Student survivors of the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima were rescued by a teacher and taught this traditional painting technique to restore a sense of normalcy to their lives. The teacher, Atika-san, instructed the students to paint some thing or place or person of beauty as a way of attempting to transcend inner and outer chaos. The subject matter of the pictures vary from beloved dolls, to tranquil courtyards and countryside, fond memories of festivals, potted flowers and bonsai, to classic pictures of women reminding us of Utamaro's wood block prints.
One picture depicted Hiroshima at night in an era of peace. Another depicted the remains of the bridge on which many of her peers perished. Before they created the cut-cloth pictures, the survivors had to recuperate enough to go out and salvage whatever colored cloth they could find in the ashes and debris. They brought the cloth back, cleaned it of soot, and then followed Atika-san's direction to create beautiful compositions of subjects of beauty.

This collection of nuno kiri-e belongs to Phyllis Rodin of Amherst, MA, who passed away 1/30/2015. Phyllis was given this collection in the 1960s by Yoshinori Ataka, a teacher of art, on behalf of the city of Hiroshima in appreciation for Phyllis serving the people of Hiroshima in the hospital there for one and a half years in the 1960s. Phyllis was there helping any way she could, listening and spending time with patients, helping them deal with their flashbacks from twenty years earlier.

The exhibition has been open year round by appointment (closed Wednesdays.)
For further information and viewings contact Adam Silver: (802) 257-7898 x3 or allasia@accvt.org.