Mayumi Lake

This 15-day immersive studio course invites students to investigate the dynamic intersection of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary art practice in Japan. Traveling through three culturally significant regions¿the Seto Inland Sea, Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe), and Tokyo¿participants will engage directly with Japan¿s layered histories through hands-on workshops, studio visits, and curated explorations of key cultural sites.

Program highlights include:
Intensive workshops with master artisans in traditional techniques such as washi papermaking, textile dyeing, and ukiyo-e woodblock printing
Visits to contemporary galleries, artist-run spaces, museums, and studios that illuminate Japan's evolving art landscape
Immersive encounters with cultural landmarks¿from Kyoto's contemplative temples to Tokyo's vibrant, hybrid art scenes
Through direct engagement with artists, curators, and scholars, students will critically examine how inherited craft practices inform and challenge contemporary modes of artmaking. This cross-cultural studio experience encourages experimentation with unfamiliar materials, processes, and conceptual frameworks, supporting students in expanding their own creative vocabularies through the lens of Japan¿s unique artistic context.

A six-credit option for this course is available for students who wish to extend their practice and complete portfolio-worthy work. This will require the production of a substantial body of work, accompanied by an online journal that documents the creative process and source information material as documented during our time in Japan. The experience will include additional independent studio time and culminate in a critique session held within six weeks of returning from Japan.

Class objectives are to provide students with an opportunity to work through the process of concept development, pre-production, fashion Styling, hair & markup, set design, location scouting, studio & natural lighting techniques, digital post production, and how to capture the essence of the fashion theme through tested photography techniques. Garment silhouette, cut & construction, color, pattern and texture are key elements given consideration to clearly communicate the fashion design idea using the most up-to-date and effective photographic techniques. Editorial Photography themes are used in collaboration with Fashion students, garments and class photo shoots are used throughout the Fashion Department's annal award-winning 'the Book' publication. Visits to professional fashion photographer studios, exhibition visits, and in-class lectures give students additional opportunities to discuss create and technical topics being used today in fashion photography. This course requires instructor consent and an application. Please do not email the instructor directly. Instead, fill out the form at this link, https://tinyurl.com/mwuhuntx, to submit your portfolio and application before the deadline.

The objective of the proposed class is to give students the opportunity to understand the process of concept development, introduce pre-production, styling, set considerations, lighting, post production and how best to capture the essence of the fashion idea through photography. Garment silhouette, cut & construction, color and texture are considered to best convey the design idea through the most appropriate and effective photographic techniques. An editorial approach is used in the book to stimulate and communicate their fashion sense to the viewer and to tell a fashion story.