Photos and Kimonos Displayed at CSUN

A glimpse of Japanese history and culture is on display today in the Art Dome at Cal State Northridge.

Photographer Akiko Arita will present a photo essay depicting her hometown of Naamizu, a fishing and farming village in the Noto area of the Ishikawa prefecture in Japan.

Titled “Akiko Arita: Noto, Exploring My Native Culture in Japan,” the essay features more than 100 recent photographs of the area’s residents and their daily lives, culture and natural surroundings, said Arita, 34, who lived in Naamizu for 18 years.

Arita said the photo essay was a source of self-discovery for her.

“The people in that region have maintained their traditional ways of fishing and farming for more than 100 years and I have learned to really respect the values of that community,” Arita said.

She left Naamizu in 1982 to attend Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo. In 1990, Arita was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study at CSUN, where she received her master’s of arts in communications in 1994.

Also on display at CSUN are more than 30 kimonos, the traditional costume in Japan for men and women still worn today for social and ceremonial events. The display includes kimonos reflecting different seasons, formal occasions and social standing, said Anne Burroughs, exhibit coordinator.

A reception for both exhibits will be held Sept. 3 from 6 to 9 p.m.

On Sept. 14, Arita and Juliann Wolfgram, professor of art history at CSUN, will present gallery talks on the photo essay and kimono exhibit, respectively, from 2 to 4 p.m.

The reception and gallery talks will be held at the Art Dome, on the south side of the CSUN campus off Nordhoff Street, between Lindley and Etiwanda avenues.

The exhibits will be on display through Sept. 26. For more information, call (818) 677-2226.