Study at Japan House
Japan House offers a variety of comprehensive classes in traditional Japanese arts for both students and community members. Our students learn the history, culture, and aesthetics of Japan through study, visiting artists, and hands-on learning.
We now offer a Japanese Aesthetics minor for university students with a variety of ARTJ courses covering a range of topics. Apply today!
For the general public, we welcome inquiries for virtual, off-site, or in-person experiences for your organization or institution. If you would like to arrange for a private experience, please see Japan House Experiences and contact japanhouse@illinois.edu with inquiries.
Japanese Aesthetics Minor
The Japanese Arts and Aesthetics Minor is ideal for students who wish to develop cross-cultural competency and learn to integrate Japanese aesthetic theory and practice into their broader pursuits.
Ways to Study
University Classes
We hold academic classes during the academic year at Japan House. Some courses are online - please check the university course catalog for information.
Classes
ARTJ 101: Introduction to Japanese Aesthetics
ARTJ 199: Ikebana
ARTJ 209: Chado, The Way of Tea
ARTJ 299: Exploring Anime through the Works of Studio Ghibli
ARTJ 299: Queer Manga
ARTJ 299: Introduction to Japanese Fashion
ARTJ 391: Independent Study in Japanese Aesthetics
ARTJ 397: Zen, Tea, and Power
ARTJ 398: Designing Everyday Life in Modern Japan
ARTJ 399: Japan House Internship
Community Classes
Join other community members for both one time classes, and ongoing studies exploring Japanese aesthetics and culture.
Classes
Internship Program
Japan House offers internships to a select group of students every fall through ARTJ 399. Interns assist us with everything from programming and marketing to research and database work.
Meet your Instructors
Jennifer Gunji-Ballsrud
ArtJ 209, ArtJ 101: Japanese Aesthetics
Japan House Director, Jennifer Gunji-Ballsrud is an Associate Professor and the former program chair of graphic design program of the School of Art and Design and has received numerous design awards. She has been studying the Urasenke Way of Tea since 1990 under various teachers.
Kimiko Gunji
Chado – The Way of Tea (Chado Urasenke Tankokai Urbana-Champaign Association) for the community, ARTJ 199: Ikebana
Kimiko Gunji is Professor Emeritus of the School of Art and Design and the former director of Japan House. She has many degrees and awards, including those for her study of Chado, the Way of Tea, and ikebana.
Shozo Sato
Calligraphy workshops for the community
Shozo Sato, Professor Emeritus, began Japan House when he was a visiting artist at Krannert Center in the 1960s. He has many awards and certifications for his mastery of numerous Japanese arts such as kabuki, ikebana, calligraphy, and tea.
Lindsey Stirek
ARTJ 209, ARTJ 299: Exploring anime, ARTJ 299: Queer manga, ARTJ301: Manga
Dr. Lindsey Stirek is the Assistant Director of Academic Programming at Japan House and Teaching Assistant Professor in the School of Art and Design at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She specializes in premodern Japanese literature and manga, and teaches university courses on manga, anime, and Japanese tea ceremony. She began studying chado (the Way of Tea) with Professor Emeritus Kimiko Gunji in 2009 and has spent several years in Japan honing her chado and Japanese language skills.
Diana Liao
ARTJ 209, ARTJ 101: JAPANESE AESTHETICS
Education and Engagement Specialist, Diana Liao, holds a Masters in Library and Information Science with a Minor in Museum Studies from the University of Illinois. Her interests are in the preservation and education of East Asian arts and culture and special collections. She has assisted with courses and other programming at Japan House since 2015 where she also studies the Urasenke Way of Tea under Professor Gunji. She received the Illinois Arts Council Agency Ethnic & Folk Arts Master/Apprentice Program Award in 2021 for Japanese Tea Ceremony with Professor Kimiko Gunji and was recently named a 2022-24 Cultural Heritage Fellow by the Rare Book School for the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for Diversity, Inclusion & Cultural Heritage.
Jeanne Holy
Ikebana workshops for the community
Jeanne Holy is the President of the Illinois Prairie Chapter of the Ikenobo Ikebana Society of America and is a certified Ikenobo Ikebana Society instructor. For more information about Illinois Prairie Chapter, Ikenobo Ikebana Society of America, contact jholy@prairieikebana.org.