Nihongo Art Contest Exhibition 2011

Toronto, February 23rd, 2011 – NIHONGO ART CONTEST 2011 will be featuring an exclusive exhibition of inspirational artworks by the students across Ontario who are currently studying the Japanese language.  This year’s juried exhibition from students ranging from grades 1 to 12 – including the computer graphic illustrations – each unique in its own style, medium and representation of the Japanese character.  The collected artworks will also showcase some pieces by kindergarten students and adults.

Nihongo Art is a unique way to express individualistic ideas about Kanji (Chinese Characters), Hiragana and Katakana words through illustration.  Through Nihongo Art, children experience a different approach to learning the Japanese language, challenging themselves to create an illustrated artwork that embodies both meaning and character.

This exhibition will run from Sunday, April 17 and continue until Saturday, April 30 at The Gendai Gallery, located within the Japanese Canadian Culture Center.  The opening event on Sunday, April 17, will include an awards presentation for the winning entries. This will be followed by an artist workshop lead by Mitchell Akiyama, which is open to children of all ages. 

The Nihongo Art Contest was founded in 2004 by Yukie Uchida, a teacher of Japanese at Hillfield Strathallan College in Hamilton.  She invented a unique method of teaching: she asked students to draw pictures that incorporated Japanese characters to embody a word’s meaning in the drawing itself. With the support of the Japan Foundation, the Ontario-wide contest was established and every year, hundreds of children in Ontario experience Nihongo Art while learning the Japanese language.

 Contest judging was chaired by:

Takeo Maekawa, Director, Japanese Social Services. Other judges included; Masaya Otsuka, Consul, The Consulate-General of Japan in Toronto; Masayuki Suzuki, Director, The Japan Foundation, Toronto; Yoshikazu Ito, Executive Board Member, Canadian Association for Japanese Language Education; and Tadaaki Hozumi, Member of Board of Directors, Gendai Gallery, Toronto.

Exhibition and contest is co-hosted by:

Nihongo Art Contest Organizing Committee 2011 (NACOC11) and the Gendai Gallery.

Participating schools include:

Kingston Nihongo Kyoshitsu, Hillfield Strathallan College; Toronto Kokugo Kyoshitsu, Nisshu Gakuin; St. Louis Adult Learning & Continuing Education Centres; Nikka Gakuen; The Toronto Japanese Language School; YRDSB International Language Program-Thornlea Saturday School, YRDSB International Language Program-Unionville High School Tuesday Night School, Northview Heights Night School, and The Valleys International Language School

This exhibition is generously sponsored by:

The Consulate-General of Japan in Toronto; The Japan Foundation, Toronto; The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre; e-nikka/Nikka Times; Nikkei Voice; Bits Box Inc.; Gendai Gallery; Nisshu Gakuin; Nikka Gakuen; Hillfield Strathallan College; Toronto Kokugo Kyoshitsu; St. Louis Adult Learning & Continuing Education Centres; Toronto Japanese Language School; and Kingston Nihongo Kyoshitsu, and

 Since 2005, the contest has been co-hosted by Gendai Gallery, a public art gallery that cultivates dialogue through contemporary art, focusing on experimental collaborations with contemporary artists and organizations for the production and dissemination of artwork from East Asian perspectives.  Gendai Gallery is a non-profit art space committed to contemporary arts within the context of culture and community – local and global – and an ongoing interrogation of these elements.  Gendai Gallery opened its doors in 2000 and is located in the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.

 For more information about Nihongo Art Contest 2011, contact:

 Masako Sawada, makuri@rogers.com

 or visit Nihongo Art Contest reference site: http://www.geocities.jp/ontarionac/; www.nihongoart.org

For information and directions to Gendai Gallery visit: www.gendaigallery.org