Japanese craft traditions have been a strong inspiration for us at the studio. As we've met more regional makers learning and practicing these traditions, we wanted to celebrate them, and share their work with you. In Japan today, many of these ancient disciplines are fading away in favor of western approaches to making. It's more important than ever to preserve these cultural treasures by passing them down to future generations, as they have been for a very long time.
We've met a collection of regional makers, some of Japanese heritage and some not, but all very serious about practicing, preserving and evolving these traditions to remain relevant in 2025. A few of these makers will be offering hands-on workshops and experiences at the studio, to help us all connect more deeply to what it means to practice these disciplines. We hope you'll join us!
Schedule of Events
An exhibit of Japanese art and craft will be on display in the studio gallery
Oct 2–Nov 16, Fridays and Saturdays 10am – 4pm, and during our Open Studio hours. Free and open to all!
Artist talk: Traditions & Tools of the Tea Ceremony
Thursday, Oct 2 6–8pm
Hosted by Japan-certified tea practitioner, Rie Maywar
Free and open to all!
Join us for an Opening Reception
Friday, Oct 3 5pm–8pm.
Meet the artists, chat and connect. Matcha tasting, artist demos, light snacks and refreshments. Free and open to all!
Participate in an authentic Japanese Tea Ceremony, (here in Charlton!)
Mindful Matcha Time
Saturday, Oct 4. Two sessions: 10am & 12:30pm
Japan-certified tea practitioner, Rie Maywar will host two tea services with matcha and homemade sweets. Reserve your spot here!
Introduction to Sashiko: Create a denim patch with traditional sashiko designs
Friday, Oct 10 6:30–8pm
Renee Johnson will host a free workshop, introducing you to traditional Japanese embroidery for mending or decorative applications. Reserve your spot here!
Workshop: Indigo Shibori Patterns
Saturday, Oct 11 9am–noon
Renee Johnson will teach us traditional Japanese dying techniques using botanical indigo. Reserve your spot here!
Workshop: Make a Kumiko Lantern with traditional Japanese woodworking techniques
Two day class: Saturday, Oct 18 & Sunday, Oct 19, 9am–4pm
Johnny Tromboukis will guide us through the creation of a lantern using intricately patterned wood lattice constructions. Reserve your spot here!
Workshop: Sashiko Deep-dive
Four session class: Monday, Oct 20, 27 & Nov 3 & 10, 6:30–8pm
Renee Johnson will go more in-depth into the techniques and possibilities of integrating Sashiko decorative embroidery into your textile projects. Reserve your spot here!
Workshop: Learn traditional Japanese fabric art
Saturday, November 8, 9am–noon
Create a flower or butterfly with Renee Johnson using a traditional Japanese fabric folding technique called Tsumami Zaiku. Reserve your spot here!
Featured Artists
Fumi Aizawa, Clifton Park NY
Fumi Aizawa is a children's picture book illustrator and mother of two children. Fumi grew up in Japan and studied oil painting at the Musashino Art University in Tokyo.
She usually draws and creates mixed media collages of natural beings with emotions from her everyday life. Fumi's designs are very free no matter what the theme is and she takes inspiration from her childhood memories, conversations with her own children and the beautiful surroundings of upstate NY.
Barbara J. Allen, Sandy Hook CT
Barbara J. Allen holds a BFA in sculpture and an MS in Art Education. Some of her group and solo shows include; the Canton Museum of Art, Ohio, The New Britain Museum of Art; Connecticut, Harper-Collins Atrium Gallery; New York, NY, The Paris, Kent, New York Galley; Connecticut, and the Kipp Gallery at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Visiting Artist Residencies have included, Cross Cultural Collaborative, Nungua, Ghana, University of Delaware, and Weir Farm National Historic Park. Barbara is an arts educator and practicing artist focusing in both wood and soda fired ceramics. She has over 30 years of teaching and atmospheric firing experience including creating educational projects with indigenous and university trained potters in Ghana West Africa and working with the Akha Womens’ Foundation serving the Akha hill tribe women near Chang Rai,Thailand. Barbara studied Kintsugi in Japan with Sensei Tuskamoto Showzi. She recently retired after three decades as a fine arts educator and now primarily devotes herself to the practice of art and ceramics in her Sandy Hook, CT studio.
Lisa and Jacob Hodsdon, Ithaca NY
Lisa and Jacob Hodsdon are creative kokeshi artisans living and working in the United States. Their work is informed both by Lisa’s Japanese heritage and the wild landscapes found near the couple’s home in Ithaca, New York. Each doll is a one-of-a-kind creation and has been described as representative of wabisabi, with the stunning features of the wood left intact while embracing fine wood grains. Lisa and Jacob work as an intimate artisan team, with Jacob’s turning and carving that inspire the pieces while leaving the natural spirit of the wood, and Lisa’s painting of the doll’s delicate facial features and interweaving of painted designs across the intricate surfaces of the dolls.
Lisa and Jacob Hodsdon firmly believe that traditional folk art plays an integral role in today’s modern landscape. They strive to sustain and support wood art, kokeshi tradition, and kokeshi culture by simply working with their hands and raw materials to bring out the personality and spirit of each kokeshi. By seeking out tiny burls, limbs, and unusual species that would otherwise be discarded, their work emphasizes both the natural movement and intricacies of the wood. The focus of Jacob’s lathe work and carving with Lisa’s painting is to work with the surface of the wood without detracting from its inherent beauty. When people look into the faces of each kokeshi and a connection is formed, they feel they have succeeded in bringing out the deep characteristics of the wood and unique personality of each doll.
Renee Johnson, Glenville NY
Renee Johnson is a fiber artist that has been exploring ways to re-purpose vintage and antique fabrics. Although this has been her main focus for the past decade, she has been sewing and creating items from natural or repurposed materials for the majority of her life.
As a mother, cancer survivor, and widow she finds that our view on life is ever-changing and she enjoys re-imagining vintage fabrics so that they will once again become a meaningful and useful part of our lives. Renee focuses on traditional Japanese craft techniques and studied under Rei Furuya to achieve her teaching certificate from the International Tsumami Zaiku Association in 2023.
Renee was born in Glenville, NY and resided in Rochester, NY for over 20 years. She has recently relocated back to Glenville, NY where she is a current artist-in-residence at Main Street Studio.
Rie Maywar, Rochester NY
The Art of Tea, so called the Tea Ceremony, has played an essential role in Rie Maywar’s life since her teenage years in Japan. Even after relocating from her homeland, she continues to cherish matcha moments with her family and friends. Rie has kept her practice of the Art of Tea alive, and her enthusiasm led her to establish Ways of Matcha, where she shares mindful experiences rooted in the Art of Tea, tailored for our modern living.
Maywar possesses certifications in Chado culture and Matcha from institutions, including the Urasenke School of Tea, the Urasenke Research Center Gallery, and Matcha Happy Life. Based in Rochester, NY, she shares “Joy of Matcha.”
You can learn more and stay connected by following Rie on Instagram @waysofmatcha or visiting her online at https://waysofmatcha.square.site/.
Jason Nemec, Charlton NY
Jason Nemec is a multidisciplinary designer and artist working in both software and hardwood. Following a 25-year career in digital design, and 18-year exploration in artistic and sculptural woodworking, in 2021 Jason committed himself full-time to making beautiful objects out of wood and other natural materials. Inspired by curiosity, improvisation, collaboration, and experimentation, Jason’s work is about creating in the margins between the known and the unknown, control of and submission to the material, analysis and intuition. Wood as a medium brings warmth, infinite living complexity, works additively or subtractively, and creates a dimensional canvas for further exploration of surface. These qualities give artists countless opportunities to push and stretch toward an outcome that can never wholly be their own.
In 2010 Jason traveled to Japan to conduct research for an illustration and interactive media project that explored Japanese folk tales. Since then his work has been greatly influenced by Japanese design and traditional craft.
Johnny Tromboukis, Caroga Lake NY
Johnny Tromboukis is a fine woodworker who specializes in kumiko Japanese woodworking. His goal is to educate and inspire new and seasoned woodworkers. Intricate Japanese latticework called kumiko is a big part of his work and a discipline within woodworking that he’s passionate about teaching and sharing with others. He does this through classes as well as on his Youtube channel and he also offers kits and tools on his website to help expand the skills of the awesome woodworkers within the DIY community.
Johnny’s pieces have also been featured in multiple locations like galleries, magazine, podcasts, and more; such as Main Street Studio, Maker Camp, Texas Woodworking Festival, “Who Wants To Go Japan?” (TV Show in Japan), and “Making Problems To Solve” with Dave Bauer.
