‘Talk by a foreign guest’ featuring Dr. Eric Pyle, Art History Lecturer
(Sunday, March 5, 2023 13:30-15:30)
Fuchu International Relations Association (FIRA) hosted ‘Talk by a Foreign Guest’ for the second time this year on March 5th at Kusunoki Plaza. (Due to the current situation involving COVID-19 cases spread, we took due precautions following the relevant guidelines by Fuchucho.)Our guest this time, Dr. Eric Pyle, is from Kansas, USA. As the title “From Small Town Kansas to Japan” suggests, he talked about the town of Hutchinson, KS where he spent his youth, and how he came to live in Japan. The State of Kansas is located almost in the center of the United States, and Hutchinson, which was created in the northeastern part of the state in the late 19th century to make a town at the railroad’s crossing over the Arkansas River, was a typical rural small town with the population of slightly over 30,000 in the 1950s. “A simple, safe, and innocent town. There were no museums, orchestras, or other cultural elements. School was of low quality but friendly, with no bullying or discipline problems. We were free and happy to play barefoot all over the neighborhood with no fear of violence or crazy people,” recalls Dr. Pyle. Hutchinson, however, had two cultural and educational bases. One was a library donated by American steel tycoon and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and the other was Cosmosphere (space science museum) originally created by Ms. Patty Carey, a member of the Carey family who made a fortune in the salt industry from the salt mines found at Hutchinson. It was at the Carnegie Library that Mr. Pyle learned about the excellent art works of France, Italy, etc. from all ages through art books, and also saw Japanese ukiyo-e prints by Hokusai and Hiroshige for the first time. Dr. Pyle had never been interested in space rockets, but the Cosmosphere provided him with an economic opportunity. These experiences could have contributed to Mr. Pyle’s view of the world as he aspired to major in art. Dr. Pyle majored in art, philosophy, religion, etc. at university in Chicago and graduate school in New York, and worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as famous art dealers. He said that it was a great experience to have been able to see those world-class works of art up close in those years. Then, he would decide to come to Japan to teach English. Unsatisfied with teaching general English conversation, he used his expertise to teach art history and literature. In parallel he obtained a PhD from a Japanese university. Currently, while presiding over various private lectures, he seems to be devoted to living like a “Bunjin”, which he had admired for a long time. Dr. Pyle’s presentation was very suggestive, as it tells us how a boy who grew up in a regional city (town) in the United States would open his eyes to the wider world. Hutchinson’s main street, he said, was once so short that it could be seen from end to end and had just a grocery store, restaurant, small movie theater, firearms and jewelry store. Now it has grown into the largest city in the county, with a city hall, a university, an art museum, an airport, and even a zoo. It is interesting to note that in the process of development of Hutchinson, the Carnegie Library (Mr. Carnegie donated libraries to more than 2,500 local cities/towns across the United States that wanted them), and the Cosmosphere may have played a part, if not all. It also made us thing about the roles of philanthropy (altruistic social contribution activities) in the United States. When you think of Kansas in the United States, you probably think of “The Wizard of Oz”.
Sure enough, Dr. Pyle’s presentation began with an illustration of Dorothy’s house being blown up by a tornado. We would like to thank Dr. Pyle for his thought-provoking yet entertaining talk, and to all those who joined us for actively engaging themselves during the Q&A sessions.
