Fine Arts Library transforms into a Japanese tea house

A corner of the Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library was recently transformed into a traditional Japanese tea house for a visit from art history professor Andrew Maske’s A-H 311 class. Professor Maske’s popular course is entitled Arts of Soft Power: The Japanese Tea Ceremony and typically includes an authentic demonstration of the tea ceremony, or chado. 

This year, the chado was performed by Mike Hardy, the international coordinator at the Urasenke School of Tea in Kyoto, Japan, who is also a graduate of UK’s Asia Center. Amid tatami mats, a Japanese wall hanging, and a fresh arrangement of seasonal Kentucky flowers, students and visitors observed the tea preparation and were served a Japanese sweet and a bowl of matcha tea.