IKEBANA, THE ART OF JAPANESE FLOWER ARRANGING, IS THE TOPIC OF A LECTURE-DEMONSTRATION AT BARD COLLEGE ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.-The Japanese program at Bard College is offering a lecture-demonstration on the subject of ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arranging, on Tuesday, October 23. The program will begin at 8:00 p.m. in Room 102 of the F. W. Olin Humanities Building and is free and open to the public.
Gustav Heldt, Henry R. Luce Jr. Professor of Asian Studies and assistant professor of Japanese at Bard, and Michiko Suzuki Baribeau, Japanese language tutor at Bard and a licensed instructor in the Ikenobo School (the oldest of the official schools of ikebana), will provide a demonstration of ikebana arrangement and a brief review of the art, poetry, gardening, and Buddhist practices that have influenced it. They will also recite and translate some classical Japanese poems concerning the seasons and nature.
More than a simple placement of flowers within a container, ikebana is a disciplined art form in which the arrangement is considered a living thing-nature and humanity are brought together. Materials used are living branches, leaves, grasses, and blossoms, which create a beauty through simplicity and color combinations, natural shapes, and graceful lines.
Ikebana is characterized by its asymmetrical form and the use of empty space as an essential feature of the composition. It has been practiced in Japan for more than 600 years, evolving from the Buddhist ritual of offering flowers to the dead. By the middle of the 15th century, ikebana achieved the status of an art form independent of its religious origins, though retaining strong symbolic and philosophical overtones.
For further information, call 845-758-6822.
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(10.4.01)