October 14, 2006 - January 28, 2007
Kamran Moojedi's landscape series mirrors his experience
of the great San Bernardino Mountains fire of 2003, which left the forests
surrounding his home a vast graveyard of charred trees. This disaster changed
the focus of his art. “The Fire Next Time” explores the cycle
of dualities between life and death, hope and despair, good and evil, and
beauty and ugliness. Drawing on ancient teachings, Moojedi emphasizes a reverence
for all life and sheds light onto the darker side of the human spirit.
The exhibition consists of over a hundred mixed media works; combining sketches,
digital paintings, photography, writings, and installations.
January 27, 2007 at 2 pm
Views of nature from the world's religions are richly varied and most frequently expressed in the particular arts and culture of the world's civilizations. From Zen gardens in East Asia to western landscape painting, the quality of nature's beauty shines forth. We explore different cultural perspectives for respecting nature that may lead us toward a more inclusive global environmental ethic. As we enter into a period of searching for the basis for a sustainable future for the Earth community, these varied views of nature will help to shape flourishing human-Earth relations.
October 10, 2007 - October 31, 2007
Ms. Heussenstamm was a longtime resident of La Crescenta, CA, who passed away in 2005. In 1989, at age 59, without formal training as an artist, she started creating watercolor portraits. She was intrigued by the astounding variety of human skin coloration and tones, and devoted herself to revealing the full-spectrum of humanity’s many hues in her artwork. Her husband, George Heussenstamm shared the numerous stories related to each portrait by a slide presentation as part of the exhibition.
A Special World of
TOMIHIRO HOSHINO
Alex Kerr is author, Japonologist , calligrapher and Asian arts collector who has lived in Japan and Thailand for more than 30 years. He has learned about calligraphy by copying the art works in his collection. In the process he has developed his own style, which is a mix of the two styles ruled Japanese calligraphy for centuries: Literati and Court.
Each piece is a unique expression of a moment. It’s also an expression of his view of life, the life he has had in Japan and East Asia since he was a little boy, and life experienced vicariously through the thoughts and philosophies expressed in calligraphies, paintings, and the traditional arts around him.
The Pleasures of Being an Unrestrained, Undisciplined Collector
A special lecture by Willard G. Clark
Willard G. ‘Bill’ Clark, a fifth generation rancher turned international businessman who has been collecting Japanese art for four decades, founded the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in 1995 at Hanford in California’s Central Valley. In April 2009, Mr. Clark received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, from the Japanese government for his efforts in introducing Japanese art and promoting educational exchange between Japan and the United States, such as establishing the curatorial program for young art scholars.
Mr. Clark spoke about Japanese culture, with special thoughts on his collection which forms the basis of the art collection at the Clark Center. His presentation included personal stories concerning how he started collecting art, an examination of the Clark Center and its goal of promoting the study and appreciation of Japanese art and culture, and a look at some of the works in his collection with engaging stories about how they were acquired.
This event was supported by the Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture and the Cultural News.
Daifu Wada is a calligrapher, painter and woodblock print artist who lives in Tokyo, Japan. He began studying calligraphy in 1975 under Daiou Yamasaki and then Daiun Ino for 7 years. After retiring from his regular job at a bank, Daifu has focused on creating his own unique art style, expressing his world as an artist. His motifs are figures of Buddha and the sutras. Through his artworks, Daifu has strived to connect with a higher presence as well as fellow human beings, and the resulting creations are representative manifestations of his prayer.
Art Series
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Teruyo Kitajima Handicrafts Exhibition East: The World of Creative Flowers A fusion of hands and spirit Shumei Hall Gallery September 17, 2000 - October 8, 2000 Teruyo Kitajima was born in 1910 in Osaka, Japan. Upon graduation from Ibaragi High School for girls, Mrs. Kitajima studied handicrafts with a French teacher. It was then, on her own, that she originated 3 dimensional creative handicrafts. Her originality in technique and design remained constant throughout her entire life. |
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"The Messages from Water" Photographic Exhibition by Dr. Masaru Emoto Shumei Hall Gallery August 4, 2001 - December 9, 2001 Dr.
Masaru Emoto is one of the pioneers in the science of energy and vibration,
and its effect on healing and spirituality. He is also the author of the
book, "The Messages from Water". In his book, Dr. Emoto presents photographic
evidence of how positive energy or negative pollution can alter the crystalline
structure of the water we use. |
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"Kesa for the Millennium" An exhibition of seven sacred robes by fiber artist, Betsy Sterling Benjamin September 30, 2001 - November 11, 2001 The seven works on view take the form of the traditional Buddhist meditation robe or "kesa", created by Betsy Sterling Benjamin in her studio in Kyoto, Japan. They were used as a focus for ceremonies held on each continent in preparation for the new millennium in January 2000. As part of the millennium celebration, the works were displayed at Hobart, Tasmania; Shurugwi, Zimbabwe; McMurdo Research Station, Antarctica; Bubion, Granada, Spain; Machu Picchu, Peru; Minnesota, USA; and Kyoto, Japan. They were first exhibited together at the Honen-in Temple in Kyoto. These wax-resist silk stoles are designed in the traditional Japanese patchwork pattern and are made of dyed silk from India, China, Japan, and Indonesia and embroidered, appliquéd, fused, and stenciled with gold powders. Much admired in Japan, Europe, and the USA for her dyed screens and paintings.
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Kirigane Artworks by Mimari Yasukawa: December 12, 2001 - January 5, 2002 "Kirigane" by Mimari Yasukawa, literally "cut gold," is a decorative technique used in Buddhist artwork, in particular to decorate images of Buddhist deities. The technique came to Japan from China in the 6th century A.D.. Four sheets of leaves made of gold, silver, or platinum are pressed together with an iron to form the mediums for Kirigane. These sheets are traditionally placed on a piece of deer skin and cut into fine strips or other shapes using a knife made from bamboo. Using the tips of small brushes, the resulting pieces are then glued onto the surfaces of wooden Buddhist statues or paintings.
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Alex Kerr Calligraphy Exhibition: Shumei Hall Gallery April 14, 2002 - June 30, 2002 Alex Kerr is the author of many monographs and articles in both Japanese and English. His last book, "Lost Japan", which he wrote in Japanese, was the first foreign work to win the Shincho Gakugei Literary Prize for nonfiction in Japan. Mr. Kerr had experienced calligraphy when he was in elementary school in Alexandria, Virginia. At the age of thirteen, his family moved to Yokohama, Japan. Later he studied Japanese at Yale, and after that, Chinese at Oxford in England. After graduating in 1974, he went to live in Kameoka, Japan where he became involved in the teaching of calligraphy, tea ceremony, Noh drama, etc. In the early 1980's, he started collecting hanging scrolls, hand scrolls, screens, shikishi and tanzaku plaques, Chinese rubbings, etc. Copying and tracing these, he developed his own style.
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THE MIRACLE OF CONSCIOUSNESS EXHIBITION
"The painter of the soul," Mark Strickland chooses to plunge into the depths of the collective unconscious, pushing the impasto to its textural extreme, breathing dignity and rich fields of color into the human form and face. Internationally exhibited; Professor at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, for 24 years, Mr. Strickland touches the highest of spiritual values and moves us to reflect on our own strengths of survival and hope. This exhibition was sponsored by the City of Pasadena Arts Commission. |
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Songs from the Desert Sky EXHIBITION OF SILK WEAVING by Polly Barton April 13, 2003 - June 1, 2003 The use of the traditional Japanese "kasuri" technique (binding skeins of silk to "resist-dye") has led Polly Barton, distinguished fiber artist, to bind a visual memory of the sky onto thread. Light and color continually shift in time and are played out dramatically in the Southwestern sky. Polly Barton began weaving in Japan with Tomohiko Inoue, a master weaver in the Tsumugi technique. Hand-spinning silk, dyeing with traditional natural Japanese color sources, weaving on a kimono loom, centuries old in its design, producing a textile only 14h wide, was how she began, and how she continues to this day. |
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A Celebration of Light and Love A Special Photographic Exhibition by David Finn October 11, 2003 - January 11, 2004 David Finn, chairman and CEO of Ruder-Finn, one of the premier PR companies, is the author of a number of books about business and art. As a photographer of sculpture he has published over 80 books, ranging from the art of ancient Egypt and Greece, to the work of Donatello, Michelangelo, Rodin and Henry Moore. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the National Endowment for the Humanities, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a board member of a number of non-profit organizations. |
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NANGA(Chinese style brush painting) EXHIBITION by ROUZEKI HANAZUKA February 8, 2004 - March 14, 2004 Rouzeki Hanazuka was born in 1913 in Yokohama, Japan. He began, at age 18, to seriously study stone sculpture as a successor to his family grave stone monument business. At the same time, he began to thoroughly study other art mediums such as calligraphy, Nanga painting (Chinese style brush painting), and wood carving, all of which he mastered, and received many awards for throughout his lifetime. In 1985, he received from the Emperor of Japan, the "Bunka-Kunsho" (highest award of cultural affairs in Japan) award (Kun Rokuto-Tanko Kyokujitsu-sho) for his works as a grave stone sculptor. |
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The Tender Land: Preserve Its Beauty A Special Photography Exhibition by Bill Ellzey September 13, 2004 - January 31, 2005 Primarily known for his stunning depictions of the big skies and vast terrains of the America west, Mr. Ellzey's sure and sensitive eye also has captured nature's splendor from Egypt to China, Alaska to Australia, and India to South America. His images appear in National Geographic and are featured on the pages of major publications throughout the world. |
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The Art of Evolution: Designing our Future by Learning from Our Awesome Ancestors A Special Lecture by Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris January 7, 2005 Internationally known as a dynamic speaker and media personality, Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris explores the biological evolution of Earth's living systems for models of organic organization in business, government and global economics. |
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Experience the Beauty of Japan A Special Lecture and Demonstration on Noh Performance September 22, 2005 at 7:00 pm This lecture and performance featured the
acclaimed Kanze School, actor MASASHI NOMURA, Masashi Nomura, Noh actor from Kanze Noh School (Biography) Richard Emmert, Nohkan Flute (Biography) Eitaro Ohkura, Otsuzumi Hip Drum from Ohkura school (Biography) This event was supported by the Theatre of Yugen of San Francisco and the Japanese Traditional Performing Arts Organization. |
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Light and Beauty A Photography Exhibition of Shumei's Three Sacred Places September 22, 2005 - March 31, 2006 Informally knows as Shumei, Shinji Shumeikai is a spiritual organization dedicated to creating an ideal state of health, happiness, and beauty for all humanity by applying the philosophy of our founder, Mokichi Okada (1882-1955). This exhibition features the beauty and spirituality of Shumei's three sacred places in Japan and the United States. |
