Japanese exhibit at Arts Council
Now on display at the CNMI Council for Culture and the Arts in Capitol Hill are exotic works of talented Japanese artists in recognition of Japan Month envisioned to strengthen cultural exchanges between Saipan and Japan.
For the first time, works of Japanese artists such as Toda, Kujira, Ishii, Nagahori, and Fujimo are being exhibited at the ongoing art show.
This week, Japanese art teacher Koko Nagahori is holding special flower arrangement workshops using locally sourced materials such as fresh flowers, twigs, and miniature plants.
Referred to in Japanese as Ikebana, Ms. Nagahori’s art of flower arrangement exudes various themes to symbolize different moods.
Themes can range from weddings, funerals, parties, and all sorts of occasions.
Ms. Nagahori offers daily Ikebana workshops from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Arts Council gallery until June 30, 2000.
Flower arrangement enthusiasts will have the opportunity to sign up for the Ikebana International, a worldwide organization founded in Tokyo, Japan in 1956 by the late Ellen Gordon Allen.
Its members are dedicated to promotion of mutual understanding and friendship between Japan and other countries through Ikebana.
The group is a non-profit organization which boasts over 10,000 members in more than 50 countries.
The club is administered by enthusiastic volunteers of many different nationalities and Ikebana schools.
Some of the Ikebana schools stress classic styles, others focus on creative, contemporary forms and some blend the two methods.
Membership is open to all persons interested in Ikebana. (MM)
