Another Oishi meeting with Mari!

At the beginning of what ended up being another "oishi" meeting with the Japan-America Society President, Mari Lesli, I meet possible artists for the Arts Empowered Japanse Immersion Festival on Saturday March 25, from 2-7 p.m. at Casady School.

I met an Origami and an Ikebana expert. I have a verbal contract with a Japanese Taiko drumming group (if we get the Japan Foundation grant funding).

While writing the grant proposal I discover that Mari is not only the President of the Japan-America Society, but she is also a certified authentic dance instructor and performer and her culinary knowlegde comes from having taken courses in Japan.


Mari has agreed to continue finding other artists for the Festival while I am gone. Casady will be hosting the next Japan America Society meeting at Calvert from 2-4 on Saturday, December 3, 2005. Mrs. Small, the Casady controller, has agreed to help Mari with the meeting and has joined the society. If the by-laws permitted, Mrs. Small is my nominee for Japan America Society Treasurer.

If the grant is appproved, Casady will pay $100 per Japanese Art activity to the instructor(s), $100 per room, not per instructor. The grant funding will provide needed supplies. The instructors will have three sessions of 30 minutes with about 20 people per session. The Taiko Group will open the festival and the Dancing/Singing Mari and group will close the Festival.


I also received an e-mail from an OU Japanese student. Shibuki is an exchange student and she will be in Oklahoma until May. Shibuki wrote, "I am just a member of JSA (Japanese Student Association) club becuse I am exchange student from Yamaguchi University in Japan. Our OU Japanese Association president's name is Kaori. You met her at the festival. I will go back to Japan at the end of May 2006." I hope Shibuki and Kaori will find time to help us with the festival. I will love to work with my alma mater 's Japanese Student Association. GO Sooners! Go OU!