Kimonos,
textiles, ceramics, and 19th century woodblock images from feudal
Japan’s pleasure and entertainment districts are included in this exhibit. This exhibit runs from 6 February to 23 May
2014.
This is
what the museum’s web site says about the exhibit:
Before long the Gregg Museum will move into its first stand-alone
building, the historic Chancellor’s Residence at the northern end of Pullen
Park. Behind the handsome 1928 home is a walled garden that takes full
advantage of the taller trees rising in the park beyond—a concept known to
Japanese Zen gardeners as shakkei (借景), or
“borrowed landscape.”
In planning the adaptation of the site for the new museum, great
care will be taken to preserve and enhance the views of the park and its mature
trees and shrubs as much as possible. At the same time, the grounds will be
made more accessible for visitors to turn their attention to a natural setting
where they will be able to read, talk, study or meditate among appealing works
of outdoor art.
This kind of experience was described by Zen priest Asai Ryōi in
his 1661 book, Ukiyo-monogatari (浮世物語, “Tales of
the Floating World”), when he portrayed a sensation of “. . . living only for
the moment, savoring the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms and the maple
leaves, singing songs, diverting oneself in just . . . letting oneself drift,
buoyant and carefree, like a gourd floating along in a river current . . . .”
To celebrate the landscape surrounding its new site, REMNANTS
OF THE FLOATING WORLD draws upon the treasures of the Gregg’s permanent
collection to present an exhibition of Japanese ceramics, textiles, 19th
century color woodblock prints (ukiyo-e, 浮世絵 ,
literally "pictures of the floating world"). The prints depict
courtesans in elegant kimonos, warrior-heroes on military ventures, sinister
ghosts and witches, theatrical performances and scenes of leisure—a delightful
glimpse into the past as the Gregg prepares for its exciting future.
If you are in the Raleigh area, check this out.
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