Images as Tools for Teaching and Understanding:

A Workshop on Japanese Images and Identities for K–12 Teachers

8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Saturday, April 2, 2011
Held in the Lecture Hall of the Honolulu Academy of Arts
Honolulu, Hawaii

Sponsored by the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) and the Honolulu Academy of Arts (HAA)

Registration for this workshop is closed. Thank you for your interest.

From the Floating World of 17th- and 18th-century Edo prints to the alternate realities of 20th- and 21st-century anime, popular images of Japanese society and Japanese ethnic communities east to west reflect the social, economic, and political issues of their day. In prints and film, artists and filmmakers respond to changes around them, challenging images of the past and reinventing what it means to be Japanese and Japanese American. In this workshop, Japan specialists Paul Dunscomb and Melanie King will guide us in an exploration of this intricate web of images, tracing their roots over centuries and providing teaching tools for using images in the classroom to generate rich discussion of identity and change.

Forever Samurai and Geisha: Visualizing 20th- and 21st-Century Japanese Ethnic Identities
Melanie King, Art History Instructor, Seattle Central Community College;
NCTA seminar instructor, East Asia Resource Center, University of Washington

This interactive session will address notions of what it means to be Japanese and Japanese American as seen through the visual art of 20th- and 21st-century artists. We will focus on the impact traditional images of Japan have upon continuing to reinforce stereotypical ideas of the exotic Other. Consideration will be given to traditional artistic forms from Japan with a focus on woodblock prints and the impact they had and continue to have on the visual culture of Japan. As an extension, we will trace the impact of this art form as it informs Japanese ethnic identity within and beyond the geographic borders of Japan through the works of Sansei Japanese American artist Roger Shimomura.

Images of What Never Was to Suggest What Might Be: Japanese Popular Culture and Japanese-ness
Paul Dunscomb, Associate Professor of East Asian History, University of Alaska Anchorage;
NCTA seminar instructor, Alaska

Throughout the crisis of the Lost Decade in Japan (1992–2004) there was much debate about how Japan and the Japanese would have to change and to adapt in order to meet the economic, political, social and spiritual crises afflicting the nation post bubble. Much of this debate took place within and was reflected by popular culture, in particular how might the Japanese have to transform themselves to meet the challenges they faced. There are four anime series shown in Japan between 1999 and 2004 which throws interesting light on this debate and the range of possibilities open to the Japanese to change.

Gallery Tour of Ukiyo-e par Excellence at the Honolulu Academy of Arts
Edo period woodblock prints (1615–1868)

In conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association of Asian Studies and the International Convention of Asia Scholars that will be held in Honolulu in April, the Academy will focus on premier ukiyo-e of the Edo period (1615–1868). The exhibition will include rare paintings and printed books. This show chronologically traces the history of ukiyo-e as well as introduces various genres of the art including bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women), yakusha-e (actor prints) and landscapes.

The workshop is offered free of charge, thanks to funding by the Freeman Foundation to NCTA and the support of HAA. A certificate of completion will be issued to participants. Continental breakfast, snacks, and coffee/tea will be provided. For more information about the content of this workshop, e-mail earc@uw.edu.

Registration for this workshop is closed. Thank you for your interest.