Behind the Scenes: Exploring the Environments of Edo Japan through the documentary Edo Avant Garde

Bring your students into the environment of Edo period Japan.

"Edo Avant-Garde reveals the pivotal role Japanese artists of the Edo era (1603 – 1868) played in setting the stage for the “modern art” movement in the West. During the Edo era, while a pacified Japan isolated itself from the world, audacious Japanese artists innovated stylization, abstraction, minimalism, surrealism, geometric composition and the illusion of 3-D. Their elegant originality is most striking in images of the natural world depicted on folding screens and scrolls by Sotatsu, Korin, Okyo, Rosetsu, Shohaku and many others who left their art unsigned."

NCTA master teachers Angie Stokes and Kachina Leigh will share their lesson modules for using concepts from Edo Avant Garde in the classroom. Participants will be challenged to think about how to draw on this resource to teach about history, culture, biodiversity, religion and art. Filmmaker Linda Hoaglund will also join us for Q&A time.

The 83-minute film will be available for workshop participants to view from May 8 to May 16. Access will be via a link to be provided in early May.