A roving UHub photographer reports the MFA had this "try on a kimono" event this evening - that got crashed by a man and a woman who tried to convince participants they were being racists by trying on kimonos or even just looking at paintings of people in kimonos - by participating in "yellowface." He was not impressed:
I got the feeling they were trying to upset people, get arrested and then sue the place. The kimono is a symbol of Japanese culture but this one was made by Japanese people for the purpose of sharing culture.
While he was there, at least, they were failing at getting arrested.
Neighborhoods:
Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!
Ad:
Comments
I'm an Asian American and it
By Dot net
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 11:42am
I'm an Asian American and it bothered me a little to see people randomly trying on a kimono without learning anything about it. Except that Parisians loved it and other Japanese things.
The reason it bothers Asian Americans in general is that many Asian cultural elements are appropriated without any knowledge or dissemination of the cultural significance behind them, and are merely used because they look "cool". It's grating, over time.
"Asian-American" is generic
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 11:47am
You do not claim to Japanese, but otherwise I have no idea what your background might be. But let's say you are Chinese -- or Thai -- or Vietnamese. You do not own Japanese culture. You are not a member of that culture. You do not get to decide what is and isn't acceptable. I know for a fact that Japan (and Japanese artisans) are working to _promote_ awareness (and even sales) of the kimono to the world beyond Japan. What gives you the right to say that they should not be doing this. And that an American museum closely tied to Japan cannot, in effect, support this campaign?
Are you white?
By afanty
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 11:58am
So you white people get to decide instead of Asian Americans?
Got to admire how you enjoy your supremacy resulted from Imperialism.
The one Japanese-American...
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:36pm
... to comment on this topic saw no problem.
I make no decisions, Michael.
By Dot net
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:16pm
I make no decisions, Michael. I can only tell you how I feel. Which is not dissimilar from how the protesters feel. Also, my parents are from Vietnam.
Quibbling over "decision"
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:22pm
As an American you have the "right" to feel offended at whatever you want. But not every feeling is justified. Absent any showing that this was offensive to Japanese (and/or Japanese Americans), you really have no horse in this horserace.
nonsense
By afanty
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:38pm
It is like saying step aside, China, we are bombing Japan. You are not Japanese? Then it is none of your business.
Or some other Asian country could be doing something offensive to white Europeans, but specifically towards French. Then is it not okay for Germans and Britons to say anything?
Of course this is hypothetical, but you get the point.
Michael, I disagree with you.
By Dot net
Sat, 07/04/2015 - 10:00pm
Michael, I disagree with you.
I think a Japanese person's response will be very different from a Japanese American's. All I can say that Asian Americans that may look alike to many (Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Mongolians, etc) are often given the same treatment in America. We have a shared and similar experience of non-whiteness and living in America. Which is different from a Japanese person from Japan.
Most Japanese have no problem with term abbreviated term 'Jap'. But Japanese American do. So do most Asian Americans I know. It is a shared experience and history, of knowing this was the word spat from many other Americans' mouths in derision during WW2; during the internment and other disgraceful events. Being ethnically Vietnamese has not shielded me from being referred to as a Jap.
Sorry calling Asians "Japs"...
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 1:29pm
... and being invited to try on a kimono (and accepting the invitation) are two very different things. I see no basis for equating them.
I would note that Mme Monet and HER kimono have long been part of _Western_ culture.
Is wearing flip-flops, modeled on Japanese sandals (zori), transmitted (probably) through Hawaiian Japanese, also insensitive?
Is Hiromi Asai's Kickstarter campaign to promote kimonos in the US an affront?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/530372888/aut...
I'm not comparing being asked
By Dot net
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 3:33pm
I'm not comparing being asked to try on a kimono and using the term Jap. I'm comparing something that Japanese in Japan have no problem with, and that people of Japanese descent in America definitely do have a problem with. The difference is perspective.
I like this kickstarter. It was created by Japanese to promote their kimonos, and their page gives ample history on the garment, and its cultural significance. The MFA has no information like this in regards to the kimono in front of the La Japonaise exhibit.
Promoting your own culture and wares is quite different from what the MFA is doing. They haven't provided any background on the kimono except that Parisians of the era loved it. Which leaves them open to this criticism.
Not having been there myself...
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 3:58pm
... (was just there to see the Hokusai exhibit last weekend), I have no idea what people were being told about kimonos by the staff, do you?
I read what was posted on by
By Dot net
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 4:40pm
I read what was posted on by the activists on twitter and their Facebook group. And the museum's response was not very illuminating on the kimono and its cultural meaning at all, except to the Parisians.
So yes, I feel I do have some idea, unless the activists are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of their potential allies. Some of my friends are attending the same protest next week. I'll let you know what the MFA's presentation on the kimono is then, if you like.
I wonder what the "college ambassadors" are?
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 4:52pm
And how much they say?
No cultural development then?
By Lecil
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:02pm
Imagine just how dull life would be if cultures didn't exchange information. Borrowing happens all the time, and is healthy. Yes, transmission often lacks fidelity, but as with biological evolution, that is actually an important feature of the process. If one culture were never allow to adopt and adapt a feature from another culture, we'd be living in little culture islands, utterly unable to empathize with one another. Celebrate and educate, don't judge and discourage such exchanges, no matter how imperfect. You and your intended audience will be richer for the experience.
And of course all of this has gotten away from the fact that the individual in the picture is clearly protesting Japanese behavior, not Western interest in a particular clothing tradition....
See above. I have no problems
By Dot net
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:09pm
See above. I have no problems w/ cultural diffusion. But appropriation is different.
Cultural appropriation is culture
By Ron Newman
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 1:59pm
Cultural appropriation is culture
And how about the reverse
By Stevil
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 3:20pm
If Asians wear certain western clothes, especially those with roman letters that make no sense - should I be offended? How about an Asian person rapping - should that offend me? Should I cut the ties off of any Asian person who dares to wear one? Or douse little Japanese girls in paint if their school uniforms are imitation sailor suits like those in European private schools? And God forbid we get into things like Nike shoes, iPhones and God knows how many other consumer goods that are American cultural elements.
I spent a huge amount of my younger days in Asia. I would have been awfully insulted - and tired - if I had wasted much time or thought on the amount of American cultural elements that are appropriated by Asians without any knowledge or dissemination of the cultural significance behind them, and are merely used because they look "cool".
It's a damned dress - worn now only on special occasions and by a certain very old profession in Kyoto. I see this as Japan for beginners. If anyone is inspired to take their level of knowledge further - good for them. Fascinating culture and history. Proud people for good reason. But if you are offended because someone wants to experience their clothes - get another gripe. Every Japanese person I ever met was happy to allow their Western friends to try on their kimonos. They were flattered by their interest and fascination with these spectacular artworks - which is what they truly are. One of my most treasured gifts from my days in Japan is a gentleman's kimono that was given to me by close friends.
I understand what you are
By Dot net
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 4:17pm
I understand what you are saying. But the MFA is not a Japanese friend who is flattered to allow others to try on "its" kimono. The MFA is not even a Japanese institution.
I must admit, seeing clothes in Asia with non-sense English or roman letters is funny. But it's a issue of perspective. Maybe people don't want to hear it, but you are looking at things from the view of the culture that has dominated. By diffusion, Western culture, its various forms and aspects, have been adopted by other cultures. Rap is a good example, as you mentioned.
When the "loser" sees their culture being used by others in ignorance, it's more galling. It only bothers me a little. I wouldn't go so far as to protest. But I can't say it doesn't bother me, either.
The cultural impact of Japan....
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 4:06pm
... on the West (including the USA) has been immense. Not even remotely a one way street. Several years back, there was an exhibit that did deal with this -- not sure if this was at the MFA or at the Peabody Essex Museum.
I didn't say it was a one way
By Dot net
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 4:18pm
I didn't say it WAS a one way street.
Are you familiar with this concept?
By itchy
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 11:58am
Patronizing.
I know some of you love to speak for the oppressed peoples, but the Japanese are not exactly oppressed, and I'm betting that you aren't exactly Asian, either.
Kimono as Gifts
By Eve
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 1:15pm
This kimono is gift. If you look closely at the MFA handout, it explains that these kimono are gifts from Japan to the museum explicitly for use for people to touch and try on. The Japanese expert fiber artists want other cultures to understand, experience and appreciate their work.
For anyone further interested in Japanese clothing, the book "Kimono" by Liza Dalby is a wonderful piece of scholarship and I highly recommend it.
Yes, this is true, the kimono
By Dot net
Fri, 07/03/2015 - 1:04am
Yes, this is true, the kimono is a gift from extraordinarily skilled Japanese crafters. Yet the MFA isn't offering any understanding of the kimono. They have no explanation of it, except that Parisians loved Japanese things back then, and that Monet's wife modeled it for him, and see how heavy it feels to wear. Very informative!
Instead of educating, they only invite people to try it on and to be photographed. Thus the criticism.
Your single data point
By lbb
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 3:03pm
A friend gave you a kimono as a gift, and all of a sudden you're an authority on what the "norm" is?
Speaking of black face...
By rpr90
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 6:56am
http://www.vox.com/2015/3/17/8230783/japan-racism-...
I consider learning about
By anon
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 6:58am
I consider learning about other cultures to be a form of education and something that is enriching, not entertainment. It's sad that you think trying on the traditional attire of other cultures to be a form of racism. Were the elderly couple in the photo behaving disrespectfully while wearing the kimono? You assume they are white, but how do you know their ethnic background? Did you ask? Did they submit at dna test to you? Do you eat traditional dishes from cultures different than your own? Does that make you a racist?
You should go to New Orleans sometime.
By Sally
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 8:19am
http://houseofdanceandfeathers.org/mardigrasindians/
There is zero tie of colonialism, imperialism, cultural domination or the like between the U.S. and Japan. As others have pointed out, the exchange of culture between the Japanese and the U.S. and Europe has been going on for hundreds of years. Wearing a kimono--whether admiringly at a museum or when you get out of the bathtub is no different than a Japanese kid wearing Jordan's or Levi's. To try to make this some kind of grievance (especially in some kind of inclusive pan-Asian context--these folks have their own complex history to work out) is patently absurd.
Sally, I think you're a very
By Dot net
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 11:06am
Sally, I think you're a very forthright and honest poster, but what you said about zero ties of colonialism, imperialism, and cultural domination between the US and Japan is incorrect.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakumatsu#Commodore_...
Open Western trade to Japan was opened at the point of a naval battery by US Navy Commodore Perry. This was followed by other aggressions from the West, leading to concessions of ports to Western powers, with extraterritorial rights. Meaning US, British, and French citizens and military lived under their own laws and military protection and that the Japanese government had no rule over the American section of the port city, or any other section ceded to Western powers.
Also, the US occupied Japan after WW2. While this was necessary, the US military government (MacArthur) wrote the Japanese constitution, and reformed the Japanese industry in a way he saw fit. I think this fits as cultural domination, if you asked Japanese of that era. It was necessary perhaps, since we saw Japanese culture as having become dangerously militarized and imperialist.
If you bought a kimono, I would assume you accept and respect the garment as the cultural element it is. Trying it on at the MFA which is not providing info on it, and instead provides info on the colonizing and imperialist French of the period...well, that's a dice roll, isn't it? That's what bothers Asian Americans.
See my above post on why Japanese wearing jeans is no way the same thing.
I appreciate
By Sally
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 11:43am
that you can discuss this in a civilized way and I take your point re Perry, French colonies, etc. but I just disagree with the basic premise that this is inherently offensive. There's a difference between recognizing that Japanese Americans were shamefully treated during WW2 (which the American government has done, btw) and taking or conjuring offense at a relatively very innocent examination of a fact of art history--ie the fascination with Japanese culture in nineteenth century Europe and America. I mean...is the Monet offensive? When you look at a Mary Cassatt print and realize how heavily influenced it was by Japanese art, do you condemn it for being a trickle-down effect of Perry et al? We can't mind-read--we can't know whether people are knowledgable or respectful of culture X or Y and it's very subjective. I would submit that most people at the MFA have a respectful and interested attitude towards the artwork there, whether it's Assyrian statuary or Samurai swords. And see my post re horrible Asian stereotyping in pop culture in recent years. I just think this is low-hanging fruit and not a worthy thing to tackle.
You might be right that the
By Dot net
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:12pm
You might be right that the exhibit at the MFA is not worth protesting. I myself, wouldn't protest it. But I do see the point of the protesters, even if I wonder if it was worth having.
Again, thank you.
By Sally
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:46pm
And I really do hear you. Respect and knowledge are crucial. I guess I just find the leap to #whitesupremacy counter-productive to examining issues that I consider far more important and more damaging.
There is a book called The Hare with the Amber Eyes, written by an English ceramicist about the collection of Japanese netsuke he inherited, collected by his Austrian-French-Jewish great-great-uncle during this time period and later saved from the Nazis by a devoted housekeeper and preserved by his gentle, gay uncle Iggy who moved to Japan after the war and lived out his life there. It is one of the best things I've read about art, family, place and details the Parisian fascination at the time with "Japonisme"...anyway, I digress but it's worth a read.
See, the info about that book
By Dot net
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 3:42pm
See, the info about that book, that is very interesting! I had no idea. Thanks for the tip.
If the MFA had posted info about this book, along with La Japonaise and the kimono trying, I think that would have gone a long way in helping educating people on the culture behind the painting AND the culture behind the kimono.
Probably the best recent book on kimonos
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 3:49pm
http://www.amazon.com/Kimono-History-Terry-Satsuki...
Really goes into the impact of Western ideas on the kimono, and the impact of the kimono on the West -- among other topics.
Excellent text -- and great illustrations.
Tell that to Showa Boston
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 9:34am
A branch of a Tokyo women's university located in Boston. They have several events each year where they encourage people to try on summer kimonos (yukatas) -- especially kids. I have never met a Japanese person who objects to "foreigners" wearing Japanese clothing. In fact, the Japanese want to encourage foreign interest in kimonos -- in order to make it possible for traditional kimono makers to continue to be able to make a living. Next you will tell us we shouldn't drink sake -- but should stick to Coors? Sheesh! (or as another erstwhile poster might say "Cripes!")
Btw
By Sally
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 10:44am
There are plenty of legit examples of "yellowface" that should be rightfully called out and condemned--"Sixteen Candles" for example, as charming a movie as it is, and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" which has literally the most horrifying comic portrayal of an Asian I've ever seen--Mickey Rooney with giant fake buck teeth. Personally I think Pitch Perfect was a little obnoxious in that realm. But to take things to this level of faux sensitivity and historical cluelessness makes most people just dismiss real concerns about real stereotyping.
Don't forget Indiana Jones
By boo_urns
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 2:27pm
Don't forget Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Wooooof.
You're not a mind-reader, Sally
By lbb
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 3:09pm
Just because (you think) you would react a way in a certain situation, does not mean that your way is the one true universal correct way. It is not for you to say that it's "faux sensitivity"; play that card and it can be played on you, anytime, anywhere. If you want your sensitivity respected, you must respect that of others. And don't even try saying, "But I'd never..." because I guarantee you, there's something that bothers you more than it bothers the average person. Does that make your reaction "faux sensitivity"? Think about it.
context is everything
By SwirlyGrrl
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 10:51pm
Wearing a Native American headdress to a ball game is not appropriate, but trying one one at a museum or a powwow? While in the context of learning about the culture from people from that culture? Different.
Yes, but in the context of
By Dot net
Fri, 07/03/2015 - 1:05am
Yes, but in the context of people trying the kimono on at the MFA...there is no learning about Japanese culture there. Except that Parisians loved Japanese stuff back then. Hence the MFA has left itself open to this criticism.
Not surprising, since the whole thing is curated by the Art of Europe section of the MFA. Without any known contribution from their East Asian Art colleagues. I guess collaboration across fields hasn't hit the MFA yet?
By his expression
By Wiffleball
Wed, 07/01/2015 - 11:16pm
it looks like he found out about the peepee in his Coke.
/Yeah, yeah, different country, I'm going to Hell, flying coach, with an unbaptized baby screaming in the seat behind me, etc.
I have to agree...
By anon
Wed, 07/01/2015 - 11:57pm
Considering what the Japanese Imperial Forces did to Korean women during the Second World War a kimono represents racism and imperialism quite well ... just not in the way these dipshits in need of hobbies seem to think.
Taiwan
By afanty
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 11:57am
Some Taiwanese people wears kimono sometimes. Although it is not wrong, but it is also a result of Japanese imperialism and colonization...
Executive Order 9066
By anon
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 6:35am
The fashion protest against "yellowface" raises some eyebrows and chuckles but the interment of Japanese American citizens who were relocated and incarcerated in prison camps is an example of another executive order that stripped citizens of their basic rights and should be remembered by all Americans as a day of infamy.
Hey, if I choose to "self identify" as outraged....
By moxie
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 7:35am
Who are you to judge?
They have a point. I had not
By CT
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 7:36am
They have a point. I had not considered this before. So in this sense the protest has been successful.
Just goes to show you
By merlinmurph
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 7:56am
No matter what you do, there is someone in this world you're going to piss off.
As we've learned here, you can't even put up a street sign without someone complaining about the font.
Have a great Fourth! (or is that too imperialistic for some people??)
And remember to use your Jazz
By fox_orian
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 10:16am
And remember to use your Jazz Hands instead of applause this Fourth, folks!
They should try blocking a
By bulgingbuick
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 8:01am
highway...
That face
By anon
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 9:04am
It looks like he's trying so hard to look as angry as possible.
It is a pretty sorry attempt
By Hardy Har Har
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 2:59pm
It is a pretty sorry attempt at mean-mugging. He looks like he was weaned on a pickle.
More from the protesters
By adamg
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 9:05am
Facebook page.
Doesn't make sense
By anon
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 9:20am
I am of Japanese ancestry (unlike the protester in that twitter link), and I don't think this "protest" makes any sense. The MFA has one of the largest collections of Japanese art (check out the wonderful Hokusai special exhibit). Historically, the MFA played an early and pivotal role in promoting Japanese art in the United States. This is about appreciating Japanese culture and learning about times in Western history when Japanese art and culture have been romanticized. I do not see anything negative.
Indeed
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 10:46am
The MFA has one of the most important collections of Japanese art in the world -- and recently loaned a large part of that collection (including things long unseen here in Boston) for exhibition in Japan. Moreover, Boston and Kyoto have one of the oldest "sister city" relationships in existence.
Unfortunately these types of
By fox_orian
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 10:47am
Unfortunately these types of protesters would rather bury and ignore history they don't agree with politically than observe and learn from it as a bygone era. In my opinion this is a very dangerous way of thinking that can lead to history repeating itself.
Amateur Hour
By A
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 11:25am
They come off as overeager students who cut class from Sociology 101 to put their newfound learning to work......
Yes, like forgetting that
By Dot net
Sat, 07/04/2015 - 10:20pm
Yes, like forgetting that Western imperialism and colonialism based on racism occurred. Continents and people were subjugated. Literally countless people died, since many colonial authorities didn't bother to count. They were toiling away for colonial governments in forced labor or killed in their wars.
And reducing that to a painting and explanation that Parisians loved Japanese things, and try on this kimono! The milieu of the painting and colonialism are linked, even if you don't acknowledge the scholarship behind it. See [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism]Edward Said[/url].
What's wrong with you?
By Brian Riccio
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:12pm
You're Japanese! Don't you know you're supposed to agree with these clowns or you're betraying your race and its heritage?
What's wrong with you? I really don't think you've fully appreciated the power of the hashtag and the culture warriors who wield it like a katana!
Cultural appropriation is always in those names
By afanty
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:12pm
But of course not everyone will be offended. But that doesn't mean it is not offensive to some.
When you say you disagree with gay marriage, not every gay person will be offended either, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't have legalized it.
We know MFA means well. We know why they run this event. But I am sure to many it is a form of entertainment. For those who feel this is completely ok, what about, say, imagine there is a museum in China showing some American art and invite people to try on some Puritan, colonial clothing and take selfies? How about putting on some Just imaging that vividly. I presume that some Chinese people, hypothetically, do this to learn and experience American culture. But as an evening event, I am pretty sure some go just for entertainment. Now, mind you that US culture is far more intertwined with entertainment thanks to Hollywood. Other cultures not so much. Now you may not get offended, but I am pretty sure some Americans might be.
These activities are cultural appropriation, or not, we do not have to decide. But it does remind Asian and Asian Americans of many other forms of culture appropriation. And there is a difference between cultural exchange and culture appropriation. This difference is difficult to grasp especially if you are from a monoculture background, or dominate culture.
Think of the FireFighter-Americans!
By KellyJMF
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 1:01pm
All those kids going to the firehouse and trying on firefighting gear should be ashamed of themselves.
Oh wait, they do it to make the kids more comfortable with firefighters in case they encounter one in a more scary situation.
Around here we learn more about other cultures by imaging if we were part of that culture, sometimes by trying on the costumes. You start with the fun stuff to get a little comfort with the idea and then you dig into the history and more mature themes when you're ready.
As a society, we're better off when we stop trying to find reasons to identify people as "Other" and focus on "People, like us".
No one object
By afanty
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 4:03pm
No one object that you try other culture's clothing. It just has to be done in a proper way, in private, or in public with more appropriate settings, and try not to offend others.
MFA event borderline as pure entertainment for some people, that's why it's insensitive and inappropriate.
BTW, why call this a costume? Haven't you heard? http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2011/10/i_...
PS: your firefighter story is completely different from this case. Can't you tell firefighters are not a race or ethnic group? You know a fire department is not a country right? Is firefighting gear a "costume" to you? Does firefighting gear has complex culture and history associated with it comparable to kimono or other ethnic clothing? Sure there are people wearing it for Halloween, but I can think of scenarios where it might be offensive to firefighters or others to wear firefighting gears. What if an actor who was a firefighter in a movie, who really don't know much about firefighting and have never actually done anything close, teach kids about firefighting as if he is a real hero and expert? Wouldn't you think at least some real firefighters could be offended?
MFA seems to have handled it appropriately
By JohnAKeith
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 9:41am
Kudos to the museum for handling it so politely.
Of course, if they continue to trespass...
I think I'll engage in
By Irmo
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:19pm
I think I'll engage in misappropriation of Japanese culture today by putting on blackface and giving a pseudo-Polynesian minstrel show.
I don't understand "Polynesian misntrel show"...
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 12:30pm
... but do know that a certain segment of Japanese young people have (or recently had) an obsession with black American culture -- and have used blackface to perform music.
Longer ago, there was a fascination with hula dancing, but I don't believe there was any use of blackface when doing this. (There is a rather charming movie called Hula Girls).
I was wondering...
By anon
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 1:30pm
When someone was going to bring up things like oh say, Ganguro girls in blackface.
This is the closest to minstrelsy..maybe..
By anon
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 1:53pm
I have a feeling it doesn't exist. A phantasm.
But this does. https://youtu.be/0Bd3znwbx4A
Ska has a following https://youtu.be/B85ecUfKTNs
The appropriation is a two way stream. The Nihon are given to enthusiasms. Baseball, Atlantic Salmon Fly Tying,..Jazz.. you name it.
Nihon is the country
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 11:55pm
Nihonjin are the people. ;-}
Entertainment
By ElizaLeila
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 3:39pm
Couched as learning:
http://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/exhibits-prog...
And learning ....
By Michael Kerpan
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 3:53pm
... couched as entertainment. Have you been to the Kyoto town house? Alas, none of the fixtures (other than lighting) work. During the 100th anniversary of the sister-city relationship, we got to meet the lady who supervised the disassembly in Kyoto and re-assembly of the house inside the museum. We also got to go upstairs and into the Japanese toy and doll store room. We _so_ lucked out. ;-}
i have not
By ElizaLeila
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 10:47pm
I would like to, though. It sounds like you totally lucked out.
this is different
By afanty
Thu, 07/02/2015 - 4:08pm
This house is clearly a real culture showcase and educational piece. It is much more immersive, and most likely comes with better descriptive materials. It is very different from a piece of culture that you can "take" and "appropriate", in a modern museum setting with nothing Japanese except the kimono and an old Western painting about a Westerner wearing Japanese clothes. This actually highlights why MFA approach is problematic and offensive to some people.
Pages
Add comment