New Art Exhibitions at Bruyette Art Museum

Written by Kaylee Zukowski and Genia Clarke

On March 30th, 2023, two new exhibitions opened at the Bruyette Art Museum: “Trailblazer: A Tribute to Toko Shinoda” and “By the Book: Writers, Artists, and Illustrations”. The museum featured many artists from across the world were featured within the museum, including Toko Shinoda. Shinoda was a Japanese artist best known for her calligraphy and lithographic pieces, a number of which are on display in the first room of the museum. Her pieces feature her calligraphy as well as colored accents that she did by hand. Additionally, Shinoda used gold or silver leaf in some of her artwork. During her exhibit’s reception, Garrett Groesbeck played the koto: a Japanese zither instrument with either 13 or 17 strings that are plucked with fingerpicks worn on the first three fingers of the hand.  

During the event, Allison Tolman, a long-time friend of Shinoda, came to talk about her experiences with the artist. Tolman explained that Shinoda would listen to jazz or classical music while working and was very dedicated to her craft. Part of her dedication came from the fact that she never planned to marry and had to work hard to remain independent. Although she never took on an apprentice, Shinoda would sometimes collaborate with Kimura Kihachi on artwork. Shinoda was born on March 28th, 1913, and died in 2021.

The other exhibit, “By the Book,” displayed many pieces based off famous literature and well-known authors. For example, there were woodcut portraits of Mark Twain and Nathaniel Hawthrone created by James Britton. An additional room of the museum featured biblical artworks by European artists. These spectacular pieces are only a taste of the artwork featured in the “By the Book” exhibit, which includes a variety of mediums. Viewers can experience works done in charcoal, woodcut, and oil paint. 

This new exhibit will last until June 2nd, 2023.