 | | Wednesday, September 8, 10:30 am
Join Zoe Donnell, the curator of Edo to Tacoma: Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Collection, as she tells us more about this fascinating collection and how it came to be at Tacoma Art Museum. A gallery tour will follow. Free with museum admission. |
 | | Sunday, September 26, 1 pm
This half-day symposium is a contemporary exploration of the tradition of landscape painting. It begins with art historian Katie Kresser, who will provide a history of landscape painting. She is followed by Victoria Adams and Michael Brophy, two notable Northwest landscape artists, discussing their work. Curator Rock Hushka closes with a lecture on the sublime within the context of this art form, and the program concludes with all of the speakers coming together for a panel where audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions. Cost: $15, $10 for members, $5 for students. Educator clock hours available. To purchase tickets, click here. |



| | Learn more about the history of art in Japan in this 4-week series presented in conjunction with the exhibition Edo to Tacoma: Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Collection. Cost: Individual lectures $15, $10 for members, $5 for students or, for the series, $55, $35 for members. Educator clock hours available. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. October 3: Japanese Buddhist Sculpture Admired the world over for their aesthetic properties and formal beauty, Buddhist icons were first and foremost produced as objects of religious worship. This lecture will offer an introduction to the iconography, materials, and history of early Japanese Buddhist sculpture. We will consider a range of icons and temple contexts, with a focus on the Nara period (710-794), the so-called “classic” age of Buddhist sculpture. To purchase tickets, click here. October 10: Japanese Court Culture and Elite Arts The Heian period (794-1185) is often associated with the development of a highly refined native aesthetic in Japanese arts and letters. A fictionalized courtier named Genji was the romantic star of the era, and painted illustrations of his story became one of Japanese art’s most celebrated treasures. In this lecture we peer behind the brocade curtains and explore the world of the Tale of Genji. To purchase tickets, click here. October 17: Zen Buddhism and the Culture of Tea Zen Buddhism was imported from China at the end of the twelfth century and was quickly embraced by the military class for its emphasis on austere self-discipline. Closely associated with the new sect was the culture of tea, enjoyed for its medicinal properties and as an aid for meditation. This talk explores the practice of the tea ceremony as well as Zen imagery, discussing architecture, painting and ceramics. To purchase tickets, click here. October 24: Ukiyo-e: Pictures of the Floating World The woodblock print was arguably the most innovative of Japan’s art forms. Known as ukiyo-e, these colorful images by artists such as Harunobu and Utamaro, Hokusai and Hiroshige depict actors and courtesans, urban sophisticates, and gem-like landscapes. This lecture provides an overview of ukiyo-e, from lively monochrome ink drawings to wonderfully sophisticated full-color prints. To purchase tickets, click here. |
 | | Join Rock Hushka, Director of Curatorial Administration and Curator of Contemporary and Northwest Art, as he shares the inspiration behind the upcoming exhibition, Mighty Tacoma. |
 | | First Thursdays, November 2010–April 2011, 11:30 am
In partnership with the Tacoma Historical Society, bring a sack lunch and hear Tacoma historians discuss various aspects of the city’s history. This six-lecture series runs from November through April on the first Thursday of each month, concurrent with the exhibition Mighty Tacoma: Photographic Portrait 2010. Free with museum admission. |