Shimin Daigaku

Outreach

W&L's vision for the Reeves Center tearoom extends beyond its use as a university classroom. The tearoom also serves as a unique venue in which W&L students and staff can share their knowledge of Japanese history, philosophy and traditional arts with the greater Lexington/Rockbridge County community.

In a region where Asians and their culture are scarce, W&L's chashitsu will serve equally in importance as a learning center that exposes residents in rural southwest Virginia to the material culture of Japan and invites them to have an authentic Japanese experience here at home, in the Shenandoah Valley.

Beginning in Spring 2007, local schools can arrange visits to the tearoom for demonstrations by W&L undergraduates trained in temae, the tea procedure. The University is also in the process of developing Tea in a Box, a program to help interest young students early on in their education in the cultural traditions of East Asia, and prepare them for a visit to the Reeves Center tearoom.

        Poster by third graders participating in Tea in a Box, an outreach program to prepare local elementary students for a visit to the Reeves Tea Room.  Inspired by tea bowls in the Watson Pavilion preparation area, the children designed theirs to reflect the seasons.