Tea for four:
Reeves Center hosts
month-long lecture series on traditional tea ceremonies
By NINA COOLIDGE
Some of the most distinguished speakers who have passed through the doors of Washington and Lee University during the past four years have been brought to campus by a group that is somewhat unfamiliar to many students.
The Reeves Center, which is tasked with preserving and maintaining the University's art collection, also hosts an annual series that brings distinguished professionals and members of the academic and artistic communities to W&L to speak on a unique theme each year. For many students outside of the studio art and art history departments, however, the Reeves Center is an unfamiliar place.
This year's lecture series theme, "From Harmony to Tranquility: The Arts of Tea," is a tribute to the newly opened Japanese tearoom located in the Watson Pavilion at W&L. Associate Dean of the College Janet Ikeda introduced this year's series and said the name comes from the Japanese words for the four principles of tea: the first translates to "harmony" and the last to "tranquility."
Erin Kuykendall is the curatorial assistant of University Collections at the Reeves Center and helps organize the speakers and series. She said that the Reeves Center tries to base the theme of the series around the Art classes that are being offered during the semester.
"The lecture series this spring corresponds to the arts of the tea ceremony, from the different utensils to the scrolls and chabana vases which decorate the tea room," Kuykendall said.
The first speaker of this year's series was William LeFleur, the E. Dale Saunders Professor in Japanese Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. LaFleur has written numerous books on Japanese culture including The Karma of Words: Buddhism and the Literary Arts in Medieval Japan, Liquid Life: Abortion and Buddhism in Japan, and Buddhism: A Cultural Perspective.
Each year, the Reeves Center partners with various departments in the university to decide on a theme and potential speakers. This year the center has paired with the Art Department and the East Asian Languages and Literature program. During the first year of the lecture series, 2004, the Reeves Center worked with the Sociology and Anthropology departments. Some of the most notable speakers from the past four years include the former director of Christie's International Japanese Department, James B. Godfrey, and Prof. Maggie Bickford, chair of the Department of Art History and Architecture at Brown University.
At this week's lecture, LaFleur read some short poems, called waka, by a medieval Japanese poet, Saigyo, and discussed how the progression of Saigyo's poetry can be used to examine the development of the tea ceremony in Japan.
Peter Grover, director of University Collections, said the lecture series brings in special scholars not on the faculty at W&L to share knowledge with students, faculty and the Lexington community. "In fact our greatest attendance comes from Kendal, the retirement center."
The Reeves Center opened in the fall of 1982 and is home to a collection of 17th, 18th and 19th century ceramics and paintings. The collection is primarily made up of a large donation made by W&L law school alumnus Euchlin Reeves, '27, a lifelong collector, and his wife, painter Louise Herreshoff Reeves. The original donation included over 4,000 pieces of Chinese export porcelain and numerous paintings by Mrs. Reeves herself.Today the collection continues to grow as a result of donations from friends and families of the University.
The lecture series will continue every Monday through March 19 in Northen Auditorium. Future lectures are:
March 5, Professor Steve Addiss from the University of Richmond
March 12, Christine Guth
March 18, William Sargent from the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts
The lectures are open and free to the public.
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Claudette Artwick
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd