Japanese exhibit opens with sushi, sake
Ashley Hagin
Issue date: 5/12/09 Section: News
For a few hours, Saint Mary's students were in the Land of the Rising Sun. Last Wednesday, the Hearst Art Gallery held a celebration of Japanese culture, food and art. Students and staff gathered at the gallery patio to eat sushi, sample sake, and view paintings, photographs, and sketches of Mount Diablo and Mount Fuji.
The new exhibit features around one hundred works of art, including everything from phenomenal color digital photographs to the 2000s to cigarette cases from the 1920s; sketchbooks from the 1950s to fans of the 1930s.
Students and staff made their way from inside the gallery to outside on the patio, where accounting Professor Joseph Lupino explained the art of woodblock printing. Naoko Uehara, a modern languages professor, explained the importance of Mount Fuji in Japan. Though Mount Fuji has been dormant for years, it is still considered an active volcano, and, as Naoko Uehara said, "could erupt at any moment." Still, Mt. Fuji is a popular tourist attraction.
After the faculty had finished their speeches, the procession made its way up to the Soda Center patio, where there was a special Taiko drum performance. Five performers from Emeryville Taiko, currently based in Oakland, performed two songs on the drums. As the performance progressed, the audience began to grow. As a final upbeat performance, the drummers invited the audience and "react with their voices." Here, the audience members repeated after the drummers in a fun and energetic sing-along. Judging by the size of the crowd and the excited looks on everyone's faces, the Taiko drum performance was the most popular event of the celebration.
"Sacred Mountain: Images of Mt. Diablo & Mt. Fuji" will be on display in the Hearst Art Gallery until July 3. The Gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free to students and children; adult admission is $3.
The new exhibit features around one hundred works of art, including everything from phenomenal color digital photographs to the 2000s to cigarette cases from the 1920s; sketchbooks from the 1950s to fans of the 1930s.
Students and staff made their way from inside the gallery to outside on the patio, where accounting Professor Joseph Lupino explained the art of woodblock printing. Naoko Uehara, a modern languages professor, explained the importance of Mount Fuji in Japan. Though Mount Fuji has been dormant for years, it is still considered an active volcano, and, as Naoko Uehara said, "could erupt at any moment." Still, Mt. Fuji is a popular tourist attraction.
After the faculty had finished their speeches, the procession made its way up to the Soda Center patio, where there was a special Taiko drum performance. Five performers from Emeryville Taiko, currently based in Oakland, performed two songs on the drums. As the performance progressed, the audience began to grow. As a final upbeat performance, the drummers invited the audience and "react with their voices." Here, the audience members repeated after the drummers in a fun and energetic sing-along. Judging by the size of the crowd and the excited looks on everyone's faces, the Taiko drum performance was the most popular event of the celebration.
"Sacred Mountain: Images of Mt. Diablo & Mt. Fuji" will be on display in the Hearst Art Gallery until July 3. The Gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free to students and children; adult admission is $3.