Re-arranging Japanese Modernity: Teaching Modern Japan Through Sogetsu Ikebana at the Carnegie International

Join the University of Pittsburgh NCTA site, Sogetsu Pittsburgh, and the Carnegie Museum of Art for a free in-person, hands-on workshop exploring ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arranging featured in the 59th Carnegie International. Learn how ikebana can help us understand Japan’s modernization and the multifaceted, changing nature of tradition. Focusing on the works of Sogetsu school of ikebana founder Sofu Teshigahara, this workshop will highlight how historical, social, and cultural factors in twentieth century Japan transformed the strict rules of a classical art into a new form that mingled the traditional with the avant garde. Drawing on the exhibition’s theme of “If the word we,” educators will explore the “listening, translating, and transforming” that occurred in Japan’s interactions with the West and the broader international community. Learn how you can bring some of the principles of Sogetsu Ikebana into your classroom through an opening lecture, gallery tour, and hands-on workshop with Pittsburgh Sogetsu.

• • Starts:
  • September 26, 2026
• • Ends:
  • September 26, 2026
• • Time Detail:
  • 8:30am-3pm
• • Learning Format:
  • In-Person
• • Location details:
  • Carnegie Museum of Art & Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Oakland Campus
• • Type of Course:
  • Workshops
• • Offered to:
  • Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
• • Registration and Info:

  • Educators will receive free admission to the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Carnegie International Exhibit, a complementary lunch, and their own flower arrangement to take home. Other benefits include a Certificate of Completion, and Pennsylvania teachers will receive Act 48 hours.