Art in the Garden 2024
In 2024, Portland Japanese Garden's exhibitions illuminate Japanese culture collected by our local community, as well as Portland's sister-city relationship with Sapporo, Japan
Boy Playing a Drum (Late 19th century) by Photographer Credit: Jonathan LeyPortland Japanese Garden
Masterpieces in Miniature: The Art of Netsuke Sculptures
From December 2023—March 2024, Portland Japanese Garden presented a selection from our collection of netsuke in our winter exhibition.
Once immensely popular across Japan, netsuke (pronounced nets-keh) were miniature sculptures that also served a purpose as personal fashion accessories, helping overcome the lack of pockets in traditional men’s clothing by helping hang small items from a kimono sash.
What started as simple accessories evolved into beautiful and complicated sculptures created in a variety of exquisite materials over a span of more than two hundred years during Japan’s Edo period (1603-1868).
Shishi with Jewels (Late 19th century) by Photographer Credit: Portland Japanese GardenPortland Japanese Garden
Guest curated by Dr. Peter Doebler, the Kettering Curator of Asian Art at Dayton Art Institute, Masterpieces in Miniature featured a selection of never-before-seen netsuke, as well as works not seen since 2010.
Four Gods of Good Luck in a Treasure Ship (Early 20th century) by Photographer Credit: Jonathan LeyPortland Japanese Garden
The exhibition, taking place in the Pavilion Gallery, explored diverse stories that inspired netsuke forms, ranging from gods, heroes, and fantastical creatures to symbolic animals from the natural world.
To learn more about Masterpieces in Miniature, please visit our website.
Shashin: Photographic Frontiers of Hokkaido - Pavilion Gallery, close-up (2024-03-15) by Photographer Credit: Jonathan LeyPortland Japanese Garden
Shashin: Photographic Frontiers of Hokkaido
In the Pavilion Gallery, we’ve invited The North Finder, a Hokkaido-based group of photographers.
The Mystery of Winter: Drift Ice (2023) by Takayuki UemuraPortland Japanese Garden
Their mission is to “raise the image of Hokkaido through photography and help people to know Hokkaido more deeply” to share their perspective of Sapporo (capital of Hokkaido).
Shashin: Photographic Frontiers of Hokkaido - Pavilion Gallery (2024-03-15) by Photographer Credit: Jonathan LeyPortland Japanese Garden
The show exhibits the work of 23 photographers that capture the diversity of natural environments, distinctive seasons, and notable sites of Portland’s sister city from the perspective of the people who live there.
Jewelry Ice (2022) by Takahiro NishiokaPortland Japanese Garden
Featuring a range of subjects, this exhibition shares poetic perspectives of the iconic region.
Quiet Reflections of Hokkaido Winter: Photography by Sandra Chandler, scrolls (2024-03-15) by Sandra ChandlerPortland Japanese Garden
Quiet Reflections of Hokkaido Winter:
Photography by Sandra Chandler
Connecting the perspective of Hokkaido with Portland is an exhibition of local artist Sandra Chandler, which is exhibited in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center’s Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Gallery.
Cherry Blossoms at Goryokaku Castle Ruins (2022) by Hisao AsanoPortland Japanese Garden
Vision of Place
Celebrating 65 years of the Portland and Sapporo Sister City relationship, Vision of Place welcomes the work of Hokkaido-based photographers and a local Portland photographer to showcase the beauty of Japan’s northernmost prefecture, Hokkaido, on display March—June 2024.
Quiet Reflections of Hokkaido Winter: Photography by Sandra Chandler, metallic prints (2024-03-15) by Sandra Chandler and Photographer Credit: Jonathan LeyPortland Japanese Garden
Chandler is a passionate photographer, who has been a longtime supporter and Portland Japanese Garden’s Foundation Board Chairperson.
Traveling the world using her designer’s eye, Chandler’s photography explores minimalist compositions artfully captured from nature.
Quiet Reflections of Hokkaido Winter: Photography by Sandra Chandler, scrolls (2024-03-15) by Sandra Chandler and Photographer Credit: Jonathan LeyPortland Japanese Garden
The artwork in Quiet Reflections evokes minimalism and reflection through artfully composed scenes from Hokkaido’s winter season.
Quiet Reflections of Hokkaido Winter: Photography by Sandra Chandler, metallic prints (2024-03-15) by Sandra ChandlerPortland Japanese Garden
To learn more about Vision of Place, please visit our website.
Castle with Water Wheel, Boatmen (1868/1912) by Gift of Peter and Beverly SintonPortland Japanese Garden
Painting with Thread: The Art and Culture of Fukusa
Commemorating the recent donation of The Peter and Beverly Sinton Japanese Gift and Altar Cover Collection, this exhibition showcases the art of gift-giving through the beauty of fukusa. On Display June 22 - September 18th, 2024.
Mountain Landscape Beside River (1868/1912) by Gift of Peter and Beverly Sinton and Meiji (1868-1912) or Taishō period (1912- 1926)Portland Japanese Garden
Fukusa are ornate textiles traditionally made of Japanese silk that were draped over formal gifts and presented amongst prominent families during the Edo period (1603 – 1868) through Taishō period (1912-1926) in Japan.
A fukusa could be embellished through weaving, dyeing, painting and embroidery or sometimes a combination of techniques.
The fukusa was often not part of the gift, but an important aspect of the gift-giving ritual and would be returned to the original owner often with a small reciprocal gift.
These functional works of art embody a high level of technique and artistry in their designs.
fukusa-on white-4669 (1926/1989) by SintonPortland Japanese Garden
Nature-inspired fukusa related to the plants and scenes famililiar within Portland Japanese Garden are on display.
Kintsugi - The Resorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru (2024) by Naoko FukumaruPortland Japanese Garden
Kintsugi: The Restorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru
From September 2024 - January 2025, Portland Japanese Garden is thrilled to feature Kintsugi: The Restorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru in our Pavilion and Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Galleries. Kintsugi is an ancient method of mending damaged ceramics using urushi (natural lacquer) dusted with powdered gold.
Kintsugi: The restorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru (2024) by Naoko Fukumaru.Portland Japanese Garden
This type of mending highlights the beauty of imperfections, rather than trying to hide them.
Moss in the Stone Cracks (1930) by Naoko FukumaruPortland Japanese Garden
This timely exhibition explores universally resonant themes of healing through the artwork of kintsugi artist and master conservator Naoko Fukumaru.
Ocean Scars (2019) by Naoko FukumaruPortland Japanese Garden
“I spend several months restoring each ceramic with care and love. When the owners are reunited with their kintsugi-restored ceramics, they are amazed at how the damage has transformed into beauty. Many tell me, ‘Wow, this is more beautiful than when it was complete.'
“Beautiful Trauma” - Transformation (1871/1891) by Naoko FukumaruPortland Japanese Garden
"Because kintsugi does not hide damage, we can accept and celebrate mistakes and imperfections. People can overcome their traumas and sufferings when they realize they can find beauty in imperfection."
Kintsugi: The Restorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru (2024/2025) by Naoko FukumaruPortland Japanese Garden
Kintsugi: The Restorative Art of Naoko Fukumaru (2024) by Naoko FukumaruPortland Japanese Garden
To learn more about this exhibition, please visit https://japanesegarden.org/events/kintsugi-the-restorative-art-of-naoko-fukumaru/
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