New York artists take part in 1-month textile craftsman tour program in Fukuoka Pref.

HIROKAWA, Fukuoka — A group of artists from New York recently participated in a month-long workshop program in a studio here, as they learned about a local traditional textile and its own fabric.

Three artists who studied at Parsons School of Design graduate school in New York City visited Hirokawa Mayor Kentaro Himuro on July 22 to show their work progress. The trio were taking part as pilot participants in the Kurume Kasuri Craftsman Apprenticeship Program, which started on July 1, where they learned how to create Kurume kasuri woven cotton textile.

They stayed in the Fukuoka Prefecture town in southwest Japan for a month and worked on making their own fabric in a studio of textile maker Sakata Orimoto Inc., from designing, indigo dyeing to weaving the finished product. The program was part of the prefectural government’s efforts to come up with a new tour package for hands-on “craft tourism” targeting inbound visitors.

The three brought their own design drawings for the fabric to the meeting with the mayor. Romilly Rinck, 32, showed her design with tree roots and butterflies to the mayor, explaining that she incorporated a story of expanding her career in Hirokawa.

After listening to their account on their work process and their interactions with townspeople, Mayor Himuro said, “You came (to the town) thinking highly of the culture and history of kasuri. I was made to realize that there are these ways to convey the charm of kasuri.”

The artists plan to showcase their kasuri fabric at a New York gallery in September.

(Japanese original by Yumiko Tani, Kurume Bureau)