Friends of Aomori

Berwick Academy

Hashi / 橋 Maine Aomori Student Art Exchange Press Release

Berwick Academy, partnering with Friends of Aomori, is pleased to host Hashi / 橋,the second annual Maine-Aomori student print exchange exhibit at the Jackson Library Gallery in South Berwick, Maine from March 27-April 12, 2019. Hashi means “bridge” in Japanese.

This exhibit at Berwick Academy will feature over 70 prints made by students in Aomori Japan. Raegan Russell, Visual Art Chair and art teacher at Berwick Academy traveled to Aomori, Japan as a teacher delegate in November, 2018 and that trip sparked Berwick Academy’s hosting this exhibition.The relationship between Maine and Aomori has been in place for over 20 years, but the fascinating connection between the two states goes back to a shipwreck in 1889. In addition to Hashi, Friends of Aomori sponsors MAPS (Maine-Aomori Printmaking Society), an exchange of work between professional printmakers in Maine and Aomori that is entering its fourth year, and has resulted in twenty exhibitions throughout Aomori and Maine. Friends of Aomori supports high-school exchange programs, educational events and programming about Japan, and economic development opportunities such as a delegation visit of Maine fisherman and aquaculture business leaders to Aomori in October 2016. Friends of Aomori is an all-volunteer nonprofit that supports the sister state relationship.