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NOTES FROM AN APPRAISER

Selecting works for ‘Wabi-Sabi’ exhibit was fun break from routine

Appraiser Cynthia Shaver juries O’Hanlon Center’s “Wabi-Sabi” exhibit in Mill Valley, celebrating beauty in imperfection with 60 selected works.

CYNTHIA SHAVER / FOR THE ARKI served as jurist for O’Hanlon Center for the Arts’ annual ‘Wabi-Sabi’ exhibition, selecting approximately 60 artworks from about 180 submissions for the show, which runs through Sept. 25 in Mill Valley.
Cynthia Shaver
By CYNTHIA SHAVER · 1 min read

Recently I was the jurist for O’Hanlon Center for the Arts’ annual “Wabi-Sabi” exhibition. The name of the exhibit refers to the Japanese aesthetic philosophy that finds beauty in imperfection. It was this celebration of an “oops moment” that originally attracted me to Japan, a country I have visited dozens of times over 40 years.

In preparation to judge the Mill Valley exhibit, I watched a few videos on YouTube with the theme of wabi-sabi. The philosophy seemed so natural to me, the appreciation of the fine line of whimsy with serious art. As the jurist, I was tasked with selecting approximately 60 artworks from a submission of around 180 pieces. There were approximately 60 artists who submitted their art.

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A version of this story appeared in the Aug. 20, 2025, print edition of The Ark. See something wrong? Request a correction.
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