Project Proposal:

Contemporary Japanese Art in the Garden

For hundreds of years Japanese arts and crafts has embodied Zen
principals and esthetic qualities in both appearance and technique. Today,
Contemporary Japanese artists strive to maintain traditional techniques and
cultural elements. This exhibitions features works of contemporary art that
exemplify tenets of Zen aesthetics and artist who bridge the Japanese arts
and crafts tradition with the present. This exhibition will simultaneously
expose visitors to Japanese tradition as they experience the Tea Garden, and
works contemporary Japanese art. Installations and works will be located in
close proximity to features of the garden that hold similar aesthetic and
cultural values.
The following are possible artists and works. Shinichi Maruyamas
water sculptures exemplify the Zen principal of impermanence. In addition
to displaying several photographs from his stunning Kusho Series, a video
projection of his work titled, Water Sculpture, will also be shown. Motoi
Yamamoto demonstrates meditation in his intricate salt paintings and his dry
Zen garden replacing sand with salt and rocks with large salt rocks. Architect
Kengo Kuma demonstrates the notion of the tea garden as an other-worldly
space and nature with his fabric installation, which comes to life in the wind.
Inside the tea house small vessels by contemporary artists will be on display.
A collection of brightly colored blinged out tea bowl by ceramic artist,
Takuro Kuwata, pays homage to the traditional tea ceremony wares. In addition,
several square vases by metal artist Sue Hasuda, demonstrate asymmetry.

Mind Map:

Gantt Chart:

Exhib. Project Progress

Review
Uninstall
Exhibition (Open)
Prep./ Installation
Register/Receive Art
Printed Material
Publicity
Planning
Research Artists/Art

To-Do List:
Research Artists/Art (8/3/201)
Proposal

Select artists and works

Location
Exhibition Planning (8/12/15)
Contact artist/ art owners/ Museums
Exhibition Design
Publicity (8/24/15)
Graphic Design
Articles
Printed Material (9/1/15)
Catalogue/ Program
Banners
Labels
Register/ Receive art (9/14/15)
Document arrivals (Condition)
Installation (9/14/15)
Prepare Space
Set up Exhibition
EXHIBITION OPEN (10/9/15)
Opening
Uninstall (10/19/15)
Take Down
Return Shipping
Review (11/2/15)
Personal
Small Group
Overall (Large Group)

Status Report: (9/21/15)

Midpoint Contemporary Japanese Art Exhibition Status Report
Done
Research Artists/Art
Exhibition Planning
Publicity
Printed Material
In-progress
Register/ Receive Art
o 60% by date

o On schedule by expected arrival time

Condition report up to date
No damage in transit
Prep. /Install
o 30% by date
o On-schedule

Upcoming

EXHIBITION OPENING DATE (10/9/15)

o Countdown: 17days
Issues/ Notes/ Questions
Installation is scheduled to end Approx. 2-3 days before opening
day. Should we consider last min. on site/ walk through publicity
with local news station?
We have filled our immediate need for printed material. Have we
collected any data on interest level? Should we print more?

Project Review:
**(I am assuming that this is a review of the hypothetical project as done in
the midpoint status report)**
1. Were the project goals met and were the end results completed
on time?
The demographic of Downtown Phoenix has seen drastic changes
since the Friendship Tea House and Tea Garden opening in 1996.
Furthermore, despite the gardens public opening in 2012 the garden
remains largely unknown to growing community just beyond the
garden walls. I do believe that met the goals of our project. By
aligning the existing needs/ wants of the immediate community, the
existing generation x and exponentially growing millennial
community of downtown Phoenix, with the self stated missions of
the Japanese Friendship Tea garden, whose aim is to build
connection though cultural exchange. With careful planning and
responsible consideration of potential roadblocks completed this
exhibition comfortably on time.
2. What were the most significant achievements?
The most significant achievements were opening on time

and Attracting a more attention and visitors than anticipated. I

attribute our successful marketing to the attention paid to
targeting an untapped demographic and adaptation/
consideration of their needs/ wants.
3. What would you do differently if you could do the project again?
In this experience we erred on the side of caution yet didnt
experience any major roadblocks. It is easy to say we just got
lucky, but I believe a lot of it was due to our careful consideration
of potential dilemmas during the research and planning stages.
In some ways I attribute the ability to anticipate these challenges
to failures I have observed from other cross-cultural exhibitions/
foreign exchanges. While we did experience difficulties in crosscultural communication, we were able to mitigate them due to
careful planning.