In conjunction with its current show, The Floating World, the Museum of Art is presenting a special programs on Japanese flower arranging. On Saturday, July 20 at 1pm, Carmen Shumate will demonstrate the art of Ikebana. Shumate, who was born in Cuernavaca City, Mexico, lived in Japan for 30 years before returning to the United States, where she operates a farm with her husband in Anthony.
“I was born in a city which has flowers all seasons of the year,” says Shumate. “My mother is a traditional Japanese woman and practices Ikebana all the time. This is where I learned how to do Ikebana and I love sharing it with other people.”
Shumate loaned several Ikebana and a rare Japanese scroll to the Las Cruces Museum of Art’s current Floating World exhibition of prints, on view through August 24.
The prints on display at the Museum of Art resulted from an influx of publishing houses that employed artists, craftsmen, woodcarvers and printers to complete a process that ultimately produced advertisement-like posters. It was neither a simple endeavor nor was it new but it was an innovative use of a centuries-old technique. Beginning in the latter part of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th, Japanese art was greatly admired by such artists as Degas, Cassatt and Van Gogh. The Edo Period ended in 1868 with the return of an emperor to the throne. Over the course of time, European tastes changed and these prints were no longer produced. It was only after the conclusion of World War II, that the beauty of the prints was seen in all its luster and sublime radiance.
Funded by the City of Las Cruces, the Las Cruces Museum of Art is located at 491 N. Main Street. For more information, call (575) 541-2137 or visit the website at www.las-cruces.org/museums