Morikami Museum- Tanabata: Japan’s Star Festival

Watch Jade Matarazzo’s Exhibition at the Morikami

June 7, 2013

Stella M. Homes, executive producer of the PBS documentary film West Encounters East, presented a showing of the film’s trailer at a private reception attended by 200 guests at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach.

Among dignitaries attending were Ambassador Hélio Vitor Ramos Filho, consul general of Brazil and Mr. Masahiro Ogino, deputy consul of Japan in Miami.
The event launched the opening of Morikami’s new exhibit, Tanabata: Japan’s Star Festival –Views of Tanabata in São Paulo, Brazil, featuring photography by Jade Matarazzo, which will be on view through September 15. West Encounters East was the inspiration for this exhibit, and the trailer for the film, running in a continuous loop, complements the photography.
Tanabata – literally “seventh night” – is a Japanese festival commemorating the annual reunion of deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, star-crossed lovers separated during the rest of the year by the Milky Way. Ms. Matarazzo’s photographs capture the spirit of this ancient tradition as it is celebrated in São Paulo, home to the largest Japanese community outside Japan.

The Tanabata exhibit was made possible by Ms. Holmes, an art historian based in Miami. West Encounters East, presented by WPBT/Channel 2, is now airing on 250 public television channels around the US. The film focuses on several generations of Japanese Brazilian artists and demonstrates the interesting fusion of Japanese identity and Brazilian nationality through their paintings, sculptures, photography and ceramics.
The trailer was followed by a reception with vibrant entertainment by Fushu Daiko group and Brazilian flute player Renato DeMoraes, concluding the enchanting evening.

Stella M. Holmes, an art historian and collector for more than two decades, makes her home in Miami, where her creativity and passion continue to enrich the community’s cultural institutions. She is benefactor of the Stella M. Holmes Art Research Center at the University of Miami’s Lowe Art Museum, where she is a member of the Director’s Circle and principal supporter of ArtLab, an exhibition program launched by the Lowe and the Art & Art History Department of the University of Miami to provide students with hands-on experience in curating museum exhibitions.

Jade Matazarro 

is a Brazil-born artist who studied fine arts in Switzerland and holds a degree in architecture. She specializes in Miksang photography. Miksang, which means “good eye” in Tibetan, stresses simplicity and contemplation rather than technical effects.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens 

has been a center for Japanese arts and culture in South Florida since its opening in 1977. The Morikami is located at 4000 Morikami Park Road in Delray Beach, Florida. For more information, visit www.morikami.org or call 561-495-0233.

Media Contact: Carolina Lucero   |    West Encounters East    |    info@westencounterseast.com