Japanese Artist in Residence 18 February - 5 March, 2006
Although Nakatomi Hajime is only in his early 30s, his work is already being exhibited and collected internationally. His work can be seen among the bamboo baskets displayed in the Faulconer Gallery exhibition, Hin: The Quiet Beauty of Japanese Bamboo Art.

Mr. Nakatomi was born in Osaka, Japan and, in 1999, graduated from Waseda University, Tokyo, where he studied ceramics. Two years later, he received a degree in bamboo arts from the Oita Prefectural Technical Institute. He graduated from the Beppu Advanced Industrial Arts and Technology Institute the following year, studying with bamboo artist Honda Syoryu (also in the exhibition). Mr. Nakatomi currently lives in Beppu, a center for bamboo arts since the 14th century. Beppu is in Oita prefecture, Japan's largest producer of bamboo, on the southern island of Kyushu.

During his stay, Mr. Nakatomi will visit classes at Grinnell College and in the Grinnell Public Schools, and give a presentation for the Japan America Society of Iowa. His process can be observed in Faulconer Gallery where he will make one basket, over the course of several days. He will also give a demonstration during the Faulconer Gallery's Community Day on Saturday 25 February, 2006. Demonstrations in Faulconer Gallery: 4:30-6:30, February 22 and February 24; 2:45-3:30, February 25; 10:45-12:45, February 28; 1:00-3:00, March 4. THIS EVENT HAS ALREADY OCCURRED.

Sculptures in Sound: Traditional and Contemporary Music for Koto
Joanna Pecore, of the Sawai Koto Academy International, presents music from the 17th century through the present on the koto, a traditional zither from Japan. The concert will take place in Faulconer Gallery on Thursday 23 February at 8 pm, in conjunction with the exhibition, Hin: The Quiet Beauty of Japanese Bamboo Art.

Ms. Pecore began to learn the koto under Gagakumei Noborisaka (Seiha Koto School) in Iwate, Japan. She then joined the Sawai Koto Academy and studied with Makiko Goto and Shoko Hikage in Honolulu, HI. Later, Joanna studied koto under Master Kazue Sawai in Tokyo and Chieko Aono in Yokohama.

She is now a student to Masayo Ishigure in New York. Joanna earned degrees from Lafayette College (A.B.-Government & Law); the University of Hawaii, Manoa (M.A.-Asian Studies); and the University of Maryland, College Park (Ph.D.-Ethnomusicology). She works as an educator at the Freer & Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian Institution.

While in Grinnell, Ms. Pecore will also visit Japanese language classes and demonstrate her instrument during the Faulconer Gallery's Community Day on Saturday 25 February, 2006. THIS EVENT HAS ALREADY OCCURRED.

Ikenobo Ikebana demonstration and workshop
Ikka Nakashima, a master in the Ikenobo style of flower arranging will give a demonstration in Grinnell College's Bucksbaum Center for the Arts on Friday 10 March, at 6 pm, followed by a worskhop on Saturday 11 March, 2006 from 1:30-4 pm. Ms. Nakashima is retired from medical practice in Chicago, Illinois.

The Ikenobo form dates back 500 years, and is said to be the origin of Ikebana (flower arranging) in Japan. Ikenobo has evolved to encompass various traditional styles, including the principles of the more complex 16th and 17th century syle ("Rikka") and the simpler forms of the 18th and 19th centuries ("Shoka"). More recently, a "Free Style" has emerged, which may include naturalistic and abstract forms.

Ikenobo International states that "Rather than simply re-create the shape a plant had in nature, we create with branches, leaves, and flowers a new form which holds our impression of a plant's beauty as well as the mark of our own spirit. Ikebana should also suggest the forces of nature with which plants live in harmony - branches bent by winter winds ... a leaf half-eaten by insects."

Ms. Nakashima's visit is made possible by the generous support of the Japanese Consulate in Chicago. The instructor's Iowa residency is co-sponsored by the Japan America Society of Iowa (Des Moines) and Faulconer Gallery. THIS EVENT HAS ALREADY OCCURRED.

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