Lecture Series for "Hokusai & Ukiyo-e" Exhibition Begins June 7

The Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) and the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage (COD) support this summer’s must-see exhibition, “Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World, Artworks from the Chiossone Collection,” with a series of stimulating lectures. Admission to these lectures is free with presentation of an exhibition ticket stub.

The series kicks off with “Pleasures of the Floating World: An Introduction to Japanese Prints,” a lecture by one of the country’s foremost Hokusai scholars, Sarah E. Thompson (2 p.m., Saturday, June 7). Ukiyo-e works display the pleasures enjoyed by the newly affluent middle class in Japan’s big cities, especially Edo (modern Tokyo), the headquarters of the shogun (the head of the samurai clans) who ruled in the name of the emperor. Thompson will address the transition of Japan from an older feudal culture to a modern, money-driven society that has much in common with the present-day world. Thompson is Curator, Japanese Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and author of “Hokusai,” “Hokusai’s Lost Manga,” “Hokusai’s Landscapes: The Complete Series” and “Pictures of the Floating World: An Introduction to Japanese Prints,” among others.

The series continues with “The Story of Manga: Tracing the Evolution of Manga from Hokusai to Today” conducted by COD Reference and Instruction Librarian Becky Reece (7 p.m., Thursday, July 31). Reece will trace the origins of the word manga to Japanese artists Santō Kyōden and Katsushika Hokusai, whose popular “Hokusai Manga” sketchbooks played a significant role in the term’s early usage. The lecture will also explore how Western comics played a pivotal role in manga's evolution, inspiring Japanese cartoonists and sparking the development of a distinct style of manga.

In August, Yayoi Shinoda, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s Assistant Curator, Japanese Art, East Asian Art explores the worlds of both Kabuki theater and the Yoshiwara district in her talk “Popular Edo Entertainment” (2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2). Shinoda will address how the two districts link to the exhibition and explore the role of courtesans in Edo popular culture, highlighting not only their visual significance but also the often-harsh realities of their lives

CCMA Curator Justin Witte caps the series with “Hokusai and the Art of Edo: A Glimpse into Japanese Masterpieces” in which he will share the intricate process and compelling backstory behind bringing the U.S. premiere of the collection and this unique exhibition to the Chicago area (2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23).

For more information about these lectures and additional exhibition programming visit Hokusai2025.org.

The Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) and McAninch Arts Center (MAC), located on the College of DuPage campus (425 Fawell Blvd.), present “Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World, Artworks from the Chiossone Collection,” now through Sept. 21. The all-encompassing exhibition takes guests on a fascinating journey into the world of shoguns, samurai and kabuki actors during a vibrant time of Japanese cultural renaissance.

The exhibition’s featured art collection, on loan from the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art in Genoa, Italy, features 53 woodblock prints and original paintings by the masters of ukiyo-e, including original works by Hokusai, Hiroshige and 15 of their contemporaries, and a selection of handcrafted objects such as games, instruments and hair ornaments.

The exhibition is organized by the Cleve Carney Museum of Art, with works from the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art of Genoa, Italy that was originally collected by Edoardo Chiossone (1833-1898), whose collection is known worldwide for the quality of art and its remarkable state of conservation. The featured ukiyo-e collection on loan will be curated by professor and art historian Rossella Menegazzo of The University of Milan as part of the larger exhibition at the MAC and CCMA, curated by Justin Witte.

Exhibition ticket prices range from $12 to $32 ($12 tickets available Tuesdays and Wednesdays for admission after 2 p.m.). $20 youth tickets are available for those age 12 and under. VIP add-on packages start at $25 and include benefits such as audio tours, catalogs and exhibition merchandise. For tickets or more information visit Hokusai2025.org or call the MAC Box Office 630.942.4000. Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more by contacting the group sales coordinator at 630.942.3026 or grouptix@cod.edu.