. As part of our exchange I took photographs of each fifth grader with their puppet that they had just completed making. Each student wrote a simple letter to introduce his or herself and I taught them some simple Japanese phrases to incorporate into their letters.

What follows are images from the Japanese students and work of my fifth grade students. I am not posting the photos of my students with their puppets that we sent to Japan, but I am posting images of their dragon-like puppets on their own. The artwork created by the Japanese children show important aspects of life in school. They show the physical surroundings as well as activities they participate in. They are like little ‘snapshots’ of their world. Enjoy!

Paintings from Japan!

Puppets from New York City!

Dreaming of the 'Floating World'

In my jet-lagged fog, at 5 a.m., I am confronted with images of 'Ukiyo-e', the 'fleeting, floating world' of Japan. I can't sleep until I make sense of all the pictures floating in my head. In my attempts to arrange these images in a neat little grid, the technology for doing so is out of my control and my grasp of this blogging thing is limited, but I realize it so much more fitting to have these pictures floating haphazardly across the web page, as this is the way they drift through my mind. This is but a glimpse...