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The Story of Ink: A Lecture from Curator & Professor Aida Yuen Wong

  • Pao Arts Center 99 Albany Street Boston, MA, 02111 United States (map)

Join us for a lecture from curator and Professor Aida Yuen Wong. Professor Wong curated our current exhibition, The Inventive Brush: Calligraphic Echoes from China, Japan, and Korea

This lecture introduces the fascinating story of ink in East Asia, covering its ingredients, history, and manufacture. More than 2,000 years old, this ancient material is appreciated not just for its function but also as a highly specialized art form in itself. Ink cakes are still produced using traditional techniques involving soot, animal glue, and fragrance, though the convenience of bottled ink and environmental concerns are shifting expectations.

The Inventive Brush: Calligraphic Echoes from China, Japan, and Korea, curated by Professor Aida Yuen Wong, showcases the diversity of contemporary calligraphy; it features the works of three Massachusetts-based artists, Mike Yuguo Mei, Michiko Imai, and YoungSun Jang. On view from July 19 – December 13, 2024. 

The Inventive Brush: Calligraphic Echoes from China, Japan, and Korea is a collaboration between the Pao Arts Center, the Japan Society of Boston, and the Korean Cultural Society of Boston.

About the Partners

 

Japan Society of Boston

The Japan Society of Boston, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote cultural and economic ties and active interchange between Japanese and Americans for mutual understanding, business exchange, social connection, and friendship. We serve as a programming nexus for individuals, institutions, and businesses linked together by a strong interest in Japan and a shared recognition of the importance of the U.S.-Japan relationship.

Korean Cultural Society of Boston

Founded in October, 2012, the Korean Cultural Society of Boston (KCSB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and provides opportunities for the Greater Boston area to learn and engage with arts, culture, and heritage of Korea while simultaneously empowering and promoting the Korean American community.​


Gallery Hours:

Wednesdays 1:00 - 5:00 pm 

Thursdays 1:00 - 6:00 pm 

Fridays 1:00 - 5:00 pm 

Saturdays 1:00 – 5:00 pm 

Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays: Closed 

Exhibit Contact:

Maia Erslev