March 7, 2004 Sumi Painting is Subject of Slide Show Lecture at the Library on April 20

Artist and interior designer Frederick Harris will present a slide show lecture on the history and techniques of Sumi painting at the Library of Congress at noon on Tuesday, April 20, in Room LJ-119 of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. The event, which is sponsored by the Library’s Asian Division, is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

Frederick Harris is the author of “My Journey with Sumi-e Art (Shusaku-sha Shuppan, 2000). “Sumi-e” refers to the art of black ink painting on rice paper, using simple, elegant brushstrokes.

A native of New York City, Harris was stationed in Japan during the Korean War. There he met his wife and returned with her to the United States to pursue his education. He graduated with honors from the Art Center School in Los Angeles, where he subsequently taught painting and drawing. The couple returned to Japan on invitation to open an architectural office.

A 40-year resident of Japan, Harris is a the founder of the Design Studio in Tokyo. He is a guest professor at Ohio University, which awarded him an honorary doctorate degree in 1997. He directs the university’s Kennedy Museum of American Art. Harris is also a guest professor at the Hanoi Art Academy, where he has exhibited his work. He created the Dong Son Today Foundation, which raises money to help Vietnamese artists study abroad.