Artistic exchange
Students bridge cultures with origami, duct tape
Duct tape can be used for anything, including bringing high school students together across cultural boundaries. Students from the Hanamaki Agricultural High School in Hanamaki, Japan (Hot Springs’ sister city), joined students from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts for a cultural art exchange at the Mid-America Science Museum on Nov. 2. Students learned the traditional Japanese art of origami, as well as how to make some not-so-traditional crafts from duct tape in a rainbow of colors ranging from hot pink to zebra print.
“This is American origami,” interpreter Keimiko Williams said.
The visiting group of 23 students and two chaperons were part of the Kakehashi Project, The Bridge for Tomorrow, a youth exchange program promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. The goal of the program is to heighten understanding of Japan’s culture, strengths and attractiveness in hopes of increasing tourism, along with giving Japanese students a broader perspective and encouraging them to take active roles in society on a global level.
Corey Alderdice, director of ASMSA,
said Mary Neilson, coordinator of the Hot Springs Sister City program, reached out to him about participating in the exchange program after the Japanese consulate in Nashville, Tenn., solicited interest from area schools about participating in a Japanese student-exchange program.
“My response was, ‘Absolutely!,’” Alderdice said. “I want to expand global opportunities for our students, and this kind of experience is something I would like to see happen on a regular basis.”
Eight schools were selected to participate in the project, and this summer 22 ASMSA students, along with three chaperons, visited Hanamaki.
By sheer coincidence, a student delegation from Higashi High School (Lakeside High School’s sister school in Hanamaki) was visiting Hot Springs through the Sister City Program at the same time. A delegation visits each year, and students learn about their cultural differences through classroom visits and home-stay experience with host families.
“It happened to be purely coincidental that they were going to be visiting at the same time the students with the Kakehashi Project would be here. Given that we were going to have two groups of students from the same area visiting, we wanted to plan a group activity,” Alderdice said. “The art exchange provides an opportunity for the students to see unique elements of each culture.”
Students from the Kakehashi Project also visited the Historic Downtown Farmers’ Market and Garvan Woodland Gardens during their stay.
“We felt those three things — the farmers market, the Mid-America Science Museum and Garvan Woodland Gardens — are key examples of the life and culture in Hot Springs,” Alderdice said.
Shota Abe, a sophomore at the Hanamaki Agricultural High School, said that once he decided he would like to participate in the exchange, he had to submit an essay as part of the selection process.
“I’ve enjoyed seeing Hot Springs,” Abe said. “My favorite part has been staying in the dorms [at ASMSA].”
Junior Moeno Kikuchi said, “This trip has been very exciting. I really like the museum. It’s fun, especially the Underground Arkansas exhibit.”