Discussion on the Japanese tea ceremony, hosted by Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, held Nov. 11

A demonstration and discussion of the Japanese tea ceremony, sponsored by the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, was presented virtually on Nov. 11 in concert with the exhibition Path of the Teabowl.

Omar Francis, an instructor in the traditions relating to the Japanese tea ceremony, presented "An Introduction to Chanoyu: The Japanese Tea Ceremony," on the Zoom platform.

Francis writes: "While Chanoyu, the Japanese Tea Ceremony, has been alive and well for over 500 years, it remains a mystery for many both inside and outside of Japan."

Wayne Higby, the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum’s director, notes that the Asian scholar James-Henry Holland, of Hobart and Williams Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, during a recent online conference sponsored by the Museum stated that the Japanese tea ceremony is “a work of art.”

Francis is a licensed instructor in The Urasenke Tradition of Chadō, commonly known as the Japanese tea ceremony. First introduced to Chadō at the University of Illinois in 1992, he was later admitted into the Midorikai program for a year of intensive training at the Urasenke headquarters in Kyoto, Japan. Since then, he has continued his studies as a member the Chicago Association of Urasenke, taking part in many educational and cultural activities. Francis is currently teaching at the Japanese Culture Center in Chicago, IL.

The Path of the Teabowl exhibition, guest-curated by Associate Professor of Art History Meghen Jones, includes works from the permanent collection of the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum as well as important loans from the collections of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, Marlin and Ginger Miller, Linda Sikora, the Art Complex Museum Duxbury, the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art. 

The Alfred Ceramic Art Museum’s Path of the Teabowl exhibition is now on view through December 29, 2021. Museum hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Closed Mondays and Thanksgiving Day.