橋 Hashi: Connecting Maine and Japan through Student Art

Hashi is the Japanese word for bridge.

Using the traditional Japanese artform of block printmaking, elementary school-aged artists in Maine and the Aomori Prefecture in Japan “bridge” a connection between the sister states. The genesis of Hashi stems from a collaboration between Friends of Aomori of Maine and the Aomori City Morning Rotary.

History of Hashi  

Friends of Aomori was invited to select Maine art educators to participate in a cultural exchange with Aomori by members of the Rotary in Aomori Dr. Tadashi Suzuki, President Oyokyo Kidney Research Institute and Jiro Ono, Director of the Munakata Shiko Memorial Museum of Art.

The art educators from Maine’s Berwick Academy and MSAD#51 visited Aomori in 2018. They observed students working on block prints, worked with printmakers in their studios, and toured galleries and museums. As members of Friends of Aomori, a nonprofit organization consisting of volunteers who strive to improve the relationship between the State of Maine and Aomori Prefecture, the art educators collaborate with Suzuki-san and Ono-san on the annual exchanges, now in their 5th year.

October 5, 2024–January 5, 2025