Create A Japanese-Style Cart At Art League Workshop
By: Mary Vinnedge
The Galveston Art League has scheduled a multiday
Japanese folk-art workshop in which participants will
build and decorate a pull-cart resembling a fish or a
watermelon slice. This folk art, called Taiguruma, is
more than 150 years old and began in the Maki region
of Niigata, Japan. The toy cart traditionally resembles
a fish commonly known as a sea bream, which is
called “tai” in Japanese.
Motoyuki Noguchi returns to teach the technique
for the sixth time; the Art League has been the venue
for the previous four. The workshops are part of the
Sister City program with Niigata.
Noguchi will show attendees how to build the carts
using paper stretched over bamboo frames. After the
construction phase, the carts are painted. A candle
is placed inside once the carts are completed. When
pulled, the carts have an irregular movement, and –
with help from the flickering candles inside – the toys
seem to be alive.
No experience is needed to enjoy this workshop,
which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 5,
6 and 7 (with an hour off for lunch) and from 9 a.m.
to noon on Aug.
- The workshop will take place in the Galveston Art League’s expanded
gallery at 2117A Postoffice St. in downtown Galveston.
The cost for all four days is $115, with all supplies provided.
To register, visit www.Galveston-ArtLeague.com
and click on “Workshops.” If you have questions, email gallery2117@
gmail.com or call Galveston Art League Workshop Coordinator Susan Pinkerton at 832-752-3280.
Workshops are one of the ways that the 105-year old
Galveston Art League delivers on its mission of promoting visual arts and arts education. The nonprofit, all-volunteer Art League also promotes and displays the works of local artists, offers children’s
classes, participates in ArtWalk, and periodically holds mini-workshops at Galveston’s Own Farmers Market.
The Galveston Art League is funded by memberships
for artists and non-artists, sponsorships, contributions,
and an annual gala. The 2019 gala, which
will include live music, auctions, and fine dining, is
scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26, in the San Luis Hotel
Ballroom in Galveston. For more information about
the league and its gala, please call 409-938-1671,
visit www.GalvestonArtLeague.com or email gallery2117@
gmail.com.
Make a Taiguruma Japanese Fish Cart Lantern
with Motoyuki Noguchi
Date: August 5, 6, 7, and half of 8, 2019
Description: The Taiguruma workshop is your opportunity
to construct and decorate a Sea Beam Fish
Cart Lantern of wood, bamboo, and paper.
Taiguruma is a historic folk art from Niigata Japan.
Artist Noguchi will demonstrate each step and
guide us through the three-and-a-half-day process
until we have our own lantern. There is also the option
of building a watermelon slice lantern if you prefer.
Time: 9;00 am to 4:00 pm each day with a lunch break
Number of Minimum: 8 Number of Maximum: 16
Price: $115.00
Supplies Needed: All supplies provided
Pulled by children to cemeteries during Obon festivals
each August, these lanterns were created to
honor and communicate with the spirits of their carriers’
ancestors. The craft and traditions associated
with Taiguruma disappeared when their last craftsman
passed away over 20
years ago. Since 2004, Motoyuki Noguchi, leader of
the Taiguruma Revival Project, has worked to revive
and preserve this craft and engage communities in
this traditional practice. Along with his collaborator,
Toshimichi Minagawa, Noguchi has introduced Taiguruma
through workshops and exhibitions throughout
Japan and abroad.
To register got to: https://www.galvestonartleague.
com/workshops.html
Galveston Art League. To register, visit Galveston-
ArtLeague.com.
