The EFA Rep

  • 2024-2025 Season
    • Dance
      • Inlet Dance Theatre | What Do You Do With An Idea?
      • Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company | Red Firecracker
    • Music
      • JazzReach | Hangin’ With The Giants
      • San Jose Taiko
    • Theater
      • Manual Cinema | The Magic City
      • TheaterWorksUSA | Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! The Musical!
    • Visual Arts
      • Cross Currents: The Art Of Japanese Woodblock Prints Traveling Exhibition
      • Legendary Voices: Art For The Next Century
  • Education Resources
  • Admission | Fees
  • Booking
  • Bus Rebate
  • About EFA
    • All EFA Programs
    • Aesthetic Education
    • Alternative Arts Initiative
    • Bus Rebate
    • EFA Presents!
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Excellence in the Arts High School Courses
    • Grants and Scholarships
    • PACE Program
  • Contact

Cross Currents: The Art Of Japanese Woodblock Prints Traveling Exhibition

Left: Mary Brodbeck, Garden (detail), Floating World Series, 2021, woodblock print. | Right: Yoshisuke Funasaka, Shinbashi – MM 372 (detail), 2019, woodblock print. | Home page: Mary Brodbeck, Afloat (detail), Water Lily Series, 2022, woodblock print. Photos by Mary Whalen.

Explore both the figurative and the abstract through the ancient art of Japanese woodblock printing. 

Cross Currents features the works of two contemporary artists who use this centuries-old technique in new ways: Kalamazoo artist Mary Brodbeck and Japanese artist Yoshisuke Funasaka.  

This exhibition is a culmination of twenty-five years of cross-cultural exchange and relationship of the two artists after Brodbeck studied woodblock printmaking in Tokyo with Funasaka. 

Funasaka works in abstract motifs, layering shapes and colors on top of vertical lines. Brodbeck’s work depicts nature scenes, drawn from the landscapes of Michigan and the Great Lakes. When viewed side-by-side, these two different styles reveal new meanings in the other’s work. 

Students will be able to compare recognizable landscapes with abstract shapes and colors to find new insights in both approaches. 

In addition to the touring exhibition, teachers will have access to Becoming Made, a short documentary by Brodbeck that further explores the woodblock technique as applied by multiple artists from both the U.S. and Japan.

EFA Presents! Information

New this year! The Cross Currents traveling exhibition is available free-of-charge to K-8 schools and will not count towards using your school’s EFA Presents! Admission Credits. High schools may book the exhibition for a flat fee of $100.

School Tour Details

The traveling exhibition is scheduled in two-week blocks running September 9-June 2. EFA will deliver and install the artwork in schools on 6’x3′ freestanding display panels. The exhibition is on loan from the artists and must be located in a secure room, such as a library or a lockable classroom. EFA will remove the exhibition at the end of the scheduled time.

SCHEDULE

Dates: Scheduled in two-week blocks running September 9-June 2
Location: Delivered and installed in schools on 6′x3′ freestanding display panels. The exhibition must be located in a lockable room.
Best for Grades: K-12

RESOURCES

Exhibition Preview
Video: Woodblock Print Process

QUESTIONS?

Aesthetic Education Program: Contact Kevin Dodd at (269) 250-9391.

Alternative Arts Initiative: Contact Angie Melvin at (269) 250-9392.

EFA Presents!: Contact Deb Strickland at (269) 250-9393.

EFA Wins Arts Innovation Award

In May, EFA was recognized with the Arts Schools Network 2024 Arts Innovation Award. Designed to recognize schools committed to taking innovative artistic risks, this award is presented to a school that has “broken the mold” in using the arts as a vehicle for teaching academics and/or making a positive difference in the lives of students and/or the community. MORE

About EFA

EFA enhances arts education for all K-12 and special education students in Kalamazoo County by making dance, music, theater, literary arts, media arts, and visual arts an essential part of comprehensive education. MORE

Connect with EFA

Want to keep up with what’s happening at EFA? Contact EFA with questions or follow us on social media.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Copyright 2025 | Kalamazoo RESA-Education for the Arts