The Williamson’s Year at a Glance, 2016 – 2017

Noh Theater

Here’s a look at what is planned for the 2016-2017 academic year. See what the Williamson is up to:

EXHIBITIONS
Dates are occasionally subject to change. Events are open to the public.

TREASURES FROM THE
SCRIPPS COLLECTORS’ CIRCLE
, 2012-2015
August 28 – October 16, 2016
Opening Reception: September 10, 2016, 7 to 9 pm
Williamson Gallery

Scripps College has a rich and growing collection, due almost entirely to gifts from generous donors. The College has never had an art acquisition fund, and no tuition monies have ever been spent on art. While understandable, this practice has unfortunately left incomplete areas within the collection, hindering its function as a complement to the curriculum. Thus, the SCC was formed with the goal of making strategic additions of artworks. This exhibition features some of the remarkable works the SCC has brought into the collection, and includes a wide variety of media and artists.

ON STAGE: JAPANESE THEATER PRINTS AND COSTUMES
October 29  – December 17, 2016
Opening: October 29, 7 to 9 pm
Williamson Gallery

Prints depicting scenes from Japanese theater feature prominently in the Scripps collection of over 2400 Japanese prints. The collection provided ample material for this exhibition, which focuses on themes related to Kabuki, Bunraku and Noh theater.  Costumes and masks will also be on view. The exhibition was organized by Prof. Bruce Coats, who teaches Asian art history at Scripps.

The exhibition is part of a celebration of Japanese theater taking place at Scripps and Pomona colleges. For more information, please visit: Noh Theater at the Claremont Colleges

73rd SCRIPPS CERAMIC ANNUAL
January 21 – April 9, 2017
Opening: January 21, 2017, 7 to 9 pm, Williamson Gallery
Lecture: Jan. 21, 4 to 5 pm, Humanities Auditorium

The Scripps College Ceramic Annual opens for its 73rd consecutive year on Saturday, Jan 21st, 2017 at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery. The theme of the exhibition is “a sense of place and play.” Each artist chosen by curator Joan Takayama-Ogawa creates work that reflects an intimate relationship with a particular place, one that offers the artist grounding and meaning. Artists include: Chris Antemann, Jeff Oestrich, Diego Romero, Red Weldon Sandlin, Porntip Sangvanich, Michael Sherrill, Anna Silver, Mara Superior, and Ehren Tool.

On January 21 from 4 to 5 pm, there will be a special lecture related to the exhibition at the Scripps Humanities Auditorium, followed by the opening reception, with live music and light refreshments, from 7 to 9 pm at the Williamson Gallery. This event is free and open to the public.

SCRIPPS SENIOR EXHIBITION
April 28 – May 13, 2017
Opening: April 28, 7 to 9 pm
Williamson Gallery

An annual exhibition of final thesis projects created by graduating studio art majors, the Senior Art Show is a cornerstone of the studio art major at Scripps. In addition to producing the works displayed, seniors conceptualize the show, install their pieces, write artist statements, and design publicity for the exhibition. Works are displayed in the gallery for two weeks, through the end of commencement. An opening reception will be held in the Bixby Courtyard on Friday, April 28, from 7 to 9 pm.

 

In addition, several exhibitions, on various aspects of Japanese theater and literature, will be held at the Clark Humanities Museum, located at the Betty Cree Humanities Building, Scripps College:

Acting Out: Japanese Prints of the Ichikawa Lineage
August 31 – October 7

Scripps Clark Humanities Museum

In the late 17th c. the Ichikawa family of kabuki actors created stage roles that emphasized fantastic costumes and exaggerated gestures. Print artists were challenged to capture these dramatic poses and to advertise the various members of an acting lineage that has continued for cover 300 years. This exhibition highlights the “rough style / aragoto” roles developed by generations of performers bearing the prestigious name “Ichikawa Danjuro.”

This exhibition is in conjunction with the Scripps College art history seminar “Japanese Theater Prints.”

“The Tale of Genji” Reimagined
October 17 – November 19, 2016
Clark Humanities Museum

Tale of Genji is one of the earliest psychological novels in existence and has proven to be a valuable resource in the study of Japanese culture. Scripps College has an extensive collection of over 450 art objects related to The Tale of Genji, including prints, cloisonné, textiles, and folding screens. This first exhibition will highlight various chapters of the novel to demonstrate how particular narratives or specific characters have been interpreted by different artists. The exhibition will be curated by Isabella Ramos, SC ’17.

Dressing and Crossdressing Actors in Japan
November 28 – December 16, 2016
Clark Humanities Museum

Until the 20th century, male actors usually played female roles on stage in Japan, and the role of the onnagata was an important part of the Kabuki theater tradition. This exhibition highlights those actors as depicted in woodblock prints and illustrated books. Works will be selected and described by students in the Scripps College “Japanese Prints” seminar.

 

LECTURES:

In the coming academic year, the Gallery will offer a series of exciting lectures, including a continuation of the lecture series on art conservation. As dates grow closer, more details will appear on this page.

Lecture: “The Who and Why of Japanese Theater Prints”
Friday, October 28, 2016 at 8 pm
 Room 101, Steele Hall, Scripps College
Professor Katherine Saltzman-Li, University of California Santa Barbara

This lecture will explore the content and consumption of Japanese woodblock prints for the Kabuki and Noh theaters, with emphasis on the intentions of the actors, print producers, and audiences responsible for their existence.

Art Conservation Lecture Series:

“Art-CSI: Photophysical Properties of Pigments as Fingerprint Markers in Archaeological Forensics”
Tuesday, November 1, 2016, 7:45 p.m.
Boone Recital Hall, Scripps College Performing Arts Center

Dr. Ioanna Kakoulli, Professor of Archaeological Materials Science and Conservation, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA/Getty Program in the Conservation of Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials, Tuesday Noon Academy, Malott Commons, Scripps, supported by Clark Lecture Funds.

Assessment of Significance and Decision-Making in Object Conservation
Tuesday, April 4, 2017, Noon
Hampton Room, Malott Commons, Scripps College

Ellen Pearlstein, Associate Professor, UCLA/Getty Program in the Conservation of Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials, Tuesday Noon Academy.

 

Lectures are open to the public and admission is free. Dates are occasionally subject to change.

 

During exhibitions, the Gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday, from noon to 5 pm.

Image: Chikanobu Toyohara, Noh Theater, 1889, print, 14 5/8 in. x 28 11/16 in., Purchase by the Aoki Endowment for Japanese Arts.

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