The Boston Printmakers Newsletter, Winter 2024
| Overview The unique programs of printmaker Keiko Kadota have opened doors for international printmakers since she began inviting artists to Japan in the 1990s. At the time, her five week residencies were a rare opportunity for artists outside Japan to learn traditional Japanese woodcut techniques. She was inspired by the work of US pioneers like June Wayne of Tamarind Institute and Kathan Brown of Crown Point Press. Tadashi Toda, master printer for Brown’s Kyoto Woodblock Program (1982-1989) was the first to work with her small groups of international artists at the Nagasawa Art Park. In 2011 Kadota moved the residency to Lake Kawaguchi in Yamanashi Prefecture and renamed it Mokuhanga Innovation Laboratory (Mi-Lab). That same year she initiated the triannual International Mokuhanga Conference to maintain and expand the connections made at the residencies. After her death in 2017 her partner Yasuyuki Sato continued her programs and in 2024 relocated the Mi-Lab residency to the papermaking area of Echizen in conjunction with the fifth conference. |
| Left: Keiko Kadota 2009 (d. 2017) Right: 2014 International Mokuhanga Conference Print Demonstration at Tokyo Geidai |
| NAGASAWA ART PARK, Awaji (1997-2011) Keiko Kadota conceived of the Nagasawa Art Park residency as a way to promote her personal commitment to international cooperation through art and craft. It began with uncertain local funding and grew into a serious residency that changed the lives of many participants. Located on the small island of Awaji, the residency would typically include a trip to nearby Kyoto and other cultural sites such as the Awaji Puppet Theatre. The program accepted one artist from each country, but was somewhat flexible. It attracted artists with an interest in Japanese culture and especially encouraged the participation of educators. It ran for 12 years with 78 participants from 30 countries. Focused around training in traditional water based woodcut, artists worked independently and participated in community life. Activities were documented annually in a professionally designed magazine with photographs of each artist’s work. |
| Nagasawa Art Park 2004 |
| 2011 FIRST INTERNATIONAL MOKUHANGA CONFERENCE, Kyoto/Awaji Keiko Kadota’s international conferences expanded her vision beyond technical training for visiting artists. In 2011 she planned the First International Mokuhanga Conference in Kyoto and Awaji with the help of Tuula Moilanen and others. Exhibitions, demonstrations, an open portfolio event and a Product Fair were held at Kyoto Kaikan Conference Hall, and the International Juried exhibition Mokuhanga: Dialogue and Dialect, with 60 artists, was held at Kyoto International Community House. There were additional exhibitions at Art Forum Jarfo, Artbooks Yamazaki, Sunshine Gallery, and the Kyoto Art Center. After three impossibly busy days, participants boarded buses to Awaji for the second part of the conference at Tadao Ando’s massive Awaji Yumebutai International Conference Center, as a farewell to the island that had hosted the Nagasawa Art Park residency. Speakers included artists, educators, historians, master printers and carvers, with two panel discussions focused on teaching and international exchange. The conference was followed by an optional tour to the Awagami Papermaking Factory on Shikoku Island. MOKUHANGA INNOVATION LABORATORY, Yamanashi (2011-2019) The 2011 conference attracted over a hundred participants and marked a new chapter in Keiko Kadota’s programming. CfSHE (Center for the Science of Human Endeavour) opened an office at 3331 Arts Chiyoda, a new art center in a renovated junior high school. The residency itself was located in a former summer camp on Lake Kawaguchi near Mount Fuji two hours from Tokyo. First opened in February 2012, the program expanded to include Basic, Advanced, and Researcher Residencies. Other programs included exchange programs and a student summer camp. In addition to the immersive experiences at Lake Kawaguchi, the Tokyo office hosted short-term workshops, seminars for Japanese students, and exhibitions of artists from the residency programs. |
| 2017 carving demonstration by Shoichi Kitamura at International Mokuhanga Conference, U. Manoa, Hawaii |
| 2014 SECOND INTERNATIONAL MOKUHANGA CONFERENCE, Tokyo Three years after the Kyoto/Awaji conference, the second conference was held in Tokyo. The academic portion was hosted by Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo Geidai). Beginning with a banquet and speeches from honorary board members Tetsuya Noda and Akira Kurosaki, the program included an International Mokuhanga Exhibition, demonstrations, and an Open Portfolio on tables in the plaster cast collection study room. A short distance away, the Satellite Program at 3331 Arts Chiyoda focused on washi, with a meeting of papermakers called “Washi Dialogue–Printmakers meet Papermakers.” There was a Trade Fair, and an Artist Residency showcase exhibition and seminar. The closing reception award ceremony was at the university with colorful plates of sushi. This busy schedule was followed by an optional tour to Mi–Lab and a visit to make paper at Ogawa Washi organized in cooperation with Donkey Mill Art Center. 2017 THIRD INTERNATIONAL MOKUHANGA CONFERENCE, Hawaii Significant changes came to pass with each conference, and Hawaii was marked by the loss of Keiko Kadota, who died in January 2017, only months before the conference opened that September. Setsuke Morinoue of Donkey Mill Art Center then managed the academic portion with the University of Manoa, Hawaii. Exhibitions there included the International Mokuhanga Exhibition and a traveling exhibition titled “Globalizing Mokuhanga” about the history of the residency program from 1997-2017. The commemorative Keiko Kadota Print Award was established and went to Michiko Hamada and Roslyn Kean; the Keiko Kadota Award for the Advancement of Mokuhanga to baren maker Hidehiko Goto. Popular demonstrations by specialists including master carver Shoichi Kitamura and master printer Kyoko Hirai were recorded in the university studios, with impromptu translations by curator Hayato Fujioka. There were 31 paper presentations and a materials fair. In spite of the short planning window, the sense of community and the enthusiasm of participants made the meeting a huge success. The Satellite Program for this conference was at Donkey Mill Art Center, a short flight away on the big island of Hawaiʻi. It offered workshops led by Hidehiko Goto, Keiko Hara and April Vollmer, and an exhibition of mokuhanga curated by Hiroki Morinoue followed by a visit to the Kilauea volcano. Mi-Lab basic and advanced residencies at Lake Kawaguchi, and the short classes in Tokyo continued under Yasuyuki Sato. These activities continued to be documented each year in illustrated reports on the website in English and Japanese, through 2019 when the pandemic interrupted activities. |
| 2021 FOURTH INTERNATIONAL MOKUHANGA CONFERENCE, Nara Japan closed to international travel during the pandemic and the Nara conference was rescheduled from 2020 to 2021. Even then, restrictions continued and the Nara conference was attended in person only by people already in Japan or with special permission to travel. Titled “Sumi-Fusion,” the conference focused on the use of sumi ink in mokuhanga. The International Mokuhanga Exhibition was held in Nara with award winners Morita Kaoru, Yoonmi Nam, Kawamura Sayaka, Patty Hudak, and Tomasz Kawelczyk. Additional exhibitions included an Akira Kurosaki memorial; Mokuhanga Sisters, Graphic Studio Dublin and Macau Woodblock Print Association shows; an International Book Exhibition in Kyoto; an IMC Satellite Exhibition and a Nagasawa 14 Exchange Portfolio both at Gallery Ami Kanoko in Osaka. The participants who were able to visit Nara in person toured sumi ink makers. Acting Board Chair Ralph Kiggell, with the help of board members Mike Lyon and Mara Cozzolino uploaded the 29 pre-recorded presentations so the talks could take place online. Impressively, he and administrator Keiko Kobayashi worked out a rotating schedule in three time zones over two days so that recorded talks could be followed by live Zoom discussions moderated by board members. This format was easily accessible internationally so that the restrictions actually resulted in a larger audience than ever. The ultimate benefit was having a complete record of all 29 paper presentations along with 13 demonstrations available on a dedicated YouTube channel. It remains freely accessible along with documentation of earlier conferences. 2024 FIFTH INTERNATIONAL MOKUHANGA CONFERENCE, Echizen Titled “Inheritance & Innovation: Mokuhanga Artists Explore Japanese Paper,” this conference was focused on the importance of washi paper in mokuhanga and took place in the papermaking town of Echizen from April 4-6, with an extension tour to visit the Nara sumi factories April 7-8. Without international paper presentations, the conference focused on professional demonstrations and visits to traditional papermaking factories. Eight excellent mokuhanga exhibitions were coordinated by Katsutoshi Yuasa. Recognizing the importance of virtual documentation, the organizers posted exhibitions and other activities on an informative website. |
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| Summary These programs were special because they were not part of an organized educational curriculum, but were rooted in Keiko Kadota’s personal commitment to international understanding. Keiko Hara’s Mokuhanga Project Space in Walla Walla, Washington; Katsu Yuasa’s East Tokyo Mokuhanga Studio in Tokyo; Terry McKenna’s Karuizawa Mokuhanga School in Nagano; as well as many educational programs across the globe benefitted from those programs and continue to promote that vision. Florence Neal’s Kentler International Drawing Space Flat File has brought some of the artwork from these programs to New York City. The Echizen conference was a reunion of many of the artists who had participated in earlier residencies and conferences, joined by younger artists who had not met Keiko Kadota, but had benefited from programs that she started. The move to Echizen marked the closure of the office and gallery in Tokyo. The Mi-Lab Echizen Studio Residency now offers basic and advanced training programs with applications online. The 2027 conference is planned for the University of Kansas, Lawrence, under the leadership of new Board Chair Yoonmi Nam. Websites and Resources: International Mokuhanga Association: https://mokuhanga.org/ Japanese Mi-Lab Program: endeavor.or.jp/mi-lab/ International Mokuhanga Youtube Channel: youtube.com/@InternationalMokuhanga Mokuhanga Project Space: https://www.mokuhangaprojectspace.com/ Kentler International Drawing Center Flat files: https://kentlergallery.org/Browse/objects April Vollmer’s Mokuhanga Resource Page: https://www.aprilvollmer.com/mokuhanga-resources/ APRIL VOLLMER is a New York artist and educator who specializes in creative mokuhanga woodcut. With an M.F.A. from Hunter College, NY, she has taught and given lectures and demonstrations at many universities and print shops. She is on the advisory boards of the triennial International Mokuhanga Conference, Japan; Kentler International Drawing Center, NY; and the Mokuhanga Project Space, WA. In addition to exhibiting her prints, her work has been published in journals including Science, Printmaking Today and Contemporary Impressions. Her book on the history and contemporary use of mokuhanga, Japanese Woodblock Print Workshop, was released by Watson-Guptill in 2015. |
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