PULLMAN, Wash. — The Washington State University Museum of Art will present the exhibit “Zen Momentum” May 23 through July 24. An opening reception from 2-4 p.m. May 22 will feature the annual Summer Solstice concert.
“There will be a huge Zen garden in the center of the gallery which people are welcome to participate in,” Keith Wells, curator of the museum, said of the new exhibit “The works that surround the garden on the museum walls will, in some way, reflect the contemplative simplicity of Zen.”
“The idea is that Zen principles can be found in the process, subject matter, and patterns of the work and it is up to the viewer to decide what it might be for each of them,” Wells said.
“Karesansui,” or “dry-landscape” style Japanese gardens began to rapidly evolve in the late sixth century with the advent of Zen Buddhism. In the 11th century, Zen priests widely adopted the style and began building gardens to aid in developing a deeper understanding of Zen concepts.
The gardens created by Zen priests are were called “kanshoniwa,” which translates to “contemplation garden,” but today are primarily referred to as Zen gardens, a term which often is generically attached to any Japanese garden that has dry style elements. The two main components of a dry-style garden are rocks representing mountains and sand representing flowing water.
The museum will begin summer operating hours beginning the week of May 9. Summer hours are from noon to 4 p.m. daily.
Funding for the “Zen Momentum” exhibit and programs is provided by the Friends of the Museum of Art/WSU. The WSU Museum of Art Web site is at www.wsu.edu/artmuse.
