Carleton Art Gallery Offers Tea Ceremony Demonstration

As part of the ongoing exhibition “Kettles,” the Carleton College Art Gallery will host a Japanese tea ceremony demonstration at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Mitsuo Oyabu, a disciple of the centuries-old Sohen school of tea, and Paula Arai, assistant professor of religion at Carleton, will perform the demonstration. The event is free and open to the public.

The ceremony stems from “chanoyu,” or the way of tea, a philosophy based on values of grace and simplicity. This aesthetic is cultivated in every detail of the ceremony, from the studied economy of the server’s movements to the the décor of the room and the utensils used to serve. A specially constructed Tea Room, designed with help from members of the Minneapolis-based Urasenke Society (devoted to the Way of Tea), will provide the Art Gallery with an appropriate backdrop. Participants in the ceremony will use ceramic tea bowls contributed by local collectors and potters.

The public demonstration will begin with Oyabu acting as host for a ceremony involving four “guests,” as Arai provides a narration. The audience will then have the opportunity to partake in the rudiments of the ceremony, either in groups of four acting as guests on the platform, or in a set of informal lessons guided by Arai’s students and volunteers from the Urasenke society.

Arai’s classes at Carleton focus on East Asian religions and her primary research is based on anthropological fieldwork in Japan. Her special interests include Japanese Buddhist rituals, healing and women’s experiences. Arai is the author of “Women Living Zen: Japanese Soto Buddhist Nuns,” as well as several book chapters and journal articles.

Oyabu is an accomplished practioner of the art of tea and is allied with the Sohen School of Tea, established in the 17th century. Oyabu also has volunteered to demonstrate the tea ceremony for Arai’s class on Japanese Culture and Religion this term. Arai and Oyabu became acquainted while Arai was conducting research on Japanese women and their ritual practices.

“Kettles: Japanese Artistry and American Artists” celebrates the Japanese tea ceremony kettle as a source of inspiration to American artists. The exhibition is located in the Carleton Art Gallery and is open to the public through March 10.

For more information and disability accommodations, call the Carleton Art Gallery at (507) 646-4342.