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Globe and Mail
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Japan's Edo Era Brought to Life in Summer 2025 Exhibition at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and McAninch Arts Center
"Hokusai & Ukiyo-e" Invites Visitors to Journey Back in Time Through an Art Collection Making Its U.S. Debut and Interactive Experiences Including an Immersive Manga & Anime Exhibit, Silk & Samurai Selfie Station, Kids Area, DIY Digital Ukiyo-e Art and More Tickets Start at $12 Glen Ellyn, Illinois--(Newsfile Corp. - June 27, 2025) - 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," May 31 - Sept. 21, 2025. 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. Tickets start at $12 and are now available on the exhibition's website, or through the MAC box office. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: The "Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World" exhibition authentically brings 17th-century Japan to life through meticulously crafted recreations, immersive experiences, hands-on activities and historical exhibits. Visitors will be transported to a time when the city of Edo (now Tokyo) flourished under shogunate rule as the cultural and economic heart of Japan, embracing the arts, nature and leisurely pursuits. The multi-faceted experience centers around the world-class presentation of a 63-piece collection making its U.S. debut, featured as " Museum Galleries - Chiossone Collection" in the exhibition. On loan from the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art in Genoa, Italy, the collection includes 53 woodblock prints and original paintings by leading artists of ukiyo-e -a major artistic genre that flourished during Japan's Edo period (1603-1868)-along with several handcrafted objects such as games, instruments and daily objects. Enhancing the museum exhibition, "Hokusai & Ukiyo-e" immerses guests in Japan's iconic shogun era through a variety of engaging, interactive exhibits spanning over 10,000 square feet. Supporting the art collection and created exclusively for the CCMA and MAC, the show features: Historical Edo & Ukiyo-e Exhibit: With a layout inspired by a woodblock print, the first exhibit provides context to the featured art collection, focusing on the lives of Hokusai, Hiroshige and Edoardo Chiossone, the development of ukiyo-e and its lasting impact, the art of woodblock printing, and works from the College of DuPage permanent art collection. Hokusai's World: Step Into Edo: This streetscape walk-through experience features recreations of a woodblock printshop and Japanese market. As visitors step into the printshop, they will spot a scene depicting Hokusai and his daughter Oi-both deeply focused on their craft. Publishing boomed in Hokusai's time, and he helped fuel the craze for illustrated books known as ehon. Waves of DuPage: Beautiful Cities: Naperville artist Rich Lo created ukiyo-e-style landscapes based on iconic DuPage County locations. These original works were created for the DuPage Public Art Project and will be displayed as murals within communities throughout the county. Framed prints of all these pieces will be showcased together at the exhibition. Immersive History of Manga & Anime: Guests can explore the evolution of manga-Japanese comics-through a fully designed environment by Vanessa Vu and Kevin Yu of 2d, where every inch of the space, including walls, furniture and floors, merge into a black-and-white, larger-than-life comic book. Hokusai Kids Area: Families can dive into the fascinating world of Hokusai with an original Hokusai biographical anime film, a Children's Day display celebrating how strong, brave and bright kids are with traditional Japanese toys that are gifted, a Japanese dragon costume featured in parades and celebrations, a cherry blossom wish tree where children can write down their wishes and tie it to the tree, calligraphy and origami making, and more. Ukiyo-e Imagination Station: Visitors can create their very own ukiyo-e masterpieces through a hands-on digital experience. Samurai & Silk Selfie Station: Visitors can snap a photo with exquisite recreations of Edo Era clothing, including a samurai uniform on loan from Warner Bros., a Kabuki character costume designed by Kim Morris, and a stunning empress kimono. Great Wave Gardens: The curated outdoor garden will feature a selection of live plants including flowering trees and sculpted evergreens, plus a Japanese bridge, teahouse façade, picnic area and more to convey the spirit of peaceful Japanese landscapes. Edo EATS! and Gift Shop: Food and drink will be available at the Edo EATS! concession, and Hokusai-themed merchandise and souvenirs will be sold in the gift shop. "Think of this exhibition as an immersive cultural dive into Japan's captivating Shogun era, packed with everything from historic masterpieces and recreations of daily life to cherished traditions, natural beauty, and a few surprises along the way," said Diana Martinez, Executive Director of the McAninch Arts Center. "From centuries-old legendary artworks to anime, digital art and kid's activities, there's something around each corner for visitors of all generations to explore, learn and enjoy." "We are thrilled to collaborate with our international partners to bring this important collection to the museum. Japanese ukiyo-e artists have had a profound influence on global visual culture, and although these works are centuries old, they continue to resonate powerfully with contemporary audiences." said Justin Witte, Curator of the Cleve Carney Museum of Art. Widely considered as one of the most recognizable images in the world, the collection will feature Katsushika Hokusai 's iconic masterpiece, "Under the Wave off Kanagawa," along with eight more of his original works. There will also be 15 works by Utagawa Hiroshige, particularly known for the "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" series, along with works by 15 of their contemporaries. The MAC will host on-site lectures by authors and curators, film screenings, weekly Japanese calligraphy and woodblock printmaking classes, and more. For many of these events, a "Hokusai & Ukiyo-e" exhibition ticket will grant free access. In addition, 22 cities within DuPage County are celebrating the much-anticipated exhibition displaying ukiyo-e style murals of iconic locations and landmarks as part of the "Waves of DuPage: Beautiful Cities" public art project. Each will also host themed events. More information about the "Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World" can be found at Additional Exhibition Information 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. Support for "Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World, Artworks from the Chiossone Collection" is provided in part by The County of DuPage, Ball Horticultural, DuPage Foundation, Arts DuPage, Wight & Company, The Illinois Arts Council, Capstone Financial Advisors, the JCS Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, Molex, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, the College of DuPage, Discover DuPage and DCVB DuMore DuPage. Exhibition Tickets Ticket prices range from $12 to $32 ($12 tickets available Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2 - 5 p.m.). VIP add-on packages start at $25 and include benefits such as audio tours, catalogs and exhibition merchandise. For tickets or more information visit 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@ Guests can explore the evolution of manga-Japanese comics-through a fully designed environment by Vanessa Vu and Kevin Yu of 2d, where every inch of the space, including walls, furniture and floors, merge into a black-and-white, larger-than-life comic book. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: About the Cleve Carney Museum of Art The late Cleve Carney provided a significant legacy gift to establish the Cleve Carney Art Gallery at College of DuPage. The gallery opened in February 2014 with its inaugural exhibition, "Selections from Cleve Carney's Art Collection." In fall 2019, the gallery was expanded to a 2,500 square-foot museum. The Cleve Carney Museum of Art opened June 2021 with the highly anticipated "Frida Kahlo: Timeless" exhibition followed it up in summer 2023 with "Warhol." Funding for CCMA is provided by the Cleve Carney Endowment Fund, which supports vital programming including artist engagement opportunities for community members and students, gallery exhibitions, artist commissions, new acquisitions and other teaching and learning tools that foster cultural enrichment in our community. More information can be found at and on social media @CleveCarneyMuseumofArt. About the MAC McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and a versatile black box Studio Theatre), outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college's academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season. For more information about the MAC, visit or @AtTheMAC on Facebook and Instagram. # # # Media Contact: Carol Fox & Associates Alyssa Krueger / Ann Fink 708.870.0968 / 773.969.5042 alyssak@ annf@ Click Here for Photos To view the source version of this press release, please visit
Chicago Tribune
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: Going to Japan by way of Glen Ellyn in ‘Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World'
For those who can't make it to Japan this summer, there is always Glen Ellyn. 'Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World,' a multimedia extravaganza inspired by the art of 18th- and 19th-century Japan, is on view through September at the Cleve Carney Museum, on the campus of the College of DuPage. At its core are 70 exquisite examples of woodblock prints, painted scrolls and lacquerware from the Edo Period. The museum has also taken over the entirety of the MAC, the arts center that houses it, and filled theaters and ancillary spaces with interactive exhibits including a walk-through set of traditional Japanese row houses, a display of costumes from the Tom Cruise vehicle 'The Last Samurai,' a children's area for folding origami, and a patio newly tricked out with potted red maples, bonsai, and a wee bridge. Visitors can even collect eki stamps in a free passport booklet, just like at Japanese train stations. I thought this was all a bit much, then I worried I was being a killjoy, then I learned of 'Hokusai: Another Story,' a high-tech immersive spectacle currently on view in Tokyo, which involves 3D texture image processing, a floor-based haptic system, and airflow control technology, whatever any of that means. By contrast, the MAC's outreach feels amiable and old-school. Ukiyo-e was basically the pop culture of Edo Japan. The era lasted from 1603 to 1868 and was marked by stability, prosperity and isolationism, brought about by the military reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The city of Edo, today called Tokyo, became the country's civic and economic center, and with its growth rose the status of merchants and craftspeople. These newly ascendent urban classes could afford to buy art and they did, becoming the primary audience for ukiyo-e, literally 'pictures of the floating world.' Perennially popular subjects included female beauties, theater stars, famous sites and the voyeuristically exciting red-light districts. 'Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World' samples them all. Ukiyo-e artists might paint unique portraits of famous courtesans or charming everyday tableaux on silk, to be mounted on scrolls for richer clients, and there are plenty of such stunners on display. Don't miss Utagawa Toyoshige's elegant young woman swatting at flies or Miyagawa Choshun's behind-the-scenes look at a kabuki theater. The latter, like the other elaborate handscrolls on display, warrants microscopic examination, so engrossing are the endless tiny details. My favorite section, hidden to the right — handscrolls can only be viewed one section at a time — illustrates a breastfeeding woman in the audience. But the truly defining medium of ukiyo-e was the woodblock print. This was the art form of the middle class. At the MAC, a small demonstration area explains the collaborative nature of the technique, which arrived from China in the late 1600s: an artist lays down the preparatory design, an engraver transfers it to a slab of cherrywood, a printer does the inking and paper pressing, a publisher oversees and distributes the result. As many as hundreds of copies of an image could be generated. The most famous woodblock artist, indeed one of the most famous artists of all time, period, is Katsushika Hokusai. The creator of the iconic print known as 'The Great Wave,' he was born in 1760 and over the course of his 88 years produced over 30,000 paintings, sketches, prints and book illustrations. An unusual monochromatic blue version of the wave is on view, as are a handful of other splendid vistas he composed. His biography, detailed at length, includes some zingers. He used over 30 pseudonyms throughout his life and hated cleaning so much he'd simply move to a new home studio when the current one became intolerable. Hokusai was even a forerunner of the contemporary genre of performance painting: at a festival in 1804, he used a broom to render a 600-foot-long portrait of a Buddhist monk. A later event involved a live chicken and red paint. Hokusai is considered by many to be an early predecessor of manga, the wildly popular graphic novels of Japan, for his 'Hokusai Manga,' a collection of sketches first published in 1814. It's still in print today. Cue the most inspired of the MAC's offshoots: a showcase on the history of manga and anime, from Hokusai through 'Demon Slayer,' staged like a walk-in black-and-white comic book. Exhibition designer Vanessa Thanh Vu runs 2d, a similarly decorated eatery in Lakeview, serving mochi donuts and Taiwanese-style fried chicken sandwiches. For all that, 'Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World' is hardly limited to Hokusai. There are over a dozen artists represented, including the estimable Utagawa Hiroshige. A half-dozen images from his 'One Hundred Famous Views of Edo' reveal a wild sense of color, radical ideas about framing, and a daring ability to combine Japanese and European perspectives. His many series dedicated to meisho, or famous places, partook in a domestic travel boom and helped shape a cohesive idea of Japan as a unified country. Not all ukiyo-e would have been so acceptable to the government. Political critique was generally censored, and at one point depictions of the theater world were even banned. Artists got around these limitations creatively, even hilariously, as in Utagawa Kuniyoshi's character portraits, with their faces composed of tiny naked figures, interwoven. It didn't always work, though: Kitagawa Utamaro, among others, was arrested for depicting the decadent lifestyle of a long-dead military ruler. Those images are not on view here, only his elegant tripartite scene of women in the latest fashions, practicing the four arts of stringed instruments, strategy games, calligraphy, and painting. Nearby are cases displaying elaborately crafted versions of related objects, including an exquisitely refined writing box with pens, a gilded deck of poetry playing cards, and a type of three-stringed lute called a shamisen. The man who collected all of these artworks was Edoardo Chiossone. An Italian engraver born in 1833, he moved to Tokyo in 1875 at the behest of the new Japanese government to help modernize their banknotes. He spent the rest of his life there, working for the Printing Bureau of the Ministry of Finance, being granted the extraordinary honor of producing an official portrait of the Emperor, and amassing a collection of some 15,000 art and artifacts that was bequeathed, upon his death, to the Academy of Arts of Genoa, his alma matter. And here it is today, in Glen Ellyn.
