2023 The Art of Literacy in Early Modern Japan (March 25, 2023 - August 6, 2023)NEW

Reading and writing were popular pastimes in early modern Japan. From the 1600s to the 1800s, the printing industry developed rapidly, making printed materials available to readers in urban and rural areas alike. Woodblock printing meant that books and prints could be mass produced, sold cheaply, and distributed widely. Readership grew steadily as temple schools taught basic reading and writing to people from the merchant and lower classes. This exhibition considers two forms of literacy, textual and visual, that enabled people to participate in a burgeoning public life.

Exhibition Dates
March 25, 2023 - August 6, 2023

Location
Cargill Gallery

Free Exhibition


About Minneapolis Institute of Art 
The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is a large art museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a collection of over 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history. The museum's collection of Japanese art is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the United States, and includes outstanding examples of Buddhist sculpture, paintings, lacquer, works of bamboo, woodblock prints, and ceramics.

About Japan Art Collection
The collection is particularly rich in works from the Edo period (1603-1868), and includes masterpieces by such artists as Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Ando Hiroshige. In 2006, the museum received a significant gift of Japanese art from Mary Griggs Burke, one of the world's leading collectors of Japanese art. The Burke collection includes over 1,000 objects, dating from the 6th century to the present day.