Catch the Japanese wave at world-class art show at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn

A fascinating and immersive dive into a magnificent period of Japanese art and culture is as close as Glen Ellyn. Unwrapping surprises for visitors of every age, the exhibit “Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World, Artworks From the Chiossone Collection” is on display through Sept. 21.

Taking guests on a journey through 17th-century Japan, it brings to life the period of shoguns, samurai and kabuki actors along with exquisite Japanese landscapes. Presented by the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and its McAninch Arts Center home on the campus of College of DuPage at 425 Fawell Blvd., its attractions spill out of the gallery space to fill the MAC.

Organizers said some of the artworks on display have never been shown in the United States before. They were collected thanks to the artistic eye of Italian engraver Edoardo Chiossone from Genoa who resided in Japan for 23 years while he designed the country’s first bank notes at the end of the 19th century.

About the works on display

The art collection, on loan from the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art in Genoa, features 53 woodblock prints and original paintings by the masters of ukiyo-e, including original works by Hokusai, Hiroshige and 15 of their contemporaries.

The exhibition was made possible through the collaboration of hundreds of people with international partners, Cleve Carney Museum of Art Curator Justin Witte said.

Bringing it all to vivid life is a team ranging from COD students to professionals in the art world. They worked right down to the last minute to complete the exhibition and all its complementary components, MAC Executive Director Diana Martinez of Glen Ellyn said during the opening week.

“No other community college in the country is bringing in international art exhibitions,” she said, referencing the Frida Kahlo and Andy Warhol shows that preceded “Hokusai,” each drawing visitors from across the U.S. “We borrow the art, [but] everything else is created from the ground up. This is the only place you can see [this] exhibition in the U.S.”

Visitors can choose from a multitude of attractions to experience. The lobby’s illustrated timeline is filled with lively detail about the history, culture and artists, some of whose works foreshadow contemporary manga and anime. And people can step into the immersive manga and anime room with blown-up art and creative photo ops.

A smaller theater space invites viewers to stroll a lane flanked by the era’s buildings and occupants.

A fun digital art opportunity invites visitors to add their choice of classic elements to create their own homage to the artistic genre – blissfully with no graphic talent required for wannabe artists.

Reproductions of elaborate samurai, kabuki character and kimono attired figures lead the way to the “Hokusai Kids Area,” full of interactive art-making activities and a cleverly informative original short anime film on Hokusai’s life written by Martinez, who helped design the children’s space.

Outdoors on the MAC’s south patio is a serene nod to stylized Japanese gardening with help from Ball Horticultural of West Chicago.

Range of special events

To top it all, the lineup is chock-full of events linked to a variety of related subjects, from festivals, workshops, lectures, films, a free outdoor concert by COD’s resident New Philharmonic to date nights in the gallery. Much of the programming is free with presentation of a ticket stub to the exhibition. The full lineup is detailed at Hokusai2025.org. Helping celebrate the show are events at the Elmhurst Art Museum and The Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

Town partners

The Waves of DuPage public art project also includes Carol Stream, Clarendon Hills, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, Hanover Park, Hinsdale, Lisle, Lombard, Naperville, Roselle, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton, Winfield and Woodridge.