The Art of Woodblock Printing

As a part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the Freer and Sackler Galleries unveiled a special exhibition titled "Hokusai: 36 Views of Mount Fuji." Hokusai, arguably Japan's most famous artist, created these landscape prints using the ancient technique of woodblock printing. 6th graders from Wheatley Education Campus had the chance to visit the gallery with Live It Learn It to analyze Hokusai's work, discuss recurring themes,  and ponder the importance of Mt. Fuji.

But that's not all! Thanks to the education department at Freer & Sackler, the students also had the opportunity to work with the well-known woodblock printmaker Keiji Shinohara.

Mr. Shinohara shows a student the best technique for rubbing the print.

Mr. Shinohara spoke with the students about how he learned the art of woodblock printing, and described the technique he uses to create his prints. Unlike most woodblock artists, he does all parts of the process himself by hand.

After watching Mr. Shinohara demonstrate, students tried their hand at making their own prints.

A student waits her turn to try printing an image.

Students help each other to remember each step of the process.

Success!

Following the trip, a few students shared their favorite part of the day...