Opening Reception for "A Line of Breath Between Wood and Light" - Summer 2026 Art Exhibition
Venue: Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg
Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026
Time: 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Event Types: Miscellaneous, Arts & Theatre
Cost: Free
Description:
The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech presents the Opening Reception for "A Line of Breath Between Wood and Light", the Summer 2026 Exhibition, on Thursday, June 4, 2026.
Join us for a reception celebrating the opening of our summer 2026 exhibition, "A Line of Breath Between Wood and Light", a survey of late Japanese minimalist sculptor Jiro Okura.
A survey of late Japanese minimalist sculptor Jiro Okura (1942-2014) reconnects an underseen international figure with the Appalachian site that shaped a pivotal body of work.
In the summer of 1990, Okura traveled from Kyoto to Southwest Virginia, where eight black walnut trees from the Jefferson National Forest had been selected for him — blessed in a Shinto ceremony before they were cut, their living spirit honored before becoming art. From that wood, Okura and a community of students, artists, and neighbors built Mountain Lake Screen Tachi, 16 towering folding screens, painted and gilded, that when set across an Appalachian hillside stretched more than 100 feet. Together, they formed a movable wall between cultures, between nature and form, between presence and disappearance.
Admission is free.
Complimentary drinks and light hors d'oeuvres will be served.
The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech is located at 330 Turner Street NW in Blacksburg, VA.
For more information, visit: https://artscenter.vt.edu/experiences/opening-reception-summer-2026.html or https://www.facebook.com/artscenteratvt or https://www.instagram.com/artscenteratvt/ or call 540-231-5300.
Venue: Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg
Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026
Time: 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Event Types: Miscellaneous, Arts & Theatre
Cost: Free
Description:
The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech presents the Opening Reception for "A Line of Breath Between Wood and Light", the Summer 2026 Exhibition, on Thursday, June 4, 2026.
Join us for a reception celebrating the opening of our summer 2026 exhibition, "A Line of Breath Between Wood and Light", a survey of late Japanese minimalist sculptor Jiro Okura.
A survey of late Japanese minimalist sculptor Jiro Okura (1942-2014) reconnects an underseen international figure with the Appalachian site that shaped a pivotal body of work.
In the summer of 1990, Okura traveled from Kyoto to Southwest Virginia, where eight black walnut trees from the Jefferson National Forest had been selected for him — blessed in a Shinto ceremony before they were cut, their living spirit honored before becoming art. From that wood, Okura and a community of students, artists, and neighbors built Mountain Lake Screen Tachi, 16 towering folding screens, painted and gilded, that when set across an Appalachian hillside stretched more than 100 feet. Together, they formed a movable wall between cultures, between nature and form, between presence and disappearance.
Admission is free.
Complimentary drinks and light hors d'oeuvres will be served.
The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech is located at 330 Turner Street NW in Blacksburg, VA.
For more information, visit: https://artscenter.vt.edu/experiences/opening-reception-summer-2026.html or https://www.facebook.com/artscenteratvt or https://www.instagram.com/artscenteratvt/ or call 540-231-5300.
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