Brief History of the CWAJ Print Show |
| The College Women’s Association of Japan (CWAJ) is a dynamic group of international women dedicated to offering educational and cultural programs both for members and the community. Since 1949 more than 750 women have received scholarships enabling University study outside their home countries in fields ranging from cancer research to traditional Japanese theater. CWAJ also annually funds scholarships for visually impaired men and women in Japan, and awards both Art Grants and Young Printmaker Awards to promote the further development of hanga. The first CWAJ Print Show, comprised of 91 woodblock prints by 40 artists, opened in October 1956. The show was the brainchild of a CWAJ member, who was a print artist herself, and art critic and author Oliver Statler. Through their efforts, the Print Show was born, and significant fundraising for the Travel Grants Program, later the Scholarship Program, was assured. Abe Yuji of Yoseido Gallery in Tokyo assisted the young venture by introducing top-ranked artists. Among those exhibiting in the early shows were Hiratsuka Un’ichi, Saito Kiyoshi, Munakata Shiko, and Onchi Koshiro. The CWAJ Print Show has evolved to become a highly respected annual exhibition of contemporary Japanese prints (hanga). As the show has grown, so has the array of printmaking techniques. Today you will find many diverse forms, from intaglio, to lithography, to silkscreen. |
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| Banners celebrating the opening of "On the Cutting Edge - Prints from the 50th CWAJ Print Show" at the Library of Congress, Washington DC, April - June 2007 |
| Beginning in 1968, a number of shows have traveled to destinations in Japan and beyond, including Philadelphia, London, Sydney, and most recently, Washington DC. Since 1980, the prints have been selected by international advisors from highly respected museums or who are printmaking experts. The catalogue, featuring full-color reproductions of all the prints, is an internationally collected resource for contemporary hanga. |
| Constant throughout our history have been the high quality of the prints exhibited and the fact that the Print Show is operated entirely by CWAJ volunteers. |
| "The CWAJ Print Show is about beauty in many forms. It showcases the visible beauty of form expressed in a diverse array of contemporary graphic designs. It is also about the inner beauty hidden in human hearts, which motivates the whole selfless idea of the Show and its purpose." (Ewa Machotka-Biedrzycka, 2006CWAJ Scholar) |