Origami and painting with Kritstie

Kristie Ming T Ngo was amazing.  She and her daughter taught an intergenerational group the principles of origami.  We made several animals before the groups were separated.  Her daughter taught animals to the children and Kristie took over teaching adults and interested youth how to make origami flowers that we later placed on a paiting of a flower basket.  Kristie stated that Chinese-Japanese brush painting is her area of passion.  She turned my ugly basket into an art piece for my eyes and personal enjoyment of what we created together.

Kristie has been a teaching artist since 1993 and is an artist-in residence with the Art Council. She has taught all over the state of Oklahoma and Texas including in many library systems and summer camp programs. Her art has been exhibited at many art festivals and her paintings have won numerous awards. Her work, A Scissortail Returns, was show-cased for the Oklahoma Centennial Chinese Cultural Exhibition in 2007, and is now a part of the Oklahoma History Center Collection.

Pictures of the Exhibit and Origami class at City Arts

Check out the fantastic photos from the reception. 

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CITY ARTS JAPANESE CERAMIC EXHIBIT

http://cityartscenter.org/Web_v2/?page_id=3666 ; http://www.artsandartists.org/exhibitions/soaringvoices.html

City Arts Center will celebrate the opening of its second contemporary arts exhibition of the 2012 season, “Soaring Voices: Recent Ceramics by Women from Japan,” with an open-to-the-public reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12 in the Eleanor Kirkpatrick Gallery, 3000 General Pershing Blvd.


The reception is free to attend and will include wine, hors d’oeuvres and music.

Soaring Voices includes 87 contemporary ceramic works by 25 women artists from Japan. The free, family-friendly exhibition will be on display June 12 through Aug. 25 during regular gallery hours (9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Closed Sundays).

According to City Arts Center Executive Director Mary Ann Prior, the exhibition demonstrates an important cultural shift in Japanese society toward individual women artists becoming recognized in an artistic realm traditionally held by men.

“Women have been highly active in the production of ceramics in Japan for thousands of years, but their names have been largely unknown,” Prior said. “We’re delighted to have the honor of displaying the high-caliber work of these extraordinary artists in our gallery, and at no cost to the public.”

Soaring Voices features pioneering ceramicists spanning generations, including members of the founding generation of Japanese female potters, such as Asuka Tsubio, Kiyoko Koyama and Takako Araki whose colorful works are innovative in form and concept. Other artists, including Eiko Kishi and Fuku Fukumoto, incorporate ancient literature and Noh traditions to create a context within their work of a deep connection with nature, a significant motif in the work of Japanese artists.

Soaring Voices is a touring exhibition that traveled to the New Otani Art Museum in Tokyo and the Shizuoka Art Gallery in Shizuoka, Japan, in 2008 and the Museé National de Céramique in Sevres, France, in 2009 before embarking on its North American tour.

Previous stops on U.S. tour have included: Sacramento, CA; Washington, DC; Denver, CO; Dallas, TX; Delray Beach, FL; Gainesville, FL; Tempe, AZ and Bellingham, WA. Following its stay at City Arts Center, the exhibit will travel to the Maui Arts and Cultural Center in Kahului, HI.

The exhibition was developed by The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shiga Prefecture and hus-10, Inc. International Arts & Artists is the tour organizer.
Local sponsors for Soaring Voices include: Allied Arts, Chesapeake Energy, Devon Energy, Kirkpatrick Family Fund, Oklahoma Arts Council, Oklahoma City Community Foundation, the Simmons Foundation and the Skirvin Hilton.


SOARING VOICES INSTALLATION PROCESS EXAMPLE

Tweeting Japanese Ambassador in the USA

As many of you know, we had over 450 Oklahomans meet and welcome Ambassador Fujisaki to Oklahoma last summer and many of you are included in the contact group of this e-mail. The Ambassador remembers his time in Oklahoma with fondness and, as many of you know from first hand experience, he possesses a delightful sense of humor and a wonderful perspective on matters important to Oklahoma, the U.S. and Japan. Please enjoy the Ambassador's "tweets" and feel free to forward this e-mail to all who might be interested. Thank you all for all that you do towards maintaining and improving the relations between Oklahoma and Japan. With best regards, Lloyd Hardin Lloyd T. HARDIN, Jr. Honorary Consul General of Japan

  -----Original Message----- From: IRIYA TAKAYUKI [mailto:takayuki.iriya@mofa.go.jp] Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 2:47 PM To: Hardin, Lloyd; Cc: TAKASE HIROMI; ISHIHARA TAKESHI

Subject: Ambassador Fujisaki has started "Twitter"

Dear honorary consuls, Good afternoon from Embassy of Japan in Washington DC. My name is Takayuki Iriya, Counselor and Chief of Staff to Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki. We very much appreciate your great contribution to strengthening Japan-U.S. relationship. I am writing to inform you that Ambassador Fujisaki started "Twitter" a couple of months ago. He has been tweeting quite often, so you may have already read some of his tweets. The user name is AmbJapan2US. If you click the link below, you can read the Ambassador's tweets. https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=AmbJapan2US I would appreciate if you could share this info with your friends as well as those who might be interested in Ambassador Fujisaki's tweets. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

Sincerely yours, Takayuki Iriya ------------------------------------------------------- Takayuki IRIYA Counselor, Chief of Staff to the Ambassador Embassy of Japan in the U.S. tel: +1 202-238-6881 e-mail: takayuki.iriya@mofa.go.jp -------------------------------------------------------

JASO MINUTES AND AGENDAS

Per board decision, JASO agendas and minutes will no longer be available at this blog.  I will continue to document my learning opportunities with JASO as the new year 2012-2013 starts.

Japan in a Suitcase Grant Funded Workshops End

JASO empowered by grant funding from Center for Global Partnership, Japan Foundation. THANK YOU FOR THE MEMORIES TO BE SHARED WITH THE FUTURE JASO MEMBERS-BOARD AND THE OKC JOI COORDINATOR

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A testimonial from an Oklahoma educator: Our students really enjoyed this workshop and we were appreciative of this opportunity and the funds provided to make it possible. Dr. Hu did an excellent job representing the Japanese culture, and the unique manner utilized to educate our students was refreshing. Dana Myers Dana Myers, Instructor 3D Animation/Visual FX Information Technology Francis Tuttle Technology Center . Pictures taken at Francis Tuttle Institute at an animation class on March 16, 2012. About 14-15 students attended. They are 3-D animation students. The course instructor, Ms. Dana Myers looks forward to more workshops which combine film with some hands-on artistic experience of Japanese culture.

Japan in a Suitcase @ Y Senior Center

The last Japan in a Suitcase, grant sponsored workshops are taking place in March 2012.

Tuesday, May 14 at the Senior Center next to the Science Museum, Mrs. Masayo B. former JASO outreach coordinator presented Living Longer and Living Stronger.  Gigi and Keri were there to assist with the workshop.  I arrived at clean-up time so I only saw Origami, Edamame, and boxes of snacks which included seaweed and happy participants. 

Japan in a Suitcase at OSSM

Monday, March 12, 2012 OSSM: Dr. Gigi Hu presents, Manga and Anime Films.  Board members invited. 
Mari is out of town.  Jeremy is unable to attend.  Attendance: Ken, Carmen, Gigi, Max,   Thank you to Honorary Council General of Japan in Oklahoma, Mr. Lloyd Hardin for connecting JASO to OSSM.

Japan in a Suitcase: Zen Garden and Ikebana

Board yearly meeting @ Workshop

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Japan in a Suitcase Mustang

About 22 teachers attended including the school librarian. One teacher brought her two children along as well (see the photo attached). The workshops are considered officially as part of the Staff Development Program for the school and the district. We thank Ms. Robin Combs for the opportunity to visit the school and contribute to the multi-cultural education segment of the program.

Mrs. Shinako Alfred led the origami doll bookmark workshop, she was assisted by Mrs. Tomoko Craig. I presented the anime film, On a Paper Crane: Tomoko's Adventure and we all settled down first to make paper cranes after a brief Q&A. We managed to present the workshops in about 1.5 hours as it was after-school time when we began the workshops (3 - 4.30pm).

JASO is happy that the suitcase travelled to a school community which is situated in the greater Oklahoma City area.

Regards,
Tze-yue Gigi Hu, Ph.D
Educational Coordinator
JASO

MAX PRESENTATION

 

a.Let's Have Fun, February 14: Thank you to Max for an informative presentation about his experience as JET and during the devastating earthquake and Tsunami while working as an intern in Tokyo.  See picture below.  Carmen requested for Max to send information he would like to be placed in the smilebox about his presentation. Carmen purchased candies and Japanese ice tea for 10 people courtesy of Casady Service-Learning.  8 people participated.  We had an OU student and her mother.  They learned about this workshop at meetup.com.

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Japan in a Suitcase: Japanese Dancing by Mari Leslie

22 people participated.  We learned an adult and a kids Bon Odori Dance from Mari Leslie, Vice-President of the Japan America Society of Oklahoma and professional classical dancer.  In between dances, participants enjoyed Japanese snacks and green tea.  The workshop was sponsored by a grant from the Japan Foundation, Center for Global Partnership and IOCHEM.

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Japan in a suitcase: Sumie workshop and New Year's Celebration

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It was great to have so many participants. The 2 Casady teen artists tried their best to facilitate the workshop with their limited teaching experience. Find picture at http://carmenlearns.blogspot.com/.

Casady thanks JASO for Japan in a Suitcase Outreach

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2011 JASO's Xmas party

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November JASO Activities-

November was a very busy month for JASO between grant, Japan in a suitcase at the Library and the Manga and Anime Conference in OKC.  If you have pictures, please send them.  Thank you.

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Japan in a suitcase continues

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Japan in a Suitcase at the Library


We had a good Japan in a suitcase at the Library. Cynthia did extensive research to share her passion for Manga and anime. I will add pictures and all these e-mails to the bloghttp://carmenlearns.blogspot.com/ this weekend. I collected evaluations too.

Shinako and Mari want to help Clydia, but she needs to connect directly with them because I cannot be the connector this time. It seems that only Mari is available, but they have questions I cannot answer. I am sending this e-mail to Clydia too.

I am assuming we will still have a board meeting at the end of October. Elections were moved to March, but we need to go over November activity, which I hope someone will illuminate me. Am I the one who needs to share my trip to Japan? I am attaching the short version for the ones unable to attend. I will love to have a tea ceremony that day and a Koto player welcoming the participants.. Anyone knows people with ability in those areas?


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Workshop at YMCA
I did want to let you know that we had a wonderful workshop on October 5th at the YMCA Senior Center. It was on “Living Strong, Living Long –Japanese Style.” The instructor was Massayo Bowles. She gave the participants a quick lecture of healthy eating then provided various Japanese delicacies and foods for the participants to try. She also gave a quick origami lesson. This workshop is the first of a two part workshop. She intends to provide more origami instruction and additional Japanese snacks at the next workshop in the spring. I have attached a few pictures. (Participation was limited to 15 people due to the costs associated with purchasing food and dishes to serve the food). Participants were allowed to take home the dishes and chopsticks from the workshop if they so desired. It was a wonderful workshop –Very well received!  Thank you again for your support of our programs, Keri Williams Foster, Development Director, Rebuilding Together OKC, Inc., 730 West Wilshire Blvd., #108,
Oklahoma City, OK 73116, office(405)607-0464, fax (405)607-0362, keri@rebuildingtogetherokc.org

Another workshop
Ms. Shafer had offered us a presentation plan by JASO. To welcome the event provided by an organization outside campus for the first time, I just wanted a little official explanation as we the college have been also working on it. If we succeed in coordinating the event with you this time, we might start inviting cultural presentations by other organizations.   Regarding the flyer I made, it is in the process of printing with my supervisor, Ms. Olsen’s approval. Fortunately, we will get a few extra copies of the flyer in color, in the same manner as the other events which will take place on the same day. For extra promotion of your Japan in a Suitcase, we will print/post your flyer on campus. Please advise me if you see a problem.  In the future, when you have cultural events in the community, please don’t hesitate to send us your posters to promote on campus. Another tool to attract more people to your events will be the WLCC Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/OCCCWLCC Please feel free to post information.  It seems that your entire project is wonderful. Thank you again for offering the cultural workshop in the Center. Sincerely, Chiaki, Chiaki Troutman, World Languages and Cultures Center Coordinator, (405)-682-1611 X7104, ctroutman@occc.edu

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jAPAN IN A SUITCASE AT CASADY SCHOOL

Thank you to JASO and the Japan Foundation, Center for Global Partnership for Japan in a Suitcase at Casady School

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CASADY PINWHEELS- ONE GOAL: PEACE

Special thanks to the Shinnyo-en Foundation for providing a unifying t-shirt for the festival participants

On 9/21/2011, United Nations, International Day of Peace's 30th Anniversary, multilingual peace pinwheels http://www.pinwheelsforpeace.com/pinwheelsforpeace/home.html spun at the Casady lake aligning our paths to peace with "finding and acting from a state of peace within ourselves to commitment to practical acts of peace for the good of others; and to an ongoing peace building practice."   The Peace One Day, Global Truce 2012 video http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/welcome inspired us to equate the observance of the day to saving lives because the projected cease of fire would allow children to be immunized, and food would reach people in need through the United Nations World Food Programme. We were also inspired by Jeremy Gilley's passion for an intentional avoidance of conflict and violence on International Day of Peace.

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       La clase de la Senorita Croce         

The UD peace pinwheels, designed by Spanish teacher, Eric Chaverri, were the first to be planted around the lake. Miss Brittany Croce, UD Spanish teacher stated, "Pinwheels gave a fun break from grammar. Students did a great job decorating them with thoughtful target language words and haiku poetry."

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Orchestra @ Chapel

At UD chapel, Mr. Larry Moore stated his path to peace as "peaceful resolution of conflicts" at the end of an inspiring speech and before his orchestra performed Mr. Moore's favorite "piece of peace" led by Teddy Nollert'12.

The Middle, Lower, and Primary Divisions, wearing Six Billion Paths to Peace http://www.sef.org/projects/six-billion-paths-to-peace/ t-shirts donated for the occasion by the Shinnyo-en Foundation,  had special celebration activities through the day.

Mr. Varela, our Assistant Vicar and Miss Lynn Taylor, Foreign Language Department Head, facilitated a reflective and joyful MD planting of peace pinwheels around the lake.  

Mrs. Jeanmarie Nielsen, choir director for Upper and Middle divisions stated, "All MD choirs and the UD Choir learned a setting of the "Pie Jesu," Latin prayer for peace. The composer, Mary Lynn Lightfoot, is an Oklahoma musician who wrote this piece after the OKC bombing.  The MD choirs came together to form a mass choir of 73 singers, and sang "Pie Jesu" in chapel on Wednesday, 9/21/11.  The UD choir sang the piece in their chapel on Tuesday, 9/20/11."

At the end of the day, fifth graders joined the Eno Environment online, PEACE IS GREEN http://eno.joensuu.fi/basics/briefly.htm and planted a sapling of the Oklahoma Memorial Survivor Tree brought to our campus by the museum's education coordinator, Mrs. Lynn Porter.  Inspirational tree planting speeches were given by fifth grade students, Dalton Schumaker, Lucy Greene and teacher and  environmentalist,  David Braden. 

The LD planted their laminated piwheels on a drawing of a peace symbol.   At chapel students joined children around the world singing Rock our World http://www.rockourworld.org/, facilitated by Tammy Rice, LD music teacher.   

The Primary Division students were so attached to their pinwheels they could not part from them.  They had a reflective walk and delighted observing the pinwheels created by the other divisions across the lake.  Emma Sharp'12 volunteered at the event.

Susan Bruce, LD Math teacher, as she did in 2006, when she brought the pinwheels for peace project to the Casady community in  support of the then first OKC citywide Pinwheels for Peace festival, took hundreds of LD pinwheels to the OCU International Day of  Peace, Pinwheels for Peace Festival.  Khadija Hamid'12 and Carmen Clay, Service-Learning Director took the UD and MD pinwheels to the festival.   Festival volunteers planted over 800 pinwheels in front of the Great Hall of the OCU McDaniel Student Center.  One of the Casady pinwheels made the morning headline in the Daily Oklahoman on 10/22/2011.



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Japan America Society Community Dance

Inside OCU's Great Hall, intergenerational performers delighted the audience demonstrating the rich multicultural talented tapestry of our city.

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Waka Waka, Capitol Hill High School Dance Club

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Seaworth Academy Music Class

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Giant Pinwheel Workshop at Woods Community Room

The giant pinwheels created by Khadija Hamid'12 at a workshop facilitated by LWPB architectural firm intern Morgan Robberson, received OCU's giant pinwheel contest trophies. Pinwheels were donated to non-profit organizations through festival organizer, Respect Diversity Foundation CEO, Joan Korenblit.

At the culmination of the OCU festival, Joan Korenbilt stated, “Guests participated in a drumming circle that set the mood for our festival.

Participants were asked to ‘imagine peace.’ They joined in during several dances including a lovely Japanese folk dance. The festival was truly an interactive celebration! People of all cultures were reminded that the diversity within our world enhances the Earth.”

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Peace Flash Mob choreographed by Elizabeth Mueller

 Khadija Hamid'12 from Casady School stated, "It was awesome to make the pinwheels, dance the flash peace mob, and see the talented youth who celebrated the International Day of Peace at OCU. I wish more people would have been able to participate because it was amazing. I loved Capitol Hill's High School's Waka, Waka and the Dragon Dancers ."

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Give Peace a Chance by Steve McLinn  

Carmen Clay'74 stated, "Our only regret was not to have been able to share the festival with our Shinnyo-en friends-kind providers of the Six Billion Paths to Peace t-shirts for Festival participants-, Foundation Vice-President, Ben Takagi and Program Director, Ineko itsuchida, who spent the day resolving peacefully conflicts with flight cancellations and  missed connections."

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Japan in a Suitcase Peace Film Series: On a Paper Crane,

Tomoko's Adventure OCU workshop on 9/21/2011

Let's keep on working at making Sadako's Origami "esperanza de" paix a reality. 

MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH

QUE LA PAZ PREVALEZCA EN LA TIERRA!

http://www.wppspeacepals.org/

Japan in a Suitcase, Saturday, September 17, Casady School

11:00-12:00 Fee Theater or Harper Wing: Taro the Dragon Boy. Anime Film

2:30-4:30

Student Center: Sumi-e: Japanese Brush Painting

Woods Community Room: Japanese Language and Etiquette

Japan in a Suitcase, On a Paper Crane, Tomoko's Adventure @ Casady School

On Saturday, September 10, 2011, Casady School Service-Learning hosted Japan in a Suitcase anime film series as part of Casady's celebration of WE, THE WORLD, (http://www.wetheworld.org/home.htm) 11 DAYS OF GLOBAL UNITY (9/11-9/21-International Day of Peace)

The small group of participants had an eye-opening discussion after the showing of the movie, On a Paper Crane, Tomoko's Adventure. In the movie, a young girl named Tomoko travels alone to Hiroshima's Atomic Bomb Museum where she meets Sadako, a girl whose life is linked to the events that occurred during and after the bombardment of the city. Dr. Gigi Hu, expert in Japanese film animation, shared the film's production background, the symbolism of cranes, and her experience with children's questions after the film.

After school care students made a peace banner, which Mrs. Clay, Casady's Service-Learning Director, presented to the society as a thank you for selecting Casady School as part of its Japan in a Suitcase outreach program. The next Japan in a Suitcase program at Casady is September 17, premiering the anime movie Taro the Dragon Boy and workshops on sumi-e; Japanese brush painting and Japanese language and etiquette.

Japanese tea and snacks were enjoyed before the peace paper crane making lesson. Participants also made pinwheels and placed cranes in the heart of the pinwheels The pinwheels will be displayed at the 5th International Day of Peace, Pinwheels and Multicultural Festival at Oklahoma City University, Wednesday, September 21, 2011. At OCU, Dr. Hu will provide similar workshop and Mrs. Mari Lesli, JASO's Vice President will perform a Japanese dance.


On Saturday, September 17, 2011, Japan in a Suitcase anime films returned to Casady School. This time Dr. Gigi Hu, Japan America Society Education coordinator, presented Taro the Dragon Boy. The film, about the journey of a brave boy to find his mother by giving to others, kept participants' interest from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. The presentation began with personal introductions, origami crane making, and reservations for Japanese bento lunches at Tokyo Restaurant. The Casady children participating related to Dr. Hu that their advisory period had began watching On a Paper Crane, Tomoko's Adventure on Friday. They were going to continue to watch the film as part of their International Day of Peace activities next week. 60 fifth graders will know the story behind the paper cranes of peace.

After viewing Taro the Dragon Boy, Dr. Hu showed a Power Point presentation of the artistic and cultural merits of the film and the author of the children's book. Dr. Hu explained several traditions within the movie like Taiko drumming, Sumo wrestling, Sumi-e art, and Japanese baths. After the film discussion ended, participants enjoy a Japanese bento lunch at Tokyo Restaurant before returning for the afternoon workshops.

From 2:30-4:00, members from diverse backgrounds of the Oklahoma City community began their Sumi-e, Japanese brush painting introduction. It was facilitated by Mrs. Nina Shuler, Japan America Society Vice-President. Participants from 9-87 years of age were engaged in creating fish and bamboo scenes with gentle black paint strokes.


The Japanese language and etiquette workshop was facilitated by Mrs. Keiko Shaffer, who involved participants in hands on activities. Participants learned how to greet in Japanese, the reasons behind taking off shoes upon entering a Japanese residence and the tradition of offering something to drink upon being welcomed in homes. Mrs. Shaffer provided Japanese soft drinks for members of her workshop and the Sumi-e workshop. Mrs, Shaffer also taught how to use eating utensils and participants learned how to write their name in Japanese.

Casady School Service-Learning thanks the Japan America Society, Rebuilding Together, Iochen Corporation, and the Center for Global Partnership for providing a stop of Japan in a Suitcase at our school and helping us enhance our understanding of the Japanese culture in engaging and relevant ways.