Four Antioch College faculty members have received a $24,000 grant from the Japan Foundation. The grant is offered to support institutions “that execute proposals designed to maintain and advance the infrastructural scale of Japanese Studies at their institution.” This grant is supplemented by a $3500 grant from the Yellow Springs Community Foundation.
Building on the success of the Antioch College Ohayo-Ohio Japanese Symposium in 2016,four Antioch College faculty members will offer Ohayo-Ohio II: New Opportunities for Cultural Engagement . Caitlin Meagher, Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Toyoko Miwa Osborne, Instructor of Japanese, Beth Bridgeman, Instructor of Cooperative Education, and Louise Smith, Associate Professor of Performance, are collaborating on a variety of Japanese cultural workshops and lectures for students, faculty, and the community, highlighting the work of Antioch College alumni working in the fields of kyogen, butoh, and washi.
Miwa-Osborne will offer an “Orizuru” symposium, bringing the film’s director and a panel of collaborators to discuss the making of this film, which tells the story behind Sadako and the Paper Cranes, and the bombing of Hiroshima. Smith will bring visiting artists and alumni Abel Coehlo, Butoh performer, and Dr. Julie Iezzi, theatre professor and kyogen performer, to offer a variety of workshops and performances. Bridgeman and Meagher, will bring several additional Antioch alumni and artists from Japan and the U.S. whose careers in Japan or Japanese culture were informed by the experiential education they received at Antioch College. Chiba, Japan-based Everett Brown, a photojournalist, organic farmer and inn-keeper, will offer an exhibition and gallery talk on his recent project, samurai fashion in post-disaster Fukushima. University of Iowa-based alumnus, papermaking expert and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant Timothy Barrett will give a washi papermaking workshop and lecture. Antioch professor emeritus Harold Wright and his wife Jonatha will give a Japanese storytelling event. Other events include an exhibition of current Antioch students’ photographs of Japan, a bento(Japanese lunch box)-making workshop, a raku pottery firing workshop, a shibori(natural dyeing) workshop offered by Shannon Hart ’17 and villager Jackie Mulhall, a shodo (calligraphy) demonstration and workshop, and a koto (Japanese harp) performance. Hannah Craig, ’17 provided this year’s Ohayo Ohio logo.
The first Ohayo Ohio II events will take place from May 18 to 26, with a second round of events in November. For more information, please visit our Facebook page.
Text provided by Beth Bridgeman and Caitlin Meagher. Featured image is courtesy of Hannah Craig.
