BCCC Event Honors Japanese Tsunami Victims

The room may have been filled with colorful fabrics and vibrant crafts but the reason for the gathering was neither cheerful nor celebratory.

On Wednesday, presented a special program to raise money for the victims of last year’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan. 

The program, called "Remembering Japan: March 11, 2011," began with a harrowing hour-long documentary about the natural disaster. The film was followed by a sale of Japanese-inspired crafts and goods. All proceeds from the sale of the crafts will be donated to the Red Cross fund for the Japanese victims.

Professor Carol Smolen, of the Language and Literature Department, said the school wanted to do something to honor Japan after all that its people endured in 2011. The department, she said, has a close tie to the region. 

Japanese professor Miho Gallagher is from Kesennuma, Miyagi – a part of the country hit hard by the tsunami.  Since last year, Gallagher has been selling various handmade crafts -- like pillows, fabric art and placemats – and sending the proceeds back home.

In a year, she has sent more than $15,000 back to Japan to help. 

“Unbeknownst to me, Miho had been making all of these things,” Smolen said. So she asked Gallagher if she would be interested in doing an event at the school. 

The department purchased the rights to the PBS-NOVA documentary about the quake and tsunami. Students and the public were invited to attend free of charge, with the hopes that many would purchase goods to raise money. 

In addition to a table full of Gallagher’s crafts, students sold various Japanese-inspired items, including origami, jewelry and pottery.

Student Joy Waldinger read a series of her original poems, which won the department’s Haiku contest.

The event was part of Arts at Bucks celebrations, which runs through May 8. A complete list of events can be found at www.bucks.edu/artsatbucks.