Listening to Trees: George Nakashima, Woodworker
When:
Tuesday, Dec 10, 2024 6:00p -
7:00p
Tuesday, Dec 10, 2024 6:00p -
7:00p
Where:
Online event
Admission:
FREE
Hosted by:
Categories:
Virtual
Event website:
https://www.japansocietyboston.org/events/listening-to-trees%3A-george-nakashima%2C-woodworker
Please join us as author, Holly Thompson, talks about her newest picture book titled, "Listening to Trees: George Nakashima, Woodworker," about the life and work of Japanese-American woodworker, George Nakashima. She will read excerpts from the book and discuss what inspired her to write about Nakashima, the writing/illustration process, as well as why she chose haibun to tell his story.
We will also be joined by art curator, Asako Katsura, who will speak on the hybridity of Nakashima's woodworking design by introducing examples of his furniture from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston's current collection. Learn how Nakashima reinterpreted modernist design by incorporating elements of both Japanese and American culture, and how his relationships with other artists, such as Antonin Raymond and Junzō Yoshimura, inspired him.
This is a free hour long presentation with Q&A hosted on Zoom. Registration is required on our website: https://www.japansocietyboston.org/events/listening-to-trees%3A-george-nakashima%2C-woodworker
About The Book:
A poetic and moving picture book biography celebrating the life and work of the visionary Japanese American woodworker George Nakashima.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, George Nakashima began a love story with trees that grew throughout his remarkable life as an architect, designer and woodworker. During World War II, George, with his wife Marion and their baby daughter, endured incarceration in Minidoka prison camp, where he drew comfort from the discipline of woodworking.
Once free, George dedicated the rest of his life to crafting elegant furniture from fallen or discarded trees, giving fresh purpose and dignity to the wood and promoting a more peaceful world. Today, his pieces are displayed in museums and greatly coveted by collectors. His studio, now helmed by his daughter Mira, is still active in New Hope, Pennsylvania.
Author Holly Thompson narrates Nakashima’s life using haibun, a combination of haiku and prose, which twines smoothly through Toshiki Nakamura’s earthy illustrations. A foreword by Mira Nakashima and robust back matter will deepen young readers' understanding of woodworking and poetry, and offer added insights to the work of a master artisan.
