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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2007

PRESS CONTACT:           
Andrea Potochniak
607 254-4563
arp37@cornell.edu

Lacquerware, dolls, and bamboo baskets from Cornell collections
plus annual exhibition curated by Cornell’s
History of Art Majors’ Society examines the feminine in Japanese art

Ithaca, NY—The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University is presenting four exhibitions of Japanese art this spring:

• Ningyo: Japanese Dolls from the Goldstein Collection, on view March 10 to June 24
• Listening to Bamboo: Japanese Baskets from the Collection of Ritalou and Robert Harris,
  on view March 10 to June 24
• Scattered Gold and Midnight Gloss: Japanese Lacquer from the Anbinder Collection,
  on view March 31 to July 8
• Performing Desire: Constructs of Feminine Beauty and Sexuality in Japanese Art,
  on view March 31 to July 8

“Ningyo” represent the refined Japanese art of dolls, made not for play but for show. This exhibition features over 20 Japanese dolls created during the eighteenth to early twentieth century, representing a variety of characters including emperors and empresses, warriors, infants, mythic and folktale characters, gods, dancers, and actors. Such dolls were often created for household shrines to memorialize someone or for festival celebrations (such as the Boys’ Day Festival held annually on May 5, and the Girls’ Day Festival held on March 3), and presented as formal gifts. Cornell alumni Marcia and Mark Goldstein, Cornell Classes of 1973 and 1972, have generously lent their fine collection for this exhibition.

Listening to Bamboo features over 20 baskets from the Meiji era (1868–1912) to the present from the collection of Ritalou Harris, Cornell Class of 1957, and Robert Harris and includes works by anonymous craftsmen as well as contemporary masters, including bamboo artists honored with the designation of Living National Treasure. The artists who made the baskets on view underwent many years of rigorous training; only after mastering preparatory steps would they be allowed to weave and plait baskets. This foundation in technique promotes such humility, discipline, and respect for bamboo that many artists describe the creative process as a dialogue, often attributing the outcome to the bamboo itself.

Drawn from the collection of Cornell alumni Helen and Paul Anbinder, Classes of 1962 and 1960, Scattered Gold and Midnight Gloss presents the exquisite beauty of traditional Japanese lacquer. Edo-, Meiji-, and Taisho-period boxes and other containers made for personal use as part of the bridal trousseau, for the practice of writing, or for entertainment and games, feature sophisticated designs in gold and black that allude to the cycles of nature, literary classics, and auspicious wishes.

Performing Desire has been curated by the eight Cornell juniors and seniors who are members of the History of Art Majors’ Society and explores the roles and uses of the feminine in Japanese art. Over fifty works from the seventeenth century to today present representations of deities, geisha, actors, and transvestites that reveal conceptual links between artists’ depictions of Japanese women and the actual roles they have played in Japanese society, how these portrayals reflect cultural perceptions of femininity, and how they serve as models of what women’s ideal image should or should not be.

The Johnson Museum has a permanent collection of over 30,000 works of art from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. The museum building was designed by I. M. Pei. Funds for the building were donated by Cornell alumnus Herbert F. Johnson, late president and chairman of S C Johnson. The building opened in 1973.

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The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, located on the campus of Cornell University, is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. The Museum is completely accessible for mobility-impaired visitors, and a wheelchair is available in the lobby. Metered parking is available in the lot next to the Museum. For more information, please call 607 255-6464. Visit the Museum’s website at www.museum.cornell.edu. The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art is a proud member of Ithaca’s Discovery Trail: www.DiscoveryTrail.com.

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