Detroit Institute Of Arts Launches Gallery For Japanese Art

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DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - The Detroit Institute of Arts is opening a permanent gallery for Japanese art that pairs traditional and contemporary works.

Museum officials say the gallery, which opens Saturday, places objects in their original contexts and spaces, including tea rooms, Buddhist temples and domestic rooms.

Reeds and Crains by Suzuki Kiitsu. (Credit: Detroit Institute of Arts)

Digital elements aim to enliven objects or provide additional context, such as a touchscreen table where visitors can handle a 3-D printed tea bowl. The museum also teamed up with a Tokyo theater to produce a film featuring a Noh performance with a mask similar to one in the Detroit collection.

The DIA worked with Natsu Oyobe, University of Michigan curator of Asian art, and received financial support from the Japanese Business Society of Detroit.

Workshops, demonstrations and performances are planned during the opening weekend, Nov. 4-5. Click here for more information.