Kogei: Traditional Arts and Crafts of Fukushima, Japan exhibit opening event

• Event Date: Saturday, April 19, 2025
• Time: 1:00 pm–4:00 pm (CDT)
• Location: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL,
  Hundley Central Core Gallery, Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL
• Cost: Free

• Exhibit
• Exhibit-Related tag

On Saturday, April 19 at Spurlock Museum in the Charles M. and Barbara S. Hundley Central Core Gallery, Japan House is pleased to partner with the Spurlock Museum to feature the opening of Kogei: Traditional Japanese Arts and Crafts of Fukushima, Japan.

1-2pm: A performance and keynote lecture titled, Stories of Fukushima: The Journey of Seiran Chiba with Japanese calligrapher Seiran Chiba will be held in the Knight Auditorium. As space is limited, RSVPs are requested here. Walk ins will be allowed as space permits.

2-4pm: A reception and artist meet and greet will be in the Charles M. and Barbara. S. Hundley Central Core Gallery. There will be light refreshments served and we welcome visitors to mingle with the artists and view their creations. If you plan to only attend the reception, please RSVP here. Walk ins will be allowed as space permits.

This free, public exhibit features a variety of pieces made by the Fukushima artists and craftspeople, and it will be on display through November 30th on the 2nd Floor in the Asia Gallery. We express our gratitude to the Fukushima artists and craftspeople who have gifted the pieces to be displayed, to the Fukushima Prefectural Museum for providing descriptions on the history of traditional crafts in Fukushima, and to Japan House Intern Eungi Youn for translating them with edits by Diana Liao, Japan House Education and Engagement Specialist. Japan House and Spurlock Museum acknowledge support from the Illinois Arts Council.

Kogei ​(工芸)​ translates to traditional arts and crafts. ​​Arts and crafts include disciplines such as ceramics, textiles, woodworking, lacquerware, papermaking, and other means of artistic expression that involve considerable understanding of traditional methods and techniques. Artisans hone their skills to create objects that are both practical and aesthetically pleasing. Kogei artists and their produced objects are valued for their rich history that reflect intangible cultural heritage spanning hundreds of years, as techniques and processes are passed down from generation to generation. A category of kogei is mingei​, (民芸), which translates to “folk crafts,” and is formed from ​minshu ​(民衆), meaning common people, and ​kogei ​(工芸). Art critic and philosopher Soetsu Yanagi created this term and the ​mingei movement in the 1920/30s to distinguish the value of everyday items made for ordinary use for the common person.

The Kogei exhibition and programming are supported by the Japan Foundation New York through the U.S.-Japan Community Grassroots Exchange Program. Japan House is proud to highlight the traditional arts and crafts of Fukushima and feature the stories of Fukushima.

About the Performance and Artist:

Seiran Chiba's performance will be interactive with the audience and features musical accompaniment from Ho Etsu Taiko. The theme of the performance highlights the Japanese concept of goen (ご縁), which translates to ​“fortuitous encounters” and honors the value of community. Audience members will be able to contribute to the art piece she creates to illustrate human connection and friendship.

Professor Emeritus Kimiko Gunji says about goen, “We all have some kind of relationship with the things and with people around us which, according to the Buddhist belief system, are happening due to karmic connections from our previous lives, and we exist among these connections. This belief can be explained as ‘dependent co-arising’ in English, and it can be elaborated as everything arising in dependence upon multiple causes and conditions; nothing exists as a singular, independent entity.”

Chiba's journey has spanned over a decade to share the stories of Fukushima and contribute to the revitalization of the region. Her efforts have taken her across Japan and to the United States. In Japan, she taught calligraphy to adults and children living in temporary housing that remained after the 2011 tsunami. Through calligraphy, she teaches the importance of expressing one’s feelings and travels all over Japan with her calligraphy brush to share the beauty and strength of the Fukushima people despite the continued hardships that they still incur. Chiba visited Japan House in 2013 and 2018 for demonstrations and workshops with the local, university, and K​-​12 communities. She was a featured artist for Japan House’s Matsuri in 2018. In 2023, Japan House received the Education Grant from the Japan Foundation New York to support Chiba for an artist residency to teach calligraphy in Urbana-Champaign and perform at Matsuri. Chiba returned in 2024 to host workshops in Urbana-Champaign and was the featured artist for Gardens for Peace at Japan House. She continues to make visits to the United States to share her story and that of Fukushima through performances and workshops at numerous organizations.