Cherry Blossom Festival unveils art, celebrates Japanese connection at Macon reception

Guests of the Cherry Blossom Festival's Fine Art and Wine Reception will celebrate Japanese culture and witness the unveiling of the festival's pin and fine art Thursday at the Museum of Arts and Sciences.

"We've kept the artists a secret this year, even from the board members," said Jake Ferro, Cherry Blossom Festival president and CEO. "It just makes it more fun when it's a big mystery for everyone."

Guests will be able to purchase prints of the commissioned fine art piece at the reception. This year's pin was designed by a volunteer and should be available by mid-December.

Both the pin and the fine art artists are local.

Museum spokesperson Sherry Singleton says celebrating local artists with a reception like this is an important tradition.

"Our history and our culture is told through the art of our local people. If we don't recognize that, then we don't recognize our Southern culture and our humanity," Singleton said. "Art is how we've been communicating since the beginning. Art does things that words just can't do."

This year's reception is open to the public and also will highlight Japanese art and culture.

Women from the local chapter of Ikebana International are celebrating its 50th anniversary and will attend the reception dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. The organization will display its ornate live floral arrangements, a tradition that goes back 600 years in Japan.

The tradition ties in well with the Cherry Blossom Festival.

"The Japanese people are very proud of their cherry blossoms," Singleton said. "It's a community thing for them in their county to celebrate the trees, and it's very much a community thing for us to celebrate our trees. I think it links us as human beings in celebrating the beauty of our planet."

The Japanese award to Cherry Blossom Festival founder Carolyn Crayton also will be on display at the reception. The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays award from the Japanese consulate was given to Crayton this summer to recognize her efforts in promoting cultural exchange between Japan and the U.S.

"To be one of 15 women in 150 years to receive this award is a real honor," Farro said.

Wine and sake, a Japanese alcoholic drink made of fermented rice, will be served. Light hors d'oeuvres will include sushi.

Guests can also explore the museum's three current exhibits.

"The Festival of Trees" exhibit includes 36 designer-decorated trees this year, including 16 unusual creations. A 3D tree created by an art class at Wesleyan College called "Inside Out Tree," which beckons visits to walk inside it, and a 12-foot tree made of wooden pallets are two of the more unusual creations.

Also on display are a series of Southern landscape paintings by regional Southern artists, and "Vessels," a pottery collection by artists in the Southeast.

"The museum is the perfect place for an unveiling of a local artist to represent the Cherry Blossom Festival because we support local art," Singleton said. "We love that the festival picked us for that."

Cherry Blossom Festival Fine Art and Wine Reception

When: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dec. 3

Where: Museum of Arts and Sciences, 4182 Forsyth Road

Cost: $10

Information: www.cherryblossom.com/events/fine-art-wine-reception

This story was originally published November 26, 2015 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Cherry Blossom Festival unveils art, celebrates Japanese connection at Macon reception ."