Annual Ford Lecture: The Poem Pottery of Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875)

Registration is required.

Audiences are invited to listen to a lecture by scholar Melissa McCormick that examines the waka poetry inscribed on the handmade ceramics of the Japanese Buddhist nun-artist Ōtagaki Rengetsu. McCormick will explore the relationship between the material ground of a poem and its meter and meaning while considering the cadences of kinetic reading, of turning a poem in the hand. McCormick will also situate Rengetsu’s vessels, often made for use in tea gatherings, in their own time and place and against the backdrop of the politically volatile 19th century. Following the presentation, please join us for a Q&A and reception in our Museum Cafe.

ASL interpretation will be provided at this program.