Public Chanoyu Presentation with Urasenke Tankokai Washington DC and Artist DG Smalling

Witness a public presentation of a traditional Japanese practice of tea preparation called chanoyu, featuring tea utensils from the museum’s collection. This is our third annual, public chanoyu presentation with the Urasenke Tankokai Washington DC Association. Tea will not be served to audience members during this presentation.

The 2026 program marks a significant expansion of this annual event. For the first time, the event will feature a koicha (thick tea) presentation in the museum’s largest indoor venue, the Meyer Auditorium.

Master Artist DG Smalling (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) expands the program with a creative collaboration. Smalling will create live, continuous-line drawings of the presentation in his signature single-line style. He draws upon the historic practice of kaiki (record of a gathering), associated with sixteenth-century tea masters such as Tsuda Sōgyū. His participation celebrates the enduring spirit of US-Japan cultural exchange on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Presenters will use tea utensils from the Kinsey Chanoyu Collection. Gifted in 2019 by former NMAA trustee and longtime chanoyu practitioner, Gregory Kinsey, this extraordinary collection has anchored the museum’s spring tea presentations since 2024 in conjunction with Washington, DC’s National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Register in advance to get the best experience. On the day of the event, join the standby line for remaining seats. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis for patrons without tickets.

Deepen your knowledge of chanoyu by visiting our exhibition Reasons to Gather: Japanese Tea Practice Unwrapped, which presents historic tea utensils and accessories from across Asia that were used by generations of Japanese tea practitioners.
Image: National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution