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Community Corner

Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival

Japanese Cherry
Blossom Festival



at Pelham Art
Center



Saturday, April 26, 2014, 1:30-3:30pm

Find out what's happening in Pelhamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.



 



Free Ikebana (flower arranging) and Weaving Workshops

Find out what's happening in Pelhamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.



Plus a Traditional Japanese Dance Performance



Part of our Folk Arts Series.



 



Cherry Blossom season returns to Pelham Art Center
on Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 1:30- 3:30pm! Join us as we celebrate our third
annual Cherry Blossom Festival (Sakura
Matsuri
) with free hands-on workshops and activities in the traditional
arts of Japan as part of our Folk Arts Series.



Throughout the event participants can take part in
two hands-on workshops. Artist Shoko Iwata and her two
assistants, Jerry Gross and Vivien Huang Kwok, will lead a workshop in
traditional Japanese floral art from the Sogetsu School of
Ikebana. Running simultaneously,
weaving artist Yukako Satone will instruct participants on how to weave a cherry
blossom on a SAORI loom, a contemporary Japanese hand-weaving method. Participants
will be able to take home their celebratory cherry blossom arrangements and
woven flowers. At 2:30, IchiFuji-kai
Dance Association will present a traditional Japanese dance performance. Also called Nihon buyo or nichibu, it
is a classical performing art that grew out of and is very similar to dance of
the Kabuki theatre. 

 In keeping with the spirit of the day, visitors can contribute to a
community “wish tree,” by writing messages of hope and adding them to our
collection. PAC will then mail the wishes to a central repository of wishes
from around the world, becoming part of a greater project organized by Yoko
Ono. For more information visit http://imaginepeacetower.com/yoko-onos-wish-trees

 



About Cherry
Blossom Season



Japan does not have an official flower, but sakura,
or the cherry blossom, is most certainly its unofficial one. Its delicate
beauty has captivated the Japanese for centuries and has long been a primary
motif in Japanese art for both its aesthetic quality and its symbolism. The
blossom of the cherry tree signifies the arrival of spring and is celebrated as
a herald of hope and a bright future. Its small, pale petals are also
associated with purity. But the flower's delicate quality lends it a decidedly
melancholy air, as well. After the cherry tree's buds open, it's just a few
short days before the blooms have vanished entirely -- the lovely petals all
shed in a spectacular pink flurry. The blossom's ephemeral beauty has become a
poignant symbol of impermanence [in Japanese visual culture].



 



The Tradition of
Hanami



In Japan, the seasonal blooming of cherry trees is a
matter of enormous importance and is celebrated nationally in an event known as
hanami (flower-viewing). Starting in late March, television weather
reporters give the public daily blossom forecasts, tracking the "cherry
blossom front" as it progresses from the south to the north. Families,
coworkers, and groups of friends rely on these to quickly organize hanami
parties as the cherry trees begin to bloom locally. Parks like Tokyo's famous
Ueno Park become crowded with picnickers, and rowdy nighttime revels take on a
festival atmosphere. The practice of hanami is centuries old; it began
sometime in the Nara period, during the 8th century, when it referred to the
viewing of the ume, or plum tree. But by the Helan period (8th to 12th
centuries), hanami was synonymous with sakura. The blossoming of
the cherries was used to predict the next year's harvest, and hanami was
a time to perform rituals marking the start of the planting season. These
rituals ended with a feast under the trees, much like the present day.





About the Ikebana
Artists



For 45 years,
Ikebana has been Shoko Iwata’s life, having been involved in the Sogetsu School of Ikebana since
she was 16 years old. Iwata received her teaching certification from the Tokyo
headquarters of The Sogetsu Foundation. She once taught at JAL when it was
located on 53rd St & Fifth Ave and has since inherited her mother’s
students in Westchester and has collected her own. Iwata’s
other love is supporting the YWCA of White Plains & Central
Westchester.  Last October they hosted their 32nd Ikebana exhibition at
their North Street - 515 North St., White Plains, NY building. Iwata
supports their mission of "empowering women & ending racism" and
has served on their board a few times. As a way to support the mission, Iwata
teaches free Ikebana workshops to the women of the YWCA who reside at
the N. Broadway residence, the lowest income housing in Westchester
County.  In addition to teaching, Iwata has demonstrated Ikebana at
the Hammond Museum, North Salem and the Brooklyn Heights Garden Club. 
Most recently she exhibited at the Brooklyn Brewery with the "Gohan
Society", a fundraiser in March 2013 with Ikebana International
NY members. Iwata belongs to the Sogetsu NY Branch & Ikebana
International NY Chapter.



Jerry Gross has a
professional background in floral design, specifically with silk flowers
and has made trips often to China for its manufacture. 





Vivien Huang Kwok has exhibited at
the Metropolitan Museum of Art and has been studying Ikebana for over a decade.





About Loop of the
Loom



Loop of the Loom is the only hand-weaving studio in
the New York metropolitan area, offering classes, which introduce the award
winning SAORI method for
children and adults. SAORI is a ZEN art of weaving from Japan that is dedicated
to free expression and self-development.
Loop of the Loom has the pleasure of introducing
this easy-to-learn form of, what we like to call, "happy weaving" and
unique craft classes using fibers from mother nature. Inspired through the
experience of living, the art of SAORI encourages self expression, personal
growth and healing. SAORI lets us celebrate the beauty of our imperfections by
weaving differing colors, threads and textures into a fabric that reflects the
masterpiece of our own humanity. Our goal is not to teach, but to lead people
to explore themselves through SAORI Weaving Arts. http://www.loopoftheloom.com/





About Japanese
Classical Dance



Classical
Japanese dance began around 1603, along with the first performances of Kabuki
Theatre.  In Japanese, it is also called Nihon buyō or nichibu. Even today, all Kabuki actors
must first learn to dance.





In
classical Japanese dance, the dancer interprets the poetry being sung rather
than dancing only to musical melodies. For instance, if the words of the song
say, “It was a very hot day,” the dancer might fan herself to show how hot it
is, or if the words refer to a gentle breeze, the dancer’s movements could
become the cool breeze itself. Sometimes the dancer moves rhythmically to the
music as well. A fan (osensu) helps
interpret the poetry by representing many things and illustrating many moods. The
fan can be used completely closed, with one rib opened, or fully open. Other
small hand props, such as an umbrella (kasa)
or  hand towel (tenugui) are also often used in dance.





In
classical Japanese dance, you don't have to be young, you don't have to be
thin, and you don't always have to be the “ballerina.” Men and women study both
male and female styles so that any character can be portrayed. Male style is
very open, with all energy directed outward -- the feet are turned out, and the
elbows are held out and away from the body to give an impression of masculinity
and strength. Female style is just the opposite, but equally strong -- the feet
are turned slightly inward with the knees held closely together, the arms are
carried closer to the body, and the movements are smaller and softer, so as to
be more feminine.





There
are many styles or schools of classical Japanese dance.  IchiFuji-kai performs in the elegant Soke Fujima style. Headed by Grandmaster
Fujima Kanjuro VIII, the Soke Fujima style, with it's 300-year history,
is a theatrical dance style and one of the most important styles still
being performed in the Kabuki theatre today.  





###





Pelham Art Center  
155 Fifth Avenue   Pelham, NY
10803   914-738-2525   info@pelhamartcenter.org



Hours: Tuesday–Friday, 10–5pm; Saturday, 10–4pm



Directions: Located 5 blocks from the Hutchinson
Parkway exit 12 and 2 blocks from the Metro North Pelham stop



 



These events and programs are made
possible, in part, by the ArtsWestchester with funds from Westchester County
Government. Pelham Art Center also receives funding from: New York State
Council on the Arts, A State Agency; Westchester Jewish Community Services; hibu;
Nurses Network of America; Town of Pelham; New Rochelle Campership Fund;
Bistro Rollin; Robin’s Art+Giving; Nycon; Junior League of Pelham, Prospect
Hill Lunchtime Enrichment; Strypemonde Foundation; Mark Link Insurance; Broadway Electric, Owen Berkowitz;
Members; and Annual Fund Donors.



 




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