CHAMPAIGN, Ill. The welcome mat will be out on April 20, when the University of Illinois' Japan House invites the community inside and to experience Japanese arts and culture at its annual spring open house.
The event, free and open to the public, will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the house, located at 2000 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana.
Doyle Moore, UI professor emeritus of art and design, will be the featured speaker at the open house. His talk, titled "A Primer for an American Tea Experience," will be presented twice: at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
At 10:45 a.m., a ceremony will be held to commemorate the moving of the Japan Illini Clubs founding plaque, formerly located on the UI Quadrangle, to the Japan House garden.
Representatives of the UI Alumni Association and Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations will participate in the ceremony.
Throughout the day, tea ceremony will be conducted by the Japan House Urasenke Tea Study Group and members of the Urasenke Chicago chapter. Also, examples of ikebana (flower arranging) and calligraphy by UI art and design students will be on display.