PICTURE

Description: PICTURE OF TWO JAPANESE WOMEN ETCHED INTO METAL WITH VARIOUS METALLIC COLORS (GOLD, BRONZE, GUN METAL) ADDED. ONE OF THE WOMEN IS HOLDING A MIRROR, THE OTHER IS STANDING. ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PICTURE, JAPANESE CHARACTERS ARE FOUND IMMEDIATELY ABOVE WHAT LOOKS LIKE A ROOM DIVIDER. SURROUNDING THE PICTURE, IS A THICK DARK BLUE (ALMOST BLACK) BORDER WITH GOLD INTERIOR TRIM. THIS IS, IN TURN, SURROUNDED BY A PLAIN WOODEN BORDER. IN AN ENVELOPE TAPED ONTO THE BACK OF THE PICTURE, IS ONE LETTER, TWO BUSINESS CARDS, AND AN INSTRUCTION PAMPHLET ON HOW TO HANG THE PICTURE. PAMPHLET HAS NO ENGLISH WRITING ON IT, ONLY JAPANESE CHARACTERS, AND ARE ALL IN LIGHT RED INK. AT THE BACK OF THE PICTURE, IS A THIN NYLON STRING (SHOE LACE?) WHICH IS USED TO HANG THE PICTURE.

History: GIVEN AS PART OF EXCHANGES WITH JAPAN. ACCORDING TO S.E. ASIAN TRADITION IT IS CUSTOMARY TO GIVE A GIFT TO A HOST COUNTRY DURING OFFICIAL INTERACTION. THIS IS SUCH A GIFT. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS, INCLUDING THOSE INITIALLY GIVEN TO THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE THROUGH VARIOUS EXCHANGES WITH CITIES IN JAPAN. LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES FROM 1992, 1997, AND 1998 DETAIL THREE SEPERATE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS WITH HIKARI, SEKI CITY, AND KUROHONE-MURA, JAPAN. LETHBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL DECLINED HIKARI'S OFFER OF AN OFFICIAL TWINNING ARRANGMENT IN 1992 DUE TO BUDGET LIMITATIONS AND BECAUSE OF PRIOR TWINNING WITH OTHER CITIES INCLUDING SAINT-LAURENT, QUEBEC, CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA, AND HENGSHUI CITY, CHINA. ST. FRANCIS JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL RAN A STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM WITH SEKI CITY FROM 1993 TO 2003 AND LETHBRIDGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE HOSTED STUDENTS FROM THE VILLAGE OF KURHONE ANNUALLY FROM 1994 TO 2006. DURING THESE EXCHANGES, DELEGATES FROM THE JAPANESE CITIES REGULARLY MET WITH LETHBRIDGE MAYOR DAVID CARPENTER AND GAVE CEREMONIAL GIFTS, AS IS CUSTOM IN JAPAN. SEE PERMANENT FILE P19980048017 FOR HARDCOPIES OF SOURCE NEWSPAPER ARTICLES.