Descanso Gardens Celebrating 60th Anniversary of Its Japanese Garden with “Sound of Water: Feminine Expression of Fluidity”
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA — May 6, 2026 — Descanso Gardens is pleased to announce Sound of Water: Feminine Expressions of Fluidity, a group exhibition of contemporary Japanese women artists exploring water as both a source of serenity and a force of disruption. Opening June 20, 2026 at the Sturt Haaga Gallery, the exhibition is curated by Japanese art historian Meher McArthur and commemorates the 60th anniversary of Descanso’s Japanese Garden.
Japan’s identity as an island nation has long shaped its relationship with water—abundant, life-sustaining, and at times destructive. That duality runs throughout the exhibition where water appears as shifting weather, reflective surface, meditative sound, and an increasingly urgent presence in an era of climate change.
Bringing together six artists based in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom—Mineko Grimmer, Yumiko Glover, Miya Ando, Emiko Aida, Yuko Kimura, and Ayomi Yoshida—the exhibition will highlight a distinctly nuanced approach to the subject. While water has been a central theme in Japanese art for centuries, these artists will explore it through a quieter, more contemplative lens, focusing on subtle movement, material transformation, and emotional resonance rather than spectacle.
“Descanso’s Japanese Garden is grounded in the sensory experience of water—its movement, its stillness, and even its sound,” said Marina Erfle, Director of Education and Exhibitions at Descanso Gardens. “This exhibition is a natural fit for the Gardens, extending that experience into the gallery and inviting visitors to consider how water shapes not just landscapes, but memory, emotion, and cultural identity.”
Rooted in Japanese spiritual and philosophical traditions, the exhibition reflects water’s longstanding symbolic ties to femininity. In Shinto, the deity Suijin is associated with rivers and life-giving sources, while Buddhist tradition venerates Benzaiten, a water goddess linked to music, learning and the arts, who became conflated with Suijin. Influenced by Daoist philosophy, water is also aligned with yin—female, fluid, receptive, and introspective—in contrast to fire, which is equated with masculine energy. These ideas surface throughout the exhibition in works that emphasize flow, impermanence, and quiet transformation.
“As Descanso celebrates the 60th anniversary of its Japanese Garden, this exhibition offers a meaningful way to reflect on water’s enduring role in Japanese culture and artistic practice,” said McArthur. “These artists approach water not only as an image, but as an experience—something that can calm, unsettle, and connect us more deeply to the natural world.”
Featured works will highlight the breadth of that approach.
- Mineko Grimmer’s Musical Vessels (1993) incorporates terracotta jars and melting ice, allowing time and temperature to shape the work in real time.
- Yumiko Glover’s Echoes in Water (2024) spans four panels, evoking the shifting surface of water through layered acrylic.
- Miya Ando’s Mizukagami (The Shadow of the Moon Reflected in Water) (2019), a large-scale stainless steel work, captures light and reflection in constantly changing ways.
- Emiko Aida’s Reverie in the Sky (2009) offers a more intimate, atmospheric interpretation through etching
- Yuko Kimura’s Little Waves: By the Shore (2026) combines monotype, handmade kozo paper, and bark fiber to suggest fragility and motion.
- Ayomi Yoshida’s Blessed Rain (2021), an installation of indigo-dyed washi, immerses viewers in a suspended, rhythmic environment.
Together, these works create a sensory throughline—from the slow drip of melting ice to the suggestion of rainfall and tide—echoing the rhythms, reflections, and subtle movements experienced throughout Descanso’s Japanese Garden. The exhibition will extend that experience indoors, offering a contemplative counterpart to the Garden’s landscape during this milestone anniversary year.
Sound of Water: Feminine Expressions of Fluidity and its programs are generously funded, in part, by Perenchio Foundation, Pasadena Art Alliance, and an endowment from Heather Sturt Haaga and Paul G. Haaga, Jr. The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles is a community partner for the exhibition. The exhibition will be open at the Sturt Haaga Gallery from June 20, 2026–January 3, 2027, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. daily. Entry to the Sturt Haaga Gallery is included in the price of admission or membership.
Facebook on June 15, 2026 Descanso Gardens: Sound of Water Opening Reception
Join us at the opening reception of Sound of Water at Descanso Gardens on Saturday, June 20, from 5-7pm. Sound of Water: Feminine Expressions of Fluidity features work by six Japanese women artists exploring water’s many moods and manifestations.
We are pleased to host this event where you’ll be able to meet the artists and curators, experience music, and enjoy our no-host bar.
Admission to Descanso is free on June 20 from 5-7pm for the opening reception.
Sound of Water runs from June 20 – January 3, 10am–4pm daily at Descanso Gardens and is included in the price of admission or membership.
Sound of Water and its programs are generously supported, in part, by Perenchio Foundation and Pasadena Art Alliance.
The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, is a Community Partner for this exhibition.
About Descanso Gardens
Founded as a public garden in 1953, Descanso Gardens is located at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011. Descanso Gardens is open daily from 9am–7pm. Admission is $18 for adults; $14 for seniors and students with a school I.D.; $8 for children 3 to 12, and free for children under 3. The Sturt Haaga Gallery is open 10 a.m.–4 p.m. daily. Descanso Gardens is a member-supported garden accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Join Descanso Gardens and enjoy free admission and early entry year-round. For more information, call (818) 949-4200 or visit descansogardens.org.
