A Calming Japanese Perspective – Delray Beach
Bring calm perspective into your busy life at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens which is located at 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach. Morikami is offering May workshops, classes, and demonstrations. Observe Japanese sadō, an ever-changing demonstration rich in seasonal subtleties. Your involvement in the true spirit of sadō with harmony, reverence, purity, and tranquility. Indulge yourself and add a sip of matcha green tea to bring a calm perspective into your busy life.
Sundays, May 1, 8, 15, 22, June 5
The Art of Bonsai (Advanced Class)
Time: 9am – 12pm, break, 12:30pm – 3:30pm
Cost: $200 (Morikami Members $190). Advance Registration Required.
Bonsai means "a tree in a tray." The art of bonsai creates the illusion of age and maturity of a tree, which has developed and sustained the effects of nature for many years. This is an advanced course for bonsai students with prior experience and must have instructor approval for registering.
Sundays, May 1, 15, or Thursdays, May 5, 19
Sado: Tea Ceremony (Beginners Class)
Time: 10:15am – 12:15pm
Cost: $60 (Morikami Members $55). Advance Registration Required.
Expand upon your knowledge of the Japanese tea ceremony in this hands-on class. Perform traditional Japanese tea ceremony, with its ever-evolving seasonal subtleties, in the authentic Seishin-an Tea House under the guidance of instructor Yoshiko Hardick. The tea ceremony changes from month to month and from season to season.
Sundays, May 1, 15
Sado Tea Ceremony (Intermediate Class)
Time: 1pm – 4pm
Cost: $60 (Morikami Members $55). Advance Registration Required.
Expand upon your knowledge of the Japanese tea ceremony in this hands-on class. Perform traditional Japanese tea ceremony, with its ever-evolving seasonal subtleties, in the authentic Seishin-an Tea House under the guidance of instructor Yoshiko Hardick. The intermediate course requires approval by the instructor before registering.
Tuesdays, May 3, 10, 17, 24
Ikebana Flower Arrangement – Ikenobo School (Class)
Time: Beginners - 11am – 1pm
Intermediate - 1pm – 3pm*
Cost: $80 (Morikami Members $70). Advance Registration Required.
*Intermediate courses are for students with prior experience or who have taken at least three sessions of Ikebana classes.
Flower arranging, ikebana, is a traditional Japanese art form spanning centuries. Ikebana has various different schools of study, each with unique philosophies and aesthetics. Dating back to the 15th century, the Ikenobo School is the oldest and most traditional. Students in this course learn the basic principles and style, creating fresh flower arrangements each week to take home and enjoy.
Wednesdays, May 4, 11, 18, 25
Ikebana Flower Arrangement: Sogetsu School (Class)
Time: Beginners – 10am – 12:30pm
Intermediate – 1:30pm – 3:30pm*
Cost: $80 (Morikami Members $70). Advance Registration Required.
Flower arranging, ikebana, is a traditional Japanese art form spanning centuries. Ikebana has various different schools of study, each with unique philosophies and aesthetics. The Sogetsu School is a contemporary school, which focuses on the creativity and individuality of ikebana. Students will learn the basics of Sogetsu and create unique pieces each week to take home and enjoy. *Intermediate courses are for students with prior experience.
Thursdays, May 5, 12, 19, 26
Sumi-e Ink Painting (Floral Beginners Class)
Time: Floral – 10:30am – 12:30pm
Cost: $70 (Morikami Members $65). Advance Registration Required.
Sumi-e is a form of Japanese ink painting brought from China in the 12th century. Primarily done in black ink, the name literally means, "charcoal drawing" in Japanese. Students grind their own ink using an ink stick and a grinding stone and learn to hold and utilize brushes to create the primary sumi-e brushstrokes. Floral and landscape classes will start with a review of the basic techniques before moving on to the main subject.
Fridays, May 6, 13, 20, 27
Sumi-e Ink Painting (Class)
Time: Floral – 10:30am – 12:30pm
Landscape – 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Cost: $70 (Morikami Members $65). Advance Registration Required.
Sumi-e is a form of Japanese ink painting brought from China in the 12th century. Primarily done in black ink, the name literally means, "charcoal drawing" in Japanese. Students grind their own ink using an ink stick and a grinding stone and learn to hold and utilize brushes to create the primary sumi-e brushstrokes. Floral and landscape classes will start with a review of the basic techniques before moving on to the main subject.
Friday, May 6
My Creative Journey – Talk by Artist Mariko Kusumoto
Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities
Time: 1pm
Cost: FREE with paid museum admission.
No reservations. Tickets will be given out the day of the event, on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn about Kusumoto’s journey as an artist, beginning with her undergraduate studies working in two-dimensional mediums (oil painting and printmaking), and then her 18-year career as a metalsmith and how she transitioned into working with fabrics. As new opportunities presented themselves, the direction of her work was able to evolve by allowing her instinct to lead her, thus the inspiration for her “creative journey.”
Mariko Kusumoto was born in Kumamoto, Japan. Educated in Tokyo and San Francisco, she currently lives and works in Massachusetts. Her work is in the permanent collections of museums in the US and Europe.
Fascinated by the potential of different materials, Kusumoto prevails upon fabric to construct forms of elegant simplicity and evocative imagery. Her designs are incorporated into jewelry and sculptural pieces, and in collaborations with renowned fashion designers Jean Paul Gaultier and Lela Rose.
Friday, May 6, 2022
“Beyond The Wall: Visions of the Asian Experience in America” Art Symposium
Time: 1pm
Live Q&A with the artists of the new exhibit, Beyond the Wall, including JUURI, Hiromi Moneyhun, Elena Ohlander, Boy Kong, and Casey Kawaguchi.
Saturday, May 7– Sunday, September 25
NEW ART EXHIBIT: “Beyond the Wall: Visions of the Asian Experience in America”
The United States is a nation comprised of immigrants who arrived with dreams of finding a better life for themselves and their families. For centuries, distinct ethnic customs introduced by these immigrants intermingled, creating unique urban and rural enclaves around the country. These cultural spheres are constantly evolving as new immigrants arrive and subsequent generations are born, inheriting the traditions, language, and customs from the countries that were left behind while absorbing those of their adopted home.
Asian immigrants have played an integral role in the building of this nation in all facets of life, including agriculture, business, medicine, technology, and the arts. Yet, these communities are still often viewed through a lens of stereotype, cliché, and myth. Beyond the Wall features the work of five dynamic contemporary artists of Japanese and Asian American descent who explore their cultural heritage and individual identities through the powerful, large-scale medium of the mural. The artists’ integration of Eastern aesthetics or concepts into a Western world construct reveals a greatly expanded narrative of identity. In this compelling exhibition, we discover their unique story and voice.
Saturday, May 7
Tango-no-Sekku: Japan’s Forgotten Festival – Talk by Alan Pate
Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities
Time: 1pm
Cost: FREE with paid museum admission.
No reservations. Tickets will be given out the day of the event, at a first come, first served basis.
Japan is justifiably famous for its many festivals; each one is reflective of a time and a spirit of community. They serve many functions, but most have a religious or spiritual origin and purpose. Purification. Protection. Gratitude. Commemoration. However, even these sacred rituals and celebrations are not immune to shifts in times, politics, and, optics. Today, the 5th month of the 5th day is celebrated as Kodomo-no-hi, or Children’s Day. It is a time for parents to gather with their children, make excursions, and celebrate family, particularly the children. But in times past, it had a very different character. As part of the Go-Sekku or Five Festivals, it was celebrated as Tango-no-sekku--a time for the ritual driving away of evil spirits and malevolent forces that affected the health of the family, community and nation. Traditionally it was commemorated through the striking of the ground with twisted cords of mugwort artemisia leaves, rough and tumble mock fights in the streets, and the display of warrior dolls with intense visages designed to avert evil. In the post-war era, this more aggressive aspect was eschewed for the more palatable idea of family bonding. Take a journey back in time, to explore the visuals and backstories of this all but forgotten festival. Tango-no-sekku, is more popularly known in the West as Boy’s Day.
Alan Scott Pate is an established premier dealer and authority on ningyô (antique Japanese dolls) outside of Japan and is the author of a number of books documenting the history and development of ningyô within Japanese culture, including Ningyô: The Art of the Japanese Doll (Tuttle, 2005), Japanese Dolls: The
Fascinating World of Ningyô (Tuttle, 2008), Entertaining the Gods and Man: Japanese Dolls and the Theater (Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 2012), Art as Ambassador: The Japanese Friendship Dolls of 1927 (2016), Kanban: Traditional Shop Signs of Japan (Princeton University Press/Mingei International Museum, 2017) and Ichimatsu: Japanese Play Dolls (2021).
Sunday, May 8
Family Fun: Mother’s Day Origami Flower Pot Card
Time: 10am – 5pm
Cost: FREE for members or with paid museum admission.
Join us and make your own origami tulip in a flowerpot card, just in time to celebrate a blooming woman in your life.
Saturday, May 14
Koto Demonstration
Time: 12pm, 1:30pm or 3pm. Each demo is 45 minutes (30 minute presentation, 15 minute Q&A).
Cost: $5 with paid admission to the museum.
Located in Morikami Theater
Koto is a traditional Japanese stringed instrument first introduced to Japan from China in the 7th-8th centuries. Learn the fascinating history of this exquisite instrument along with a musical presentation by koto master Yoshiko Carlton. Guests will receive koto sheet music of the song, Cherry Blossom.
Saturday, May 21
Sado: The Way of Tea Demonstration
Time: 12pm, 1:30pm or 3pm
Cost: $5 with paid museum admission.
Observe Japanese sadō, an ever-changing demonstration rich in seasonal subtleties. Your involvement in the true spirit of sadō — harmony (wa), reverence (kei), purity (sei), and tranquility (jaku) — along with a sip of matcha green tea and a sweet will help you bring a calm perspective into your busy life.
For more information on the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, please call (561) 495-0233 or visit morikami.org.
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