ARTJ 199 : IKEBANA Student Exhibition

Students of Professor Emeritus Kimiko Gunji's class ARTJ199 Ikebana: Japanese Flower Arranging will be displaying their final arrangements at a free exhibition in the main room at Japan House.

Students will be displaying their final arrangements at an exhibition in the main room at Japan House. In only 8-weeks, eighteen University of Illinois students have learned some of the basic principles of Japanese flower arranging, including dots, lines, mass and miniature arrangements allowing them to make a jiyuka, or freestyle arrangement which encourages contemporary artistic expression. Students will be showcasing their favorite arrangements highlighting the theme of Kokoro, or heart, mind and spirit.

The Student Ikebana Exhibition at Japan House will be free and open to anyone wanting to see these masterpieces as part of our 2nd Saturday’s programming on Saturday, October 8 from 10am to 12pm, and 2pm to 4pm. Registration is requested. Guests will be asked to remove their shoes or use shoes covers (provided) upon entering Japan House.

Ikebana (生け花, 活け花) simply put, means "arranging flowers" or "making flowers alive". The tradition dates back to the Heian period (794 to 1185) when floral offerings were made at altars. Later, flower arrangements were instead used to adorn the tokonoma (alcove) of a traditional Japanese home. Ikebana reached its first zenith in the 16th century under the influence of Buddhist tea masters and has grown over the centuries, with numerous distinct schools in existence today.

Please stop by and support Japan House and the College of Fine and Applied Arts!

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