Freer and Sackler Galleries Celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival with Monster Tales, Anime Films and ImaginAsia Workshops March 28-April 12
The Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art and
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery will offer a variety of
programs, exhibitions and tours to celebrate the 2009
National Cherry Blossom Festival, March 28 through
April 12, in Washington, D.C.
Coinciding with the festival, the Sackler Gallery
presents “The Tale of Shuten Dōji,” March 21 through
Sept. 20. Colorful illustrations on scrolls, screens, fans
and books from Japan's Edo period (1615-1868) tell the heroic tale of the conquest of the terrifying
red monster Shuten Dōji by the hero Minamoto Yorimitsu (948–1021), known as Raikō. Docent-led
tours will be available throughout the duration of the exhibition.
Visitors can also explore the Japanese galleries in the Freer and learn how artists from the
ninth through 19th centuries developed a distinctive repertoire of techniques for applying gold and
silver to works of art in “Moonlight and Golden Clouds: Silver and Gold in the Arts of Japan,” on
view through Nov. 8. In the adjacent galleries, 13 ceramics from China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan
show how broken clay vessels were mended with lacquer resin and sprinkled with gold dust—
transforming their appearance and creating a new component of appreciation in “Golden Seams: The
Japanese Art of Mending Ceramics,” also on view though Nov. 8.
In the Freer and Sackler's ImaginAsia workshops, children ages 8-14 and their adult
companions can experience an exhibition and create a related art project to take home. On March 28
and 29, ImaginAsia presents an “Anime Artist Workshop,” which explores how contemporary artists
Smithsonian
Freer Gallery of Art and
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery News
Feb. 26, 2009
SI-101-2009 2
draw upon the traditions of Japanese masters. On April 4-19, participants can learn about the
exhibition “Moonlight and Clouds” and make their own silver and gold creations.
On Saturday, March 28, the Freer Gallery hosts the seventh annual “National Cherry Blossom
Anime Marathon” in cooperation with the Japan Information and Culture Center and Otakorp Inc. The
daylong event, beginning at 11 a.m. in the Meyer Auditorium, features a costume show and exhibition
courtesy of the DC Anime Club.
Nine Japanese films are also coming to the Freer in the traveling retrospective “In the Realm of
Oshima,” showcasing the brash, rebellious, passionate and conservative films of director Nagisa
Oshima. Films will be screened on Fridays and Sundays from March 6 through April 5; two tickets per
person will be distributed at the Meyer Auditorium one hour before each screening. For up-to-date
information on show times and film titles and descriptions, visit www.asia.si.edu.
“The Tale of Shuten Dōji” has been made possible with support from the Anne van Biema
Endowment Fund.
“In the Realm of Oshima” was organized by James Quandt of the Cinematheque Ontario and
sponsored by The Japan Foundation, the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute and Janus Films.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual two-week, citywide event featuring daily
cultural performances, arts and crafts, exhibits and demonstrations, sporting events, international
cuisine and other special events. It will be held March 28-April 12, with the parade April 4. The 2009
festival celebrates the 97th anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees to United States from
Japan and the enduring friendship between the citizens of the two countries.
The Freer Gallery of Art, located at 12th Street and Independence Avenue S.W., and the
adjacent Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, located at 1050 Independence Avenue S.W., are on the National
Mall in Washington, D.C. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day, except Dec. 25, and
admission is free. The galleries are located near the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue and
Orange lines. For more information, the public may call (202) 633-1000 or visit the Web site:
www.asia.si.edu.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery will offer a variety of
programs, exhibitions and tours to celebrate the 2009
National Cherry Blossom Festival, March 28 through
April 12, in Washington, D.C.
Coinciding with the festival, the Sackler Gallery
presents “The Tale of Shuten Dōji,” March 21 through
Sept. 20. Colorful illustrations on scrolls, screens, fans
and books from Japan's Edo period (1615-1868) tell the heroic tale of the conquest of the terrifying
red monster Shuten Dōji by the hero Minamoto Yorimitsu (948–1021), known as Raikō. Docent-led
tours will be available throughout the duration of the exhibition.
Visitors can also explore the Japanese galleries in the Freer and learn how artists from the
ninth through 19th centuries developed a distinctive repertoire of techniques for applying gold and
silver to works of art in “Moonlight and Golden Clouds: Silver and Gold in the Arts of Japan,” on
view through Nov. 8. In the adjacent galleries, 13 ceramics from China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan
show how broken clay vessels were mended with lacquer resin and sprinkled with gold dust—
transforming their appearance and creating a new component of appreciation in “Golden Seams: The
Japanese Art of Mending Ceramics,” also on view though Nov. 8.
In the Freer and Sackler's ImaginAsia workshops, children ages 8-14 and their adult
companions can experience an exhibition and create a related art project to take home. On March 28
and 29, ImaginAsia presents an “Anime Artist Workshop,” which explores how contemporary artists
Smithsonian
Freer Gallery of Art and
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery News
Feb. 26, 2009
SI-101-2009 2
draw upon the traditions of Japanese masters. On April 4-19, participants can learn about the
exhibition “Moonlight and Clouds” and make their own silver and gold creations.
On Saturday, March 28, the Freer Gallery hosts the seventh annual “National Cherry Blossom
Anime Marathon” in cooperation with the Japan Information and Culture Center and Otakorp Inc. The
daylong event, beginning at 11 a.m. in the Meyer Auditorium, features a costume show and exhibition
courtesy of the DC Anime Club.
Nine Japanese films are also coming to the Freer in the traveling retrospective “In the Realm of
Oshima,” showcasing the brash, rebellious, passionate and conservative films of director Nagisa
Oshima. Films will be screened on Fridays and Sundays from March 6 through April 5; two tickets per
person will be distributed at the Meyer Auditorium one hour before each screening. For up-to-date
information on show times and film titles and descriptions, visit www.asia.si.edu.
“The Tale of Shuten Dōji” has been made possible with support from the Anne van Biema
Endowment Fund.
“In the Realm of Oshima” was organized by James Quandt of the Cinematheque Ontario and
sponsored by The Japan Foundation, the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute and Janus Films.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual two-week, citywide event featuring daily
cultural performances, arts and crafts, exhibits and demonstrations, sporting events, international
cuisine and other special events. It will be held March 28-April 12, with the parade April 4. The 2009
festival celebrates the 97th anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees to United States from
Japan and the enduring friendship between the citizens of the two countries.
The Freer Gallery of Art, located at 12th Street and Independence Avenue S.W., and the
adjacent Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, located at 1050 Independence Avenue S.W., are on the National
Mall in Washington, D.C. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day, except Dec. 25, and
admission is free. The galleries are located near the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue and
Orange lines. For more information, the public may call (202) 633-1000 or visit the Web site:
www.asia.si.edu.
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