Japanese Culture and Art

Course Description 

One could rightly say that Kyoto is the textile Mecca of the world in both a spiritual and material sense. The city provides both the inspiration and the means for the creation of outstanding textiles. This unique location is an ideal setting in Japan for a travel seminar in studio art. The ancient arts of weaving, dyeing and ceramics are still practiced today. One can still get a glimpse of graceful kimono clad women walking in the streets and byways lined with shops selling traditional ceramics. Contemporary artists and craftsmen have adapted old methods and processes to create new variations on traditional forms as well as innovative expressions in many media that are exhibited in Japan and, indeed, around the world.

The travel seminar offers the opportunity to experience one of the three major festivals staged each year for which Kyoto is world famous. The Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival), dating to the 6th century, honors two of the oldest shrines in the city with a procession through the streets of hundreds of figures in period costumes, horsemen and decorated ox drawn carts. This major event is part of a week of field trips to famous temples with their traditional gardens and collections of art, shrines, historic sites, museums, traditional workshops, galleries and artists’ studios.

For a part of the program the students will be housed in a hotel situated near the Kamo River, Botanical Garden, neighborhood shops and public transportation. The field trips and living ambiance are structured to provide the participants with complete immersion into Japanese life and culture Kyoto-style. Contacts with artists and art students, through visits to studios and schools, are a very important aspect of the program. There will also be opportunities to visit outdoor flea markets selling traditional goods, various crafts and antiques.

Students will engage with the Japanese culture though visiting traditional festivals, the Nishiki Market, Nara Park, traditional temples and shrines, and a Japanese cultural museum. In addition, students will engage with local peers and collaborate to create a PowerPoint presentation about their work. Students will take a field trip together to Osaka Castle and to Dotonbori. Students will be able to communicate with each other because the Japanese students will have sufficient English speaking skills and the group will have a dedicated translator for the duration of the seminar. Dedicated assignments help students to deepen their understanding and historical appreciation of Japanese 

Learning Goals

Students enrolled in the Japanese Culture and Art travel seminar will:

1) gain an understanding of the nature and potential of the traditional Japanese Roketsuzome, Katazome, Shrihaku, and Shibori textile techniques; 

2) collaborate with local Japanese students;

3) read, look, and think critically to understand the differences and similarities between Japanese culture and their own; 

4) gather and interpret visual and textual information; and

5) attain a stronger multicultural world view.

For a sample itinerary of the Japanese Culture and Art travel seminar, please click here. 

Important Information

Prerequisite: Japanese Art and Culture (course in spring 2019).

Credits: TX100 is a two credit course.

Program Fee: The anticipated fee for the travel seminar to Japan is $5,000(subject to fluctuation). This includes airfare from New York City to Osaka, partial meal stipend, accommodations (double occupancy), activities and ground transportation, Skidmore faculty on site, and the support of OCSE.  The fee does not include personal expenses. Financial aid is available for eligible students. Please see the OCSE travel seminar financial policy page for additional information. 

Meals and Accommodation: The program fee includes program housing in student accommodations and hotels for the duration of the program in Japan.  Students will be given a meal stipend. More specific information about meals and accommodations will be communicated to students upon acceptance.  

Flights: Roundtrip airfare from New York City is included in the program fee. 

Application Process: The deadline for applications is October 15, 2018. Students are required to apply for Travel Seminars through the MyOCSE portal. Applications will  be reviewed and students will be notified of acceptances before spring 2019 registration.  Students will then be required to register for Japanese Art and Culture (spring 2019 course).

Questions

Stop by the OCSE office (Starbuck 202) or contact Sang Wook Lee (Associate Professor of Art) directly.