Artist Mieko Kubota Wins Award

It’s my pleasure to report that local artist Mieko Kubota has won the 2010 Florida Folk Heritage Award, an annual award given to traditional artists and folklife advocates who have made significant contributions to the state’s cultural life. Florida’s Secretary of State has given out the award since 1985. Click here to learn more about the award and past awardees, many of whom live in South Florida.

Ms. Kubota is an expert practitioner of ikebana, the Japanese art of arranging flowers. She was born in Japan in 1937, and began studying ikebana as a teenager. Over the course of more than five decades, she has practiced this art and become a respected master. In addition to ikebana, she practices a variety of other Japanese traditions, including bonsai, calligraphy, origami and the tea ceremony.

For many years, she has shared Japanese traditional arts with the South Florida public. She has taught classes, offered demonstrations and exhibited her work, including as part of HistoryMiami’s exhibition Florida Folklife: Traditional Arts in Contemporary Communities. The online version of this exhibition features additional information about Ms. Kubota.

Altogether, her exceptional artistry, knowledge of Japanese folk culture and dedication to sharing her heritage with the public make her a deserving Florida Folk Heritage Award winner. We here at HistoryMiami congratulate her.

If you live in South Florida and would like to learn more about ikebana, please contact the Miami chapter of Ikebana International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the art form. You can email Susan Garcia at susangarcia54[at]aol.com. And if you would like to take ikebana lessons, please call Mieko Kubota at (305) 310-2511. She can also be reached at miekokubota[at]bellsouth.net.

-- Michael Knoll, Folklorist