The art of mokuhanga, Japanese woodblock printing, has captivated audiences around the world and across centuries. Join Stephen Salel, Curator of Japanese Art at the Honolulu Museum of Art and Co-Curator of Enduring Impressions: Contemporary Woodblock Prints, to discover the fascinating history and exciting contemporary landscape of this iconic printmaking practice. The magic of this artform has only grown in appeal in recent years, as artists and appreciators are drawn to its tactile nature and, naturally-derived material. Aki Nakanishi, Portland Japanese Garden’s Co-CEO and Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art, and Education, will join Salel for a conversation on the intricacies and beauty behind this artform.
Enduring Impressions: Contemporary Woodblock Prints is on show now through June 15, 2026.
About the speakers:
Stephen Salel is the Robert F. Lange Foundation Curator of Japanese Art at the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA). He received his MA in Art History from the University of Washington, Seattle, where he specialized in early modern Japanese painting. In addition to Enduring Impressions: Contemporary Woodblock Prints, which were displayed at HoMA August 30–December 14, 2025, past exhibitions include Lyrically Rebellious: The Prints of Onchi Kōshirō (August 23, 2025–April 12, 2026). Salel’s recent publications include “One Hundred Dystopian Views of Japan: Urban Poverty in the Graphic Narratives of Tsuge Tadao” and “From Expressions of Religious Devotion to Comic Art: The Evolution of Sugoroku Imagery,” both in Impressions: The Journal of the Japanese Art Society of America (No. 44, Part 2, Autumn 2023 and No. 45, Part 2, Autumn 2024, respectively).
Aki Nakanishi is an international cultural leader with nearly three decades of experience in government relations, cultural programming, and artistic exchange. He currently serves as Director of Japan Institute and the Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art, and Education, where he guides the organization’s cultural vision, global partnerships, and multidisciplinary initiatives.
In his current capacity at the Garden, Nakanishi has led more than one thousand programmatic initiatives that advanced the organization’s stature as a leading force in cultural diplomacy. These initiatives encompassed art exhibitions, seasonal festivals, cultural demonstrations, workshops, seminars, lectures, concerts, international conferences, and culinary programs. Through a strategic approach that bridged local and international engagement, he strengthened the Garden’s network of partners and supporters across Japan and the United States, helping to elevate Portland’s profile on both sides of the Pacific, a city he and his family now proudly call home.
Nakanishi holds a master’s degree in Cultural Policy from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (Japan) and is a PhD Candidate at the University of Cambridge (UK), where he conducts research into medieval Japanese cultural networks.
Major support provided by:
