April 24, 2026 and April 25, 2026
Expanding Perspectives: Nihonga in Contemporary Practice, History, and Beyond
Expanding Perspectives: Nihonga in Contemporary Practice, History, and Beyond is an international symposium hosted by the Kress Foundation Department of Art History and held in conjunction with the exhibition Street Nihonga: The Art of Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani at the Spencer Museum of Art (https://spencerart.ku.edu/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/upcoming-e…). Bringing together artists, curators, and scholars from Japan and the United States, the symposium reconsiders Nihonga (lit. Japanese painting) in a global, contemporary context. Established in the late nineteenth century as a “national” school of painting, Nihonga has long played a central role in shaping Japanese artistic identity, while its meanings and boundaries have remained contested.
Focusing on the past thirty years, the symposium explores how artistic practice and critical scholarship have reinterpreted Nihonga amid globalization, nationalism, and cultural policy. Through cross-disciplinary and international dialogue, it examines Nihonga as a dynamic site of cultural and political negotiation and considers how it might be reimagined beyond fixed national or historical frameworks.
Expanding Perspectives: Nihonga in Contemporary Practice, History, and Beyond
SCHEDULE
DAY ONE: Friday, April 24 — OPENING EVENT
Spencer Museum of Art (SMA)
12:00–1:30 pm
Nihonga artist Ryōko Kimura gallery talks with Maki Kaneko and Kris Ercums on her Heroes- Training Boys (2010; SMA collection) and the exhibition Studio Nihonga (https://spencerart.ku.edu/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/current-ex…).
Location: SMA Central Court and Ingrid J. K. Lee Study Center
2:30–4:30 pm
Nihonga-making workshop led by Ryōko Kimura
Location: SMA Reception Room
DAY TWO: Saturday, April 25 — SYMPOISUM
Alderson Auditorium, Kansas Union (symposium sessions) & Spencer Museum of Art (exhibition tours)
8:30 am
Venue opens; coffee and snacks available
Morning Session: 9:15–11:30 am
Speakers and presentation titles to be announced
Lunch and Exhibition Tours: 11:45 am–2:40 pm
11:45 am–1:00 pm
Buffet lunch open to all participants and audience members
1:00–2:40 pm
Exhibition tours at the Spencer Museum of Art:
Street Nihonga: The Art of Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani with Kris Ercums and Maki Kaneko: https://spencerart.ku.edu/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/upcoming-e…
Brush, Block, and Blood: Three Generations of Yoshida Women Printmakers with Satoko Tomita: https://spencerart.ku.edu/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/upcoming-e…
Afternoon Session: 2:50–5:20 pm
Speakers and presentation titles to be announced
SPEAKERS (in alphabetical order)
- Kris Imants Ercums, Ph.D., Curator of Global Contemporary and Asian Art, Spencer Museum of Art
- Chelsea Foxwell, Ph.D., Professor, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago
- Maki Kaneko, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Kress Foundation Department of Art History, University of Kansas
- Ryōko Kimura, Nihonga artist: website: https://ryokokimura.com/e-index.html; Instagram: ryoko09kimura
- Daisuke Murata, Ph.D. candidate, Kress Foundation Department of Art History, University of Kansas
- Noriko Murai, Ph.D., Professor, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Graduate Program in Global Studies, Sophia University, Tokyo
- John D. Szostak, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Art & Art History, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
- Satoko Tomita, Head Curator, Mitaka City Gallery of Art, Tokyo
- Yasuko Tsuchikane, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, The Cooper Union and Waseda University, Tokyo
All events are free and open to the public; advance registration is required.
The program consists of three events with separate capacity limits: Nihonga gallery talks (Day 1), a Nihonga-making workshop (Day 1), and the symposium with two exhibition tours (Day 2).
Separate registration is required for each event, and registration will close once capacity is reached.
