Ask the average elementary school child who Hokusai is, and you will most likely get a blank look. But not so with the students at Grandview Elementary School.
They recently attended a Meet the Masters assembly at which they were introduced to the Japanese artist—his life and his art.
Meet the Masters coordinator Tristan Miller-Mansey narrated the program, which included a slide show of Hokusai’s work, girls dressed as Japanese princesses and boys who turned into samurai.
Hokusai was born on Halloween in 1790, Miller-Mansey told the youngsters, and became more famous than iCarly. “Everyone wanted his art,” she said, “even kings and queens.
“He was very famous, but how many of you have heard of him?”
Not many at the beginning of the program but that was soon to change.
As Miller-Mansey projected an image of “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa,” his most famous painting, she had the students do “the wave” while some of the participants ran through the room making waves with a large piece of fabric.
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