Special Collections & Archives welcomes Tei Kobayashi and Sensou Miyajima. Their exhibit, Contemporary WA, features contemporary Japanese painting and calligraphy. You may view the exhibit in Norlin's Ventana and Triptych Galleries, as well as the Special Collections & Archives Reading Room, all located on the 3rd floor. The SCA Reading Room, N345, is open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The rest of the exhibit is accessible whenever Norlin Library is open, now through October 30, 2017.
The exhibit showcases a collaboration between traditional Japanese calligraphy and enigmatic "Nihonga," Japanese -style painting. You may enjoy a glimpse into the heart of Hikaru Genji as he speaks of his love in Lady Murasaki Shikibu's Waka from the Heian Period, revel in the ephemera of Haiku, or relish the quiet beauty of the morning glory.
Born in the deserts of Arizona and raised in the mountains of Colorado, Tei Kobayashi is a Japanese-American artist. Tei was born almost on arrival after her mother crossed the ocean from Yokohama to San Francisco to join Tei’s father in America. Her mother's Japanese sensibilities and their new lives in America informed Tei's vision of the world. Following her university studies at Colorado College, Tei studied with the Taoist master Gia Fu Feng in Manitou Springs; with Sumi-e artist, Masako Yamamoto, "KOHO" in NYC; and with Sumi-e artist, Yuriko Noda and Chinese calligraphy painter/sculptor, Dr. S.P. Kiang, in Denver. Tei continued her studies at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Villa Schifanoia in Florence, where she was awarded a Master of Fine Arts and at Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan, where she was awarded a Master of Arts in Far Eastern Art History. Her studies in Japan over the past three decades have included Japanese painting, “Nihonga", Ink Painting, "Sumi-e" and Japanese Calligraphy, and "Shodo." Tei travels extensively throughout the US, Europe, and Asia, exhibiting and participating in numerous artist residencies and exhibitions. She lives in an ancient traditional Japanese farmhouse deep in the mountains of Nagano, Japan, with her two Shiba dogs and mountain kitty. Currently, Tei teaches art sensibilities at several universities in Tokyo and paints and studies calligraphy with the calligraphy master "CHISEN".
Sensou Miyajima was born in Tokyo, Japan. She moved to Nagano in 1976 and started her career in Japanese Calligraphy, "Kanasho" in particular. Sensou lives in Nagano where she teaches privately in her own school and in local city halls and Elderly Folk Centers. Sensou Miyjima is recognized as a master of the poetic "Kanasho". She has received many awards in national calligraphy competitions. Among these competitions are the prefectural exhibition (Kenten), Yomiuri Shohoten, Rinchikai Shoten Nubelsho.
Contemporary "WA” is co-sponsored by Special Collections & Archives at the University Libraries, the Japan Exchange and Teaching Alumni Association of the Rocky Mountains, and the Book Arts League.