Ogdensburg City School District art teacher Dianne Drayse-Alonso will be presenting her work “Mary at the Rock” in the 5th International Mokuhanga Juried Art Exhibit in Echizen City, Japan. Drayse-Alonso will fly to Japan for the exhibition, which takes place April 4-6, during the district’s spring break.
Dianne Drayse-Alonso’s exhibit juror accepted mokuhanga print, “Mary at the Rock.”
“We are very proud of Mrs. Drayse-Alonso!” said Superintendent of Schools Kevin Kendall. “She is a true leader in the area of visual arts, and our students are fortunate to have her as their teacher. We look forward to her return from Japan, hearing about her experiences, and seeing how they shape the artwork that she and her students will develop.”
This trip, supported by Ogdensburg Free Academy as professional development, will be Drayse-Alonso’s second visit to Japan. She was invited to attend a one-week mokuhanga printmaking residency in 2017 through a sponsor, MI-LAB, Japan.
“I am so excited to attend the conference and share what I learn with my students when I get back. I didn’t think I'd be going back anytime soon, so this is just thrilling. I can't thank the district enough for supporting me and our art program in this way,” Drayse-Alonso said.
OFA Art Instructor, Dianne Drayse-Alonso
According to the official website for the International Mokuhanga Conference, the exhibit will be held in Echizen City, home of the Okamoto-Otaki shrine dedicated to the goddess of papermaking.
Mokuhanga printmaking is a traditional art that emerged in the 17th century. It involves planning the image, transferring the essentials to one or more woodblocks, carving, and printing. The printing is done onto Japanese washi papers with gouache pigments to give the print its pronounced characteristics.
Due to this lengthy artistic process, Drayse-Alonso condenses her work into a small project for the benefit of her students at Ogdensburg Free Academy. She says students exposed to this traditional artform are eager to learn more about and its meaning, and some even make mokuhanga prints themselves.
"When I teach printmaking, the students get very excited about learning all the relief printing processes that require carving. This includes linoleum cuts, woodcuts, and traditional mokuhanga,” Drayse-Alonso said. “Since mokuhanga is very labor intensive in the carving and the printing, we do it on small wood blocks made of Japanese Shina wood. I work on my mokuhanga skills in my home studio throughout the year so I can make their printmaking experience the best that it can be."
Left: A large printmaking project completed by Dianne Drayse-Alonso and her prior students. Right: A map of a section of Ogdensburg that was included in the large print project.
For more information on the 5th International Mokuhanga Juried Art Exhibit, click here: https://2024.mokuhanga.org/
To view all the mokuhanga prints featured at the exhibit, click here: https://2024.mokuhanga.org/exh...