Newswise — SUNY Buffalo State is hosting an International Asian Lacquer Symposium May 20-24 that will bring together artists, art historians, art conservators, curators, and scientists from around the world to explore the many facets of this centuries-old medium.
Lacquer experts from museums and universities in China, Korea, Japan, and Myanmar, as well as Europe and America, will present lectures and demonstrations on the Buffalo State campus over the five days. The symposium is open to artists, artisans, conservators, collectors, students, and members of the public interested in the wonders of Asian art. Registration is $325 for students, $495 for members of the American Institute of Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), and $695 for the general public.
Coordinated as a joint effort between the Art Conservation and Design departments and the Burchfield Penney Art Center, the symposium will highlight lacquer as living art, feature historical examples of lacquer ware by region and culture, explore the craft’s technical aspects through history, discuss cultural differences in conservation approaches, and provide a venue for dissemination of recent scientific findings. The Seoul-based Korea Foundation, a philanthropic organization that works to broaden understanding of Korea, has proved financial support for the symposium.
In the past 20 years, scientific research has shed light on many chemical and physical aspects of lacquer and lacquer ware. The chemical fingerprinting of the naturally occurring lacquer sources by Japanese researchers throughout Asia has been successfully used to identify trade routes and elucidate commerce of this valuable resource. Being able to share the many facets of this precious art form is an amazing opportunity for Buffalo State, noted Patrick Ravines, Art Conservation Department director.
“Asian lacquer is uniting professionals from different fields so that we can enjoy this beautiful art form now and also preserve it for the future.” Ravines said.
In conjunction with the symposium, the Burchfield Penney will feature an Asian lacquer exhibition that runs the same week. Featured artists include:• Fumio Mae, Japanese living national treasure and expert on chinkin, Ishikawa Prefectural Institute of Wajima Lacquer Arts• Kazumi Murose, Japanese living national treasure and expert on maki-e• Kunihiro Komori, Japanese living national treasure and expert on kyushitsu • Daehyun Shon, lacquer ware master craftsman/artisan, Korea• Shiguang Qiao, professor of lacquer art, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China• Nhat Tran, Vietnamese-American large-scale artist and muralist• Heri Gahbler, German artist • Sha Sha Higby, American sculptress and performance artist
To see the full list of events, speakers, and artists visit http://artconservation.buffalostate.edu/asianlacquer2013. To register, go to http://www.conservation-us.org/courses and scroll down to Asian Lacquer Symposium.
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