New exhibit at Museum of Fine Arts features Japanese culture

Kimono: the Triumph of Japanese Dress

FOX 13's Travis Anthony shows us the new exhibit inside the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla - The latest exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg is cultural couture with a historic tradition where every outfit sends a message.

Kimono, the Triumph of Japanese Dress is on display now through June 8th at the museum.

The exhibit has a Asian culture history lesson embedded in it.

The backstory:

"Kimonos were actually imported from China during the Han period, so they really belong to the medieval age," shared Stanton Thomas, Chief Curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, "But over the years they've evolved very slowly, and about 200 years ago they were codified in their current form, which is very strict. It's made from a single piece of cloth cut several times and stitched together in a prescribed fashion."

New exhibit at Museum of Fine Arts features Japanese culture

This isn't a fashion show, as the visitor learns about the kimono. Rather, each outfit is designed to communicate a message.

"Every design of kimono has to do with auspicious symbols, things that are associated with luck or good fortune. Nothing was left to chance," said Thomas. "They are very important signifiers of social status, wealth and intelligence."

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Every part of the outfit conveys something. The material it is made from speaks to class and status. The design speaks to social and marital status. The colors represent different things such as red representing passion and joy or white signifying purity and truth.

"Probably the most familiar type of kimono is what's known as a 'furisode', which means literally a 'fluttering sleeve kimono' and that is specifically reserved for young unmarried women and was used to kind of advertise their availability to potential mates," shared Thomas.

The museum has photos to accompany the exhibit to demonstrate the uses and wearers of the specific designs.

New exhibit at Museum of Fine Arts features Japanese culture

To that end, the museum plans to host several programs in connection with the exhibit, including artmaking, dying the material, musical performances and culinary experiences inspired by Japanese culture.

"When people come to this exhibition, I think that they are going to be overwhelmed by the beauty of the objects themselves," said Thomas.

To learn more about the exhibit and the workshops and performances, visit the Museum of Fine Arts website.

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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Travis Anthony.

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