The study area in the Kawasaki Reading Room always provides an alluring panoramic view of campus, but this week, the room is boasting an extra pop of color, thanks to a large array of Japanese origami.
Longtime patron and Lincoln resident Brad Magnuson assembled the origami exhibit, which is on display until Nov. 7 in the Kawasaki Reading Room on the third floor of the Jackie Gaughn Multicultural Center.
Magnuson spent 40 to 50 hours creating the pieces, which range from traditional Japanese origami forms to creations of animals and everyday items. Madoka Wayoro, director of the Reading Room, approached Magnuson about doing the exhibit, and he felt it was a great way to give back to a place where he spends a lot of time.
“Madoka and Dan (Riley, assistant to the director) are like my second family,” he said. “They are very kind, helpful and caring people.”
Magnuson spends hours in the Reading Room every week. He has found many new ideas for origami among its stacks of books and other resources.
Putting together the exhibit was an extension of the work he would already be doing, he said. He has been learning origami for the past 20 years and devotes a lot of time to folding pieces. With no direct connections to Japan, he said his interest in the art form is from curiosity.
“We did some of this in grade school, and then, 20 years ago I found a book somewhere, and tried a few things,” he said. “I found out that I enjoyed it and so I kept at it.”
On Nov. 3 the Reading Room opened the exhibit by inviting Magnuson to teach origami to the William H. Thompson Scholars Learning Community and other attendees.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. It is one of several exhibits the Reading Room is hosting this year.
“This semester our theme is on exhibits to show Japanese craftsmanship and highlight Japanese culture, to expose people to it,” Wayoro said.
In addition to the origami exhibit, the Reading Room hosted a Kimono exhibit earlier this year and is planning a World Tea Party, 2-4 p.m. on Nov. 19.
