Hara Museum ARC

Experience Making Two Types of Original Fans at a Highland Museum!
This summer, Hara Museum ARC will be holding two fan-making workshops using batik dyeing and tie dyeing techniques, respectively.
For the batik workshop, participants will be led by artist Natsuki Otake (a native of Tomioka, Gunma) in the use of a “batik” wax-resist dyeing techniques and special tools to make art fans. Using melted wax and colorful dyes, Otake will demonstrate not only basic bleeding and shading techniques, but also dripping techniques to create patterns with a free and unconventional approach.
Another workshop is our well-known “Let’s Make Art Fans” event using tie-dying techniques in which participants produce beautiful fans with overlapping colors by folding pieces of Japanese paper and then soaking them in dyes. Because the techniques are easy to learn, this workshop is great for people of all ages, including parents with children and groups of friends.
This summer, why not come to the museum to not only “learn by viewing,” but also “learn by creating,” making art an even more personal experience?

Let’s Make Fans with Batik Dyeing Techniques
Date and time: Saturday, July 19, 2025, 10:00/14:00
In this workshop, dyeing artist Natsuki Otake (from Tomioka City, Gunma prefecture) will teach you how to make a fan using “batik” wax-resist dyeing.
Duration: Approx. 120 minutes
Venue: Corridor space, Hara Museum ARC
Target age: Elementary school and above
Participation Fee: 2,500 yen (cash only, separate admission fee required)
Capacity: 6 participants per session

Let’s Make Fans with Tie-Dying Techniques
Dates and Time: Sunday, July 20 and Monday, July 21, 2025, 10:00/13:00/15:00
In this workshop, you will fold washi paper and dye it in beautiful colors to create patterns that emerge in a one-of-a-kind original fan.
Duration: Approx. 40 minutes
Venue: Corridor space at Hara Museum ARC
Target age: No age limit
Participation Fee: 600 yen (cash only, separate admission fee required)
Capacity: 15 participants per session

Reservations will be accepted from 10:00 am on Saturday, June 14, 2025.
*You can apply using the dedicated Google application form.
*Applications will close once the capacity is reached. *Same-day participation will be possible if there are vacancies.
*Because the tie-dying event uses scissors and electric irons, participants of elementary school age or younger must be accompanied by an adult.
*Reservations are made differently for Hara Museum ARC members.
*For inquiries regarding reservations, please contact the Hara Museum ARC events coordinator by phone or email at 0279-24-6585 or event@haramuseum.or.jp.

Natsuki Otake
Born in Tomioka, Gunma, Natsuki Otake studied design at the Graduate School of Art and Design at Tama Art University. She creates large installations of silk fabric dyed using traditional wax-resist techniques and a special method for attaching them to walls. In 2010, she became a focus of nationwide attention for work featured in a TV commercial for Mode Gakuen. Her main theme consists of “portraits of idols” that embody an idealized vision of the world. She continues to actively exhibit her work mainly in Gunma prefecture and frequently conducts related workshops. Her major solo exhibitions include Natsuki Otake: Illuminated Girls at the Museum of Modern Art, Gunma in 2013, Natsuki Otake Exhibition IDEA at the Tomioka City Museum of Art, Gunma in 2016 and Mount Penglai at Japan Silk Village, Gunma in 2021. Her works were exhibited and sold at the Museum Shop’s SHOP@CAFE Vol. 1 event in 2016.