The Ferguson Center Art Gallery will be presenting works of Toko Shinoda this month on The University of Alabama campus.
Shinoda was born in Dairen, Manchuria, in 1913 and moved to Tokyo in 1914. She studied calligraphy from 1919-1935 and then began teaching calligraphy. Her first exhibit, a one-woman show, began in the 1940’s; her career would then span over the next 73 years and start an abstract movement. For the Ferguson Center Gallery, Shinoda’s works are significant in many ways.
“This is the first time we will be featuring a female as part of the show. She is a Japanese national treasure and is an active artist who turns 100 this month,” Shiori Ito, Ferguson Center art gallery coordinator, said.
Shinoda began using lithography in the 1960s, which the Ferguson Center Art Gallery, has never featured before.
“Her prints are inspired by nature. They are done on stone with ink and are both a simple and complex process,” Ito said.
For students who aspire to follow in Shinoda’s brush strokes, the exhibit correlates to programs offered here at The University of Alabama, Ito said.
“We have an active print-making program in the department of arts and sciences where students can study calligraphy,” Ito said.
The exhibit will open Wednesday, and run until March 22. An opening reception will be hosted Thursday, at 6 p.m. Viewing is free and open to students.
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