Afterword

Julia Paris '99 and Prof. John Goulde

In May 1998, Julia Paris was awarded a selective Sweet Briar Honors Research Fellowship and spent three weeks plus many evenings and weekends conducting intensive research in Sweet Briar's art library and collection archives. She not only researched the ukiyoe prints for content, but also linked them to the history of women in Japan, and wrote a series of short essays on women's education, daily lives, and social status. She also photographed the prints, updated the data base of the Japanese woodblock collection, and assisted with the creation of a web site. The site will make available to web visitors a complete listing of our collection, along with images of each woodblock print. We expect this to become a valuable research tool for our students and for scholars beyond the walls of Sweet Briar.

Through this exhibition, Julia Paris has expanded upon an earlier (1989) exhibition at Sweet Briar, which surveyed the ukiyoe prints at Sweet Briar, and gave an overview of the history of woodblock production. Julia's work has focused on the representations of women in the ukiyoe prints. She has read about the role of women throughout Japan's history, and has interpreted the prints within a cultural context. In the process, she has gained a deeper understanding of her subject and has inspired the interest and participation of others. In addition to her research and writing, she has created educational outreach for the exhibition through her docent tour and training, and through her web site and study center.

Our congratulations to Julia Paris, and our thanks to the Events Committee for funding the catalogue, and to the Honors Program for sponsoring this research.

John Goulde, Professor of Religion

Rebecca Massie Lane Director of College Galleries & Arts Management

Acknowledgements

Teamwork is the essential ingredient for the success of any project. The support and assistance of many individuals at Sweet Briar College made this exhibition possible. I am extremely grateful to members of the Honors Committee for awarding me the grant and providing me the opportunity to conduct the research. An exhibit of this magnitude would not be a success, however, without the continuing leadership of a well co-ordinated team. Professor John Goulde provided direction, translations, guidance and was a limitless source of wisdom and black coffee. Rebecca Massie Lane, Director of College Galleries, shared my vision. There have been other individuals who enabled the team to function: Joe Malloy for the carrell in Shallenberger and the Sweet Briar Library staff for books, books and more books; Charles Grubbs for his photographic wisdom and greycard; Robin Seay and Computer Services for connections that worked; Erin Kinney on catalog design and Karla Faulconer for preliminary design; Dana Bordvick for framing; and David Blount for web assistance. I am especially thankful to Monica Dean for her unfailing understanding and unique guidance when I needed it most. And finally, for Sweet Briar and the Sweet Briar community for just being here.

Julia A. Paris