New exhibitions open with fanfare and a flurry of media attention
The two new exhibitions that have just opened at Beinecke Library—“Textured Stories: The Chrimen Books of Modern Japan” and “Unfolding Events: Exploring Past and Present in Artists’ Books”—have already received extensive coverage in the media.
To date, more than 20 magazines and newspapers have printed advance notices, calendar listings, and reviews. (Links to the online publications are live below, although some may require subscription access.)
“Antiques & The Arts Weekly,” “The Cheshire Herald,” “The Connecticut Post,” “CT Insider,” “Fine Books & Collections,” “Harper’s Bazaar Italia” “The Litchfield County Times,” “The Middletown Press,” “The New Haven Register,” “Republican-American,” “The Wall Street Journal,” “The Wall Street Journal” (online)
Hundreds of visitors attended the opening reception for the two exhibitions on Thursday, Sept. 25. Shown here at the event, wearing a traditional Japanese kimono (rearranged into a Western silhouette), is Haruko Nakamura, co-curator with Yoshitaka Yamamoto of “Textured Stories.” Nakamura is Yale’s librarian for Japanese Studies. Yamamoto is assistant professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures. Sayumi Shimada, acquisitions assistant in Japanese collections, posed with Nakamura for the photo.
“Textured Stories” is a display of “chirimen-bon”—a type of Japanese illustrated crepe-paper book produced between the 1880s and the 1950s. Their topics range from fairy tales, folklore, holidays, festivals, performing arts, to scenes from everyday life. “Textured Stories” is on view at Beinecke Library through May 3.
“Unfolding Events” presents artists’ books produced with unconventional materials and processes, revealing the power of the book to share experiences, challenge assumed truths, and envision new futures. “Unfolding Events” is on view at Beinecke Library through March 1.
Jessica Pigza, associate director of the Haas Arts Library special collections, and Bill Landis, teaching and research services librarian, are the curators of “Unfolding Events.”
In conjunction with the “Textured Stories” exhibition, the artist Keiji Shinohara will lead a woodblock-printing demonstration on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 4:30 pm in the auditorium of Henry R. Luce Hall, 34 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven. This event is sponsored by the Council on East Asian Studies, MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale.
—Deborah Cannarella
Credits: Designer of the Tomesode Dress [worn by Nakamura]: @temari_na.vi, ☆KIMONO DRESSING☆TEMARI; photo by Matthew Fried
