Sukey Hughes and the World of Japanese Paper: Return to the Source

Sukey Hughes, View of Kurodani

Exhibition Dates: October 15, 2009 through February 12, 2010

The Museum is proud to present Sukey Hughes and the World of Japanese Paper: Return to the Source from October 15, 2009 through February 12, 2010.

You can hear an interview recorded at the Museum with Sukey Hughes and Steve Miller, Coordinator of the University of Alabama Book Arts Program. You will need an MP3 player or browser plugin.

In 1969, Sukey Hughes a young woman from the United States accompanied her husband to Japan. As a writer, Ms Hughes planned to travel throughout the countryside, studying and documenting ancient Japanese folk - crafts. Ultimately she hoped that these investigations would lead to a series of magazine articles. Soon Ms. Hughes found that she was inexplicably and particularly drawn to one ancient craft, hand papermaking or washi, as it is called in Japan. Over the ensuing months, as she learned more about washi's traditions and subtle mysteries, her interest increased. Japanese papermaking and its complexities became her focus. It was a focus that would hold her for many years as she embarked on a life-changing journey, one that would lead to much more than a magazine article.

During the rest of her stay in Japan, Hughes became immersed in this ancient craft, studying techniques, learning from master craftsmen, always taking notes and, with her friend photographer Martha Cooper, documenting it all in countless images. After her return to the United States Hughes began to collect and edit images, notes, observations and samples into what would become in 1978, the landmark publication,"Washi: The World of Japanese Paper". In it, the author describes with clarity and exacting detail the craft of traditional Japanese papermaking. She also records with sensitivity and insight the significance of paper and papermaking to the country's history and culture. The text is accompanied by rare and intimate photos that offer an extraordinary view of the papermakers, and their villages, where from one generation to the next, daily life and work merge from one season to the next. The papermakers welcomed this young woman into their communities and the resulting images and text illustrate the unique relationships that evolved. While much has been written about Japanese papermaking this particular view, with its inherent enthusiasm, beautifully written text, and intimate photos, continues to stand as a rare treasure.

It is therefore, with much gratitude, that the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum announces the recent donation by Ms. Hughes of her personal collection of these, her original images.

In honor and celebration of this important acquisition, the Museum is pleased to announce the presentation of Sukey Hughes and the World of Japanese Paper: A Return to the Source. This inaugural exhibition of photographs from the Hughes collection will also present selected artifacts from the museum's permanent collection. Museum visitors will enjoy a rare glimpse into a world that continues, even today, to pursue with little change, a craft that has endured through centuries. More than documentation, however, the exhibit will offer a view from a unique perspective, that of a dedicated young woman as she embarked on what would become a lifelong passion, washi, the art of Japanese papermaking.

The long awaited Changing Exhibition Gallery should contribute significantly to Atlanta's visual arts community. It promises to be an especially fine venue for paper related exhibits, with a focus on book arts, history, photography, print and the art of handmade paper. Support for the construction of this outstanding new space has been provided by the Mead Witter Foundation, with additional funding from private donations.

For more information, contact Cindy Bowden at 404-894-7840 or send an email.

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS (Subject to change.)

Thanks to special funding from the Mead Witter Foundation and other donors, we have expanded our changing exhibit space.

Sukey Hughes and the World of Japanese Paper: A Return to the Source
October 15, 2009 – February 12, 2010
In conjuction with the Friends of Dard Hunter Annual Meeting.

Make An Impression! The Art of Combining Handmade Paper and Print
October 16, 2009 – January 4, 2010
Open in the Neely Gallery of the Georgia Tech Library and Information Center.
This Juried Exhibition is part of the Friends of Dard Hunter Annual Meeting.

Click here for more information on upcoming exhibits at the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum.