Opening Reception for Forgotten but Once Known: Signs of Women’s Labor in Japan Exhibition

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 12:00pm
College of East Asian Studies Gallery at Mansfield Freeman Center

Free and open to the public.

Opening reception includes a celebratory luncheon.

The exhibition Forgotten but Once Known: Signs of Women’s Labor in Japan showcases rarely-displayed works from Wesleyan’s College of East Asian Studies Art and Archival Collection in an exploration of the under-recognized contributions of Japanese women through domestic, productive, and creative labor. Through a selection of Japanese textiles, ceramics, children’s toys, and scroll painting, the exhibition traces histories of women’s roles across private and public life. Categorized under clothing, cooking, child-rearing, and emotional labor, these objects blur boundaries between art and utility while reflecting evolving societal expectations. In displaying seldom-seen works, the exhibition reclaims overlooked histories and highlights the enduring significance of women’s labor in Japan.

This exhibition will be on display from Tuesday, October 7 through Thursday, December 4, 2025; and will be closed from Saturday, October 18 through Tuesday, October 21, 2025; and from Tuesday, November 25 through Monday, December 1, 2025.

The exhibition was organized by Exhibitions Manager Rosemary Lennox and Associate Director of Visual Arts Benjamin Chaffee ’00. Exhibition support provided by the College of East Asian Studies.

Curatorial Tutorials
Two tutorials in visual arts curating are offered by the Center for the Arts each year: the chance to curate an exhibition in the College of East Asian Studies Gallery at Mansfield Freeman Center, and an opportunity to curate an exhibition in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery highlighting work from the Art Studio Senior Thesis Exhibitions that is on display through Reunion + Commencement Weekend. For more information, contact Ben Chaffee at bchaffee@wesleyan.edu.