DC Cherry Blossom Festival
words by > Nancy Davidson
*Celebrate this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC at several Japanese art and culture exhibits.
Every American child learns the legend of George Washington and the cherry tree.
But whether or not the events in the story actually happened, one thing is clear: If little George did chop down his father’s cherry tree, it definitely wasn’t one of the ornamental flowering cherry blossom trees given to the United States by Japan. Those arrived in 1912 as a token of friendship and gratitude to Teddy Roosevelt for his help in negotiating a settlement of the Russo-Japanese war. Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo originally arranged for a shipment of trees to Washington, DC in 1909, when President Williiam Taft was in office— he had been secretary of war under Roosevelt.
“The Spirit of Japanese Gardens” at National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall 1145 17th St NW Through April 29 For the second time, the National Geographic Museum has created an exhibit specifically for the festival. Th is year, the exhibit features 54 photographs of Japanese gardens by National Geographic photographers that span nearly a century and include the work of Eliza Scidmore. Other photographers represented include Sam Abell, Michael Yamashita, Cary Wolinsky and Bob Krist.
Japanese gardens are known for creating meditative environments, conducive to contemplation and the interaction of people with nature. Th e National Geographic Museum director, Susan Norton, says the photos broaden the definition of a traditional Japanese garden. For example, one shot depicts three pairs of sandals taken off and left at the entrance to a garden.
Central to the exhibit is the installation of an original garden designed by master gardener Yotaro Ono, president of the Zen Garden Society of Kyoto, Japan. Located inside the M Street lobby at National Geographic’s Washington headquarters, in a rotunda surrounded by a balcony, the garden appears to be magically lit by moonlight.
Th e garden z will change to reflect the seasons over the course of the exhibit. Ono’s initial theme for the garden is the night sky of January 13, 1888, the night the National Geographic Society was founded. Th e design includes bridges covered in silk and a panel depicting elements of winter. A subsequent theme was inspired by snow falling on cherry blossoms under a full moon. www.nationalgeographic.com
“On the Cutting Edge: Contemporary Japanese Prints” at the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building 10 First St SE Through June 30 Before this year, the Library of Congress had never registered an exhibit with the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Th e occasion for this exhibit is another gift from Japan: a collection of 212 prints donated by the College Women’s Association of Japan.
Since 1956, CWAJ has hosted an annual juried show, where a panel of leading Japanese curators select prints from artists who are living and working in Japan. (Contrary to the organization’s name, the artists are not all women or native Japanese.) Th is year’s prints were selected from 800 entries. Th e CWAJ show is a renowned venue for contemporary Japanese creative print art, known as hanga.
“The gift brings a wonderful infusion of strong, contemporary work to the library’s permanent visual art collections. It updates and deepens both its extensive Japanese art holdings and international collection of contemporary prints. I think the cumulative power of the CWAJ show, selected by a jury of leading Japanese curators, comes from its extreme diversity and richness,” says Katherine L. Blood, curator of Fine Prints at the Library of Congress.
The prints encompass a rich diversity of artistic styles, printmaking techniques and subject matter including strong abstracts, work that combines natural and architectural subjects, gorgeous mezzotint prints, and prints that reveal exquisitely detailed, fanciful worlds. www.loc.gov
“East of Eden: Gardens in Asian Art” at the Arthur
M. Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution 1050 Independence Ave, SW Through May 13 From the rich collections of the Freer and Sackler galleries comes this exhibit that explores gardens of Japan China, India, Persia, Turkey and others through art.
It features displays of painted screens, hanging scrolls, colorful ceramics, rare lacquered vessels and gold inlaid metal works. www.asia.si.edu
“Works from Arise Gallery” curated by Paul MacLardy and Ann Marie Moeller at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel 1330 Maryland Ave, SW By appointment Through June 29 In honor of the festival, the Arise Gallery, located in College Park, Maryland, has curated a show at the gallery in the Mandarin Oriental hotel.
Th e gallery boasts the largest selection of vintage kimono robes, obi sashes and haori (kimono jackets) in the US, and has generously arranged a display of traditional Japanese kimonos made with gold threads. Th e kimonos, aged between 20 and 100 years, are carefully displayed in a setting designed for sensitive items, with lights that dim automatically. www.mandarinoriental.com