Arts/Entertainment 9 Courtesy of Spencer Museum of Art Some works in the exhibit date back four centuries, including this Japanese ink drawing by Ekun Fugal. Zen experience Spencer features Buddhist art, paintings by Marian Weeks Kansan staff writer Museum patrons who attend "The Art of Zen" should be prepared for an experience not only with art, but also with Zen Buddhism, says Stephen Addiss, professor of art history and guest curator of the exhibit. curious. The exhibit, "The Art of Zen: Paintings and Calligraphy by Japanese Monks, 1600-1925," premiers 2 p.m. Sunday at the Spencer Museum of Art. Sphencer museum of art The show runs through March 5 and is divided into seven sections, each focusing on a different facet of Zen art. It features a replica of a plant and dry landscape garden, as well as films, symposiums and demonstrations. Sunday's opening includes a shakuhachi, or bamboo flute, performance by John Kaizen Neptune of Kamogawa, Japan, and Zen chanting by members of the Lawrence Zen Center. "Zen has a profound cultural impact in Japan." Addiss said. "To understand the traditional theater, poetry, textiles, ceramics, architecture, flower arranging, tea ceremony, painting and calligraphy of that country, an understanding of Zen is essential." sundering Zen Buddhists believe that the practice of meditation leads to a personal, spiritual enlightenment, or to the discovery of the Buddha nature within oneself. Stanley Lombardo, chairman of the classics department, and his wife, Judith Roitman, professor of math, were part of the original group who began to practice Zen in Lawrence 11 years ago. Roitman is now director of the Lawrence Zen Center. Chanting, meditation, humor and koans, which are stories of student encounters with their teachers in international techniques, Lombardo said. Addsaid said Zen art was a teaching device, too. "The visual impact of art triggers something in people to see their own nature," he said. "Zen art is a hint, a clue, a guide, a path, a punch in the nose, a blow on the head to help in the discovery." Most religious art, even other Buddhist art, Addss said, is radiant, colorful and careful in trying to express the divine. "Zen, on the other hand, is spontaneous and dramatic brushwork. Rough. Sometimes very funny," he said. For example, one of the pieces in The work of Ryonen, the only nun's work shown in the exhibition, tells a more serious story in a scroll piece and poems. the exhibit is of a woman trying to cure a rich old man by applying a medicine that burns to his hemorrhoids, Addiss said. Ryonen, who was in a women's temple, wanted to be trained with the monks because they received more stringent discipline. But temple leaders told her she was so beautiful that she would distract the training monks. Ryonen then took a hot iron, burned her face and eventually became head of the temple to which she was admitted. Addss said. Hakun, the most important Zen monk of the past 500 years, probably also is the greatest Zen artist, Addiss said. Hakun's works will be featured prominently among approximately 90 pieces. "We have assembled the art of the great monks themselves from temples, museums and private collections all over the world," Addiss said. "Even in Japan, Zen monk art exhibits have been the work of one monk, or to have a narrow focus." Because "The Art of Zen" is the first large-scale exhibit of Zen art in English, it has attracted international attention. Four people from the Ide-Mitte Museum, Japan's leading museum in Tokyo, plan to attend the open house on April 17. The museum lent five pieces to the exhibit. The 1600s were chosen as the beginning period of the exhibition, when Zen monks began to reach out past their upper-class following to common people. The subject matter of the art began to include more folk stories and more humor, Addiss said. Japan was in a period of isolation from about 1620 to the 1860s. Then in the 1860s, Japan flung its doors and Zen traveled out to other countries, influencing art elsewhere. case in 1925, the last year the exhibit covers, Zen art diverged into many new branches, Addiss said. The show is financed in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Commemorative Association for the Japan World Exposition. After the show ends, it will travel to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in Santa Barbara, Calif., and then to Cornell University in Itahua, New York. Exhibition public events Spencer Art Museum will offer a variety of Zen-related activities through March. All events will take place in the museum's auditorium unless otherwise noted. "Bamboo Textures & West Of Somewhere" Shakuhachi concert by John Kaizan Neptune Tuesday, January 31, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 7, 7:30 p.m. Gary Snyder, a practicing Rinzai Zen Buddhist, will present a poetry reading and lecture. "Chanovu: The Tea Ceremony" Richard Danziger, noted specialist in the Japanese tea ceremony will present a lecture and demonstration. Sunday, February 12, 2 p.m. "Ikebana; The Art Of Flowers" freshwater aquarium clearwater aquarium of different water commendation and lecture on the art of flower arranging in Japan. Sunday, February 19, 2 p.m. "What's the Zen About Zen Arts?" A symposium from the perspective of a variety of academic disciplines. Saturday, March 4, 1:30 p.m. "Zen And the Martial Arts" With John Stevens, ordained Zen monk and G. Cameron Hurst, director of KU Center for East Asian Studies. Thursday, February 23, 7:30 p.m. "Japanese Landscape Design: Lessons From The Secret Texts' And Classical Gardens" Sunday, February 26, 2013 2 p.m. "Noh Drama" A lecture and demonstration of Noh drama by one of the leading specialists of Japanese theater in the United States, Andrew Tsuabki, professor of theater and media arts. Tuesday, February 28, 7:30 p.m. "Kesa: Robes Of Japanese Buddhist Priests" A slide lecture by Mary Dusenbury, specialist in Japanese textiles. Wednesday, March 1, 2:30 p.m. Room 211 Spencer Museum "Zen Painting And Calligraphy Of China And An international symposium Artist-in-Residence Saturday, February 25, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Artscheme Demonstration of Zen painting and calligraphy by the Rev. Saturday, February 4, 2 p.m. Tuesday, February 7, 2 p.m. Spencer Museum Central Court Thursday, February 9, 2 p.m. EVENTS C A L E N D A R SATURDAY SUNDAY The Tail Gators, a band from Austin, Texas, will play at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. Lawrence band Ricky Dean Sinatra will open. The cover charge is $5. The second annual "River City Review, a Talent Competition to Benefit the Seem-to-Be Players" will begin at 8 p.m. in Library Hall, 642 Massachusetts St. Contests include Steve Mason and the Barnstorm Oldtime Cloggers. Mamy Amyx and Frank, and the Euphoria String Band. Tickets are $10. Call Liberty Hall, 749-1912, for more information. KANU's Imagination Workshop presents 'Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel' at 8 p.m. in the Lawrence Arts Center, Ninth and Vermont streets. Contact Debi Giley at 864-4530 for more information. An art auction sponsored by the Altrusa Club of Lawrence will begin at 2:30 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom at the Holiday Inn Holidome, 200 McDonald Drive. The preview will begin at 1:30 p.m. Admission is $5, and reservations are suggested. Call 842-2083 or 841-5631 for more information. TUESDAY MONDAY Open call auditions for University theatre spring productions will begin at 7 p.m. in Crafton-Preyer Theatre. Those interested can audition for parts in "The Island," "Cabaret" and "I'm Not Rappaport." You must be a KU student enrolled in at least six hours to audition. Sign up for the open call from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Murphy Hall lobby. Callbacks will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. - Open call auditions for University Theatre spring productions will continue in Crafton-Preyer Theatre. Audition procedures will be the same as Monday. WEDNESDAY ■ Master classes on piano with Claude Frank will begin at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Swarthout Recital Hall at Murphy Hall. Free. THURSDAY Tennessee Williams "Night of the Iguana" will begin at 8 p.m. at the Lawrence Community Theatre, 1501 New Hampshire St. The play runs through Feb. 12. Call 843-7469 for reservations. Ancient-coin display shows history by Marian Weeks Kansan staff writer Ancient coins provide clues to life of ages past in "Ancient Corinth," an exhibit opening noon Sunday at the Spencer Museum of Art. "Coins are not only very delicate and fine examples of ancient art, they also provide historians images of dignitaries," said James Seaver, professor of history, who collected the coins in the exhibit. who collected the coins in the exhibition. Curator Marilyn Stokstad, professor of art history, said that coin portraits of Cleopatra, Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar would be on display. Coins also provide images of destroyed architecture and art, symbols, and mythological beings. Stokstad said the mythical Pegasus, which was the symbol of Corinth, and the nymph of the Fountain of Syracuse would be seen on coins in the display. would be seen on coins in the display. Seaver said he collected coins from 1853 to 1954 and from 1963 to 1967 while studying on Fubright Grants in Italy and Israel. "Every Saturday we went with our good Israeli friends," he said. "We poked our sticks in the desert sand near ancient sites and found coins." near ancient Rome, it will present a lecture, "Coines of the Ancient World," at a public reception 2 p.m. Feb. 5. World," at a public reception 2 p.m. Feb. 3. The exhibit and related programs were conceived by James Seaver professor of history 'Coins are not only very delicate and fine examples of ancient art, they also provide historians images of dignitaries.' faculty several years ago not only to highlight ancient art, but also to honor Seaver's career, Stokstad said. art, but also to nobles see it." "Ironically, we are asking Dr. Seaver to work hard for us, as he so often has, because we are paying him this tribute," she said. Seaver, who directed the Western Civilization program from 1957 to 1983 and was a 1987 nominee for the HOPE award, will retire in May. award winning in conjunction with the exhibit includes the drama "Medea," performed in the original Greek by Stanley Lombardo, chairman of classics, 7 p.m. March 9 in the museum's Central Court. A panel discussion, video, lecture, films and children's classes also are planned for the duration of the exhibit, which ends March 12. NX1000 DOT MATRIX PRINTERS NX1000 $169 With this coupon! (Suggested retail $299!) - Convenient Front Panel Controls Allow You To Customize Your Printer Effortlessly COMPUTER RESALE CENTER - Four Built in Fonts Plus Drift Courier, Sanserf, Orator-1, And Orator-2! Print Efficiency * High Speed Printing at 144 CPS * Paper Parking allows You to * Load Sheets Without * The Tractor Paper Truck 205 E. 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