Release Date: April 2, 2012
Celebrate Cherry Blossoms and National Poetry Month in April with Haiku Inspired by Itō Jakuchū’s Colorful Realm Of Living Beings at the National Gallery of Art; Share Poems Online
Visitors compose haiku inspired by Colorful Realm: Japanese Bird-and-Flower Paintings by Itō Jakuchū (1716–1800) at computer stations adjacent to the exhibition space
Washington, DC—The National Gallery of Art celebrates the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the exhibition Colorful Realm: Japanese Bird-and-Flower Paintings by Itō Jakuchū (1716–1800), on view in the West Building for one month only (March 30–April 29, 2012), with a dynamic activity highlighting the Japanese poetry form of haiku. During the month of April—which is also National Poetry Month—people of all ages are invited to create original haiku inspired by Itō Jakuchū’s extraordinary 30-scroll set of paintings and to share them with others by submitting them for publication online at www.nga.gov/feature/jakuchu/haiku.
As children and adults go through the exhibition, they may consult a family guide that includes tips for writing haiku; it is available at the entrance to the exhibition and online. Two computer stations are available for submitting poems onsite (adjacent to the exhibition space in the lobby of the West Building Lecture Hall). The Gallery will accept haiku submissions through May 1, 2012; after that they will remain available on the Web site for users to enjoy.
The roots of haiku are more than 1000 years old. Poet Masaoka Shiki (1867–1902) described haiku as "verbal sketching"—little works of art that capture something observed. Typically, a haiku has three short lines, and the second line is usually longer than the other two. Traditional Japanese haiku have three lines with 5, 7, and 5 syllables, making 17 syllables in all. Because the English and Japanese languages vary in structure, the equivalent length in English would be about 10 to 14 syllables (or 6 to 12 words).
Exhibition Organization and Support
The exhibition is organized by
the National Gallery of Art, The Imperial Household Agency, and Nikkei Inc., in
association with the Embassy of Japan.
It has been made possible through the generous support of Toyota, Nikkei Inc.,
Airbus, the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, and The Exhibition
Circle of the National Gallery of Art. Additional sponsorship from Japan has
been provided by Daikin Industries, Ltd., Ito En, Ltd., Mitsubishi Corporation,
and Panasonic Corporation. Additional support has been provided by the Asian
Cultural Council.
It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
National Cherry Blossom Festival Centennial Celebration
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is the nation's greatest springtime celebration. The 2012 festival (March 20–April 27) includes five spectacular weeks of events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. The 2012 festival commemorates the 100th anniversary of the gift of the cherry trees and the enduring friendship between the United States and Japan.
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