EVENTS
U P C O M I N G
Spring 2025
Two Puffs and Sip: The Moga and the City
Step into the world of the Moga, where smoky dim-lit dance halls and sultry jazz beats in seductive lounges beckon. Where cocktails served in martini glasses are held by the most fashion-forward women in the world. Welcome to early 1930s Tokyo, a metropolis of modern wonders and the stomping ground of the Moga phenomenon. This talk highlighting our spring exhibition invites you to explore a vibrant era that transformed Japanese society, showcasing an eclectic collection of prints, paintings, and ephemera that capture the essence of these modern girls.
P A S T
Fall 2023
AFTERSHOCKS: The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and its Aftermath
Join us for a consideration of the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923 as explored through photography, woodblock prints, and painting. Millions bore witness to his tragic event and artists worked through the trauma by producing thought-provoking and gut-wrenching depictions of the earthquake’s destruction and ensuing fires that ravaged most of Tokyo.
This seminar will focus on the artwork produced immediately after the earthquake. Works by Japanese artists from all genres will be featured.
This seminar is now available on YouTube.
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Saturday, March 19th, 2022, 3 pm CST
FACING MODERNITY: SOSAKU HANGA PORTRAITS OF WOMEN
Bijin-ga, portraits of beautiful women, have been an important genre within Japanese woodblock prints for centuries. The tradition underwent radical changes at the hands of 20th-century Sosaku Hanga artists. This seminar aims to highlight important Sosaku Hanga designs of women that fractured from traditional means of depicting the feminine. More specifically, we will consider designs that broke new ground in their pictorial representation of women, which inspired new modes of self-expression as well as spawning innovative techniques of print production.
This seminar was conducted on Facebook Live. Please follow us on Facebook to ensure you don't miss future events.
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September 18th, 2021, 1 pm CST
Smoldering Plumes and Glowing Embers: Japanese Prints During and After WWII
Join us for a conversation about Japanese woodblock prints produced during WWII and the years directly following the conflict. The seminar will focus on rarely seen designs executed to bolster the domestic war effort as well as original art produced in direct response to the wartime operations and their lasting psychological effects.
This seminar was conducted on Facebook Live. Please follow us on Facebook to ensure you don't miss future events.
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March 20th, 2021, 2pm CST
Old Roots and New Shoots: Yamamoto Kanae, Tobari Kogan, and the Early Years of Sosaku Hanga
Sosaku Hanga was one of the two great artistic movements that emerged in 20th century Japanese printmaking. Proponents sought to cast off the traditional collaborative process of print production, placing an emphasis on the artist as the sole originator and producer of woodblock prints. Printmaking was no longer seen as a means of image duplication for mass production, but rather as a direct form of artistic expression.
This seminar will focus on the early years of Sosaku Hanga (1904-1924) and will consider the works of Yamamoto Kanae, Tobari Kogan, and their circle, showcasing the vital contributions made to this burgeoning artform in the pre-earthquake years of 20th century Japan.
This seminar was conducted on Facebook Live. Please follow us on Facebook to ensure you don't miss future events.
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November 7, 2020, 2 PM CST
LINKED VERSE: KOSHIRO ONCHI AND HIS CIRCLE OF PRINT ARTISTS
Koshiro Onchi (1891–1955) was one of the leading printmakers in 20th-century Japan. He is credited with producing the first work of abstraction in 1915 and known for imbuing his work with an expressive quality that was thought-provoking and emotionally potent.
With his charisma, Onchi tended to the flame of the Sosaku Hanga movement through the dark years leading to and during the war by encouraging artists to produce creative prints for art’s sake. Professional artists and amateurs alike followed Onchi’s lead and created some of the most compelling prints of the 20th century. The work these artists composed directly addressed Onchi’s influence as well as the greater historical undercurrents of 20th-century Japan.
This seminar will focus on the significant influence Onchi had on his creative print colleagues as well as highlighting the visual poetic vernacular that was initiated and implemented within this pioneering artistic circle. The seminar will showcase rarely seen work, including several unique monoprints, produced during this experimental and exceptionally creative period in Japan.
This seminar was conducted on Facebook Live. Please follow us on Facebook to ensure you don't miss future events.
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November 7, 2019
WOODBLOCK AS MIRROR: SELF-PORTRAITS IN JAPANESE PRINTS
Self-portraits have long been admired for their revelatory nature, yielding insight into both the appearance and the essence of the sitter. But in their modern guise, they frequently offer something more. In some cases, artists provide almost confessional portrayals, sharing impressions regarding their self, their mirror-reflection, and their perceived relationship in society. On a more profound and universal level, they also expose deeper truths about the human condition.
The Japanese Culture Center - 日本文化会館, Japan America Society of Chicago (JASC), and Japanese Arts Foundation proudly announce a special evening exploring self-portraits in 20th century Japanese Japanese Prints
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June 19th, 2019
BRIGHT MIDNIGHT: NOCTURNAL DESIGNS IN JAPANESE PRINTS
The bright mysterious night has inspired countless Japanese woodblock print artists, birthing some of the most compelling designs in this art form. Please join us for a discussion on night scenes as depicted in woodblock prints throughout Japan’s history. We will consider all genres from this rich artistic tradition.
This seminar was conducted on Facebook Live. Please follow us on Facebook to ensure you don't miss future events.
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February 7th, 2019
ABOUT FACE: MALE PORTRAITS IN 20TH CENTURY JAPANESE PRINTS
Modern Japanese prints are known the world over for stunning portraits of women. The male portrait, though not often examined, was also of concern to top hanga artists. This seminar will explore the depth and variety of the male image in both Sosaku Hanga and Shin Hanga traditions.
This seminar was conducted on Facebook Live. Please follow us on Facebook to ensure you don't miss future events.
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October 13, 2018
THE HEAVY BASKET: YOKAI IN JAPANESE PRINTS
In the land of the rising sun deep shadows are cast and ghouls, ghosts and demons abound. Come and learn more about what makes those things that go bump in the night as depicted in your favorite Japanese prints. Our talk will feature a wide range of works from Ukiyo-e, Shin Hanga and Sosaku Hanga that depict Yokai (Japanese goblins and otherworldly creatures).
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July 26, 2018
BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY: THE ART OF MODERNISM IN JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINTS
Closed off for centuries, Japan’s ports were opened to Western trade in the mid-19th century. This opening, as well as the extensive rebuilding effort that took place in the aftermath of the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923, propelled Tokyo and the rest of the country into the modern age and onto the world stage. Western technology and cultural values quickly worked their way into Japanese society. This transformation inspired Japanese artists to create work that illustrated the astounding technological advances as well as progressive social changes they experienced in and around the modern city.
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March 8, 2018
THE GREAT WAVE: INTRODUCTION TO JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINTS
The Japanese Culture Center - 日本文化会館, Japan America Society of Chicago (JASC), and Japanese Arts Foundation proudly announce a special evening exploring Japanese woodblock prints/ukiyo-e!
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