Japanese Modern Design from the 1920s to 1940s: Rationalism, Nationalism, and Total Warfare January 10, 2006

The Public Programs Department presents an array of offerings to complement the BGC's current exhibitions featuring renowned experts in the decorative arts, design, and culture.

Lectures feature scholars, curators, and other specialists to preview and review intriguing themes in the decorative arts and design

Forums present one or two authorities in the decorative arts and design who interpret a particular issue and engage in dialogue with each other and the audience

Panel Discussions gather several experts from different fields to consider an issue in the decorative arts and design from various points of view

Study Days explore a movement, discipline, or figure in the decorative arts and design through lectures, discussion, and viewing of objects

Current Exhibition:
Wearing Propaganda: Textiles on the Home Front in Japan, Britain, and the United States, 1931?1945
Friday, November 18, 2005 - Sunday, February 5, 2006

Trips visit sites of interest with professionals and individuals who create, collect, and care for the decorative arts and design

Walking Tourshighlight the architecture and design of New York City

Exhibition Tours examine the decorative arts and design exhibited at the BGC

LECTURE SERIES
Japanese Modern Design from the 1920s to 1940s: Rationalism, Nationalism, and Total Warfare
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
This lecture is part of a series exploring wartime design in Japan, Britain, and the United States.

Japan underwent tremendous change beginning in the 1920s, both politically and socially. It was simultaneously a time of modernization, industrial growth, and westernization, and, paradoxically, a period when nationalistic sentiment began to emerge. The push to become a modern nation and the concurrent rise in patriotism fueled the Japanese desire to vie for global political dominance that deemed warfare as viable and necessary. Design historian Hiroshi Kashiwagi will examine the sociopolitical climate of this era and its impact on design in the years preceding the Asia-Pacific War and through the 1940s.

$45 general (series)
$30 seniors and students (series)
$17 general (individual lecture)
$12 seniors and students (individual lecture)

This lecture will be given in Japanese, with English translation.

Time: 6:00 pm - 7:15 pm
Location: Bard Graduate Center, 38 West 86th St
http://www.bgc.bard.edu/exhibit/exhibits/propaganda/index.html