Ikebana Workshop: Learn the Art of Japanese Flower Arranging

Friday, March 27, 2026 at 2:00pm
College of East Asian Studies at Mansfield Freeman Center, Seminar Room

Free and open to the public.

Friday, April 24, 2026 at 2:00pm
College of East Asian Studies at Mansfield Freeman Center, Seminar Room

Free and open to the public.

Each session is limited to 20 guests. RSVP online.

Ikebana, or Japanese floral arrangement, utilizes the manipulation of flowers and branches to emphasize the beauty of their natural forms. Unlike Western arrangements, codified compositional principles dictate ikebana, generating distinctive architectural structures. In this beginner-friendly workshop, participants will learn the basic principles of form, balance, and proportion in Enshū-style arrangement, and will leave with an understanding of how ikebana reflects broader Japanese aesthetic and philosophical values. All materials will be provided. After the workshop, participants will be invited to leave their arrangements to be displayed in the College of East Asian Studies, or to take them home.

The one hour workshop will be led by Maxwell Maveus '26, who trained at the Kadou Enshū school of ikebana in Kyoto. Kadou translates to “the Way of Flowers,” and the Enshū tradition, founded by the 17th-century tea master Kobori Enshū, emphasizes clarity of line, asymmetrical form, and spatial harmony.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition The Blooming Mirror curated by Maxwell Maveus '26 as part of a tutorial in curatorial practice led by Assistant Director of Exhibitions and Assistant Curator of Education Rosemary Lennox and Associate Director and Curator of Visual Arts Benjamin Chaffee ’00. Exhibition support provided by the College of East Asian Studies. On display through Saturday, May 23, 2026.

Image: detail from Itō Jakuchū’s Lotus Pond and Fish (蓮池遊漁図), c. 1761–1765. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. 142.6 x 79.9 cm.