The Japan Craze: Art and Craft in Rhode Island after 1854 June 12, 2010

Rhode Island can lay claim to at least two major connections to the craze for all things Japanese (Japonism or Japonisme) that swept across Europe and North America after the 1854 Kanagawa Treaty opened Japan to the rest of the world. Newport's native son Commodore Mathew C. Perry negotiated the treaty, and John La Farge, one of the most notable of many important 19th century American artists to work in the Narragansett Bay region. He traveled to Japan and was among the first American artists to be influenced by the Japanese aesthetic. "The Japan Craze" features paintings, prints, books and decorative objects with a Rhode Island connection that suggest the Japanese influence, as well as works collected by Rhode Islanders that are Japanese in origin or that reflect Japonism. This collaborative exhibition includes works from the Newport Art Museum's permanent collection as well as works on loan from the Redwood Library and Athenæum, the Preservation Society of Newport County, the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design, the University of Rhode Island Textile Department, and many private collections. The Museum hosts a reception for its summer exhibitions on Friday, June 18, 5 - 7 pm. Free for Newport Art Museum members, $10 for non-members. Sponsored by William Vareika Fine Arts Ltd