EasterBlack-owned or founded brands at TargetGroceryClothing, Shoes & AccessoriesBabyHomeFurnitureKitchen & DiningOutdoor Living & GardenToysElectronicsVideo GamesMovies, Music & BooksSports & OutdoorsBeautyPersonal CareHealthPetsHousehold EssentialsArts, Crafts & SewingSchool & Office SuppliesParty SuppliesLuggageGift IdeasGift CardsClearanceTarget New ArrivalsTarget Finds#TargetStyleTop DealsTarget Circle DealsWeekly AdShop Order PickupShop Same Day DeliveryRegistryRedCardTarget CircleFind Stores

A Japanese Art Journey - by McArthur (Hardcover)

A Japanese Art Journey - by  McArthur (Hardcover) - 1 of 1
$19.99 when purchased online
Target Online store #3991

About this item

Highlights

  • Passion, Art, and Identity: A Multicultural Memoir of Finding One's Place in the World In this engaging memoir, Japanese art historian and curator Meher McArthur transports you into the extraordinary world of Japanese art -- from ceramics, swords, prints and textiles to Buddhist art, folk painting, contemporary art and animation.
  • About the Author: Meher McArthur has decades of experience as an Asian art historian and curator specializing Japanese art.
  • 208 Pages
  • Biography + Autobiography, Personal Memoirs

Description



Book Synopsis



Passion, Art, and Identity: A Multicultural Memoir of Finding One's Place in the World

In this engaging memoir, Japanese art historian and curator Meher McArthur transports you into the extraordinary world of Japanese art -- from ceramics, swords, prints and textiles to Buddhist art, folk painting, contemporary art and animation. One artwork and one language lesson at a time, we follow McArthur as she unspools a compelling narrative of curiosity and inspiration, personal and cultural growth, with heartbreak and resilience. This book will provide avid art lovers new ways of seeing and understanding the power of art, not only to inspire but to illuminate one's place in the world.

The author presents her art memoir in three parts:

Discovering and Learning
Growing up in a small Scottish town as a multiracial child, McArthur often felt culturally out of place. Encouraged by her Persian and Scottish parents to embrace a global identity, she studied Japanese at Cambridge, eventually moving to Japan--where she fell in love with its language, temples, ceramics, and art traditions. Just as she found her passion, family upheaval challenged her sense of direction.

Becoming a Curator
With a master's degree in Japanese art, McArthur forged a path as a museum curator in California, organizing exhibitions on folk art, sake, ceramics, and Buddhist calligraphy--while learning the rhythms of museum life and starting a family.

Curating Beyond the Museum
Stepping away from the museum world, she became an independent curator, exploring new creative territory through origami, anime, and contemporary art--discovering fresh ways to connect with audiences and with herself.

Spanning continents and cultures, this is both an inspiring art memoir and a resonant reflection on cultural belonging. McArthur's story offers a warm, generous vision of how art can illuminate identity and bridge difference--inviting readers to fall in love with Japanese art and culture, and to embrace the idea that there's no single way to belong in the world.



About the Author



Meher McArthur has decades of experience as an Asian art historian and curator specializing Japanese art. With degrees from Cambridge University and London University's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), she has served as Curator of East Asian Art at Pacific Asia Museum, Creative Director for the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden, Academic Curator for Scripps College and Art and Cultural Director for Japan House in Los Angeles. She has also taught courses in Asian art at the University of Southern California, Scripps College and Claremont Graduate University. She regularly lectures and trains docents at various museums in Southern California. For over a decade, McArthur has curated exhibitions for International Arts & Artists (IA&A) including Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper and Kimono: Garment, Canvas, and Artistic Muse. She also curated the exhibition Shiki: The Four Seasons in Japanese Art at the Sturt Haaga Gallery at Descanso Gardens. She lives in Pasadena, CA.

Foreword by Pico Iyer: A British-born essayist and novelist, educated at Eton, Oxford, and Harvard. Since 1987, he has been based in Western Japan, traveling everywhere from Bhutan to Easter Island and from North Korea to Los Angeles. He is the author of fifteen books, including the bestsellers The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise (Penguin Random House, 2023), A Beginner's Guide to Japan: Observations and Provocations (Random House, 2020) and The Art of Stillness: Adventures In Going Nowhere (Simon & Schuster, 2014). He has been a constant contributor for more than thirty years to Time, The New York Times, Harper's Magazine, the Los Angeles Times and more than 250 other periodicals worldwide. He has written the introductions to more than fifty other books, as well as screenplays, librettos and many liner-notes for Leonard Cohen. He speaks regularly everywhere from West Point to Davos and Shanghai to Bogota, and his four recent talks for TED have received more than ten million views.

Dimensions (Overall): 6.0 Inches (H) x 9.0 Inches (W)
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 208
Genre: Biography + Autobiography
Sub-Genre: Personal Memoirs
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Format: Hardcover
Author: McArthur
Language: English
Street Date: November 25, 2025
TCIN: 94492876
UPC: 9784805319901
Item Number (DPCI): 247-18-1053
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
If the item details above aren’t accurate or complete, we want to know about it.

Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 1 inches length x 9 inches width x 6 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1 pounds
We regret that this item cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.
This item cannot be shipped to the following locations: American Samoa (see also separate entry under AS), Guam (see also separate entry under GU), Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico (see also separate entry under PR), United States Minor Outlying Islands, Virgin Islands, U.S., APO/FPO

Return details

This item can be returned to any Target store or Target.com.
This item must be returned within 90 days of the date it was purchased in store, shipped, delivered by a Shipt shopper, or made ready for pickup.
See the return policy for complete information.

Related Categories

Get top deals, latest trends, and more.

Privacy policy

Footer

About Us

About TargetCareersNews & BlogTarget BrandsBullseye ShopSustainability & GovernancePress CenterAdvertise with UsInvestorsAffiliates & PartnersSuppliersTargetPlus

Help

Target HelpReturnsTrack OrdersRecallsContact UsFeedbackAccessibilitySecurity & FraudTeam Member Services

Stores

Find a StoreClinicPharmacyTarget OpticalMore In-Store Services

Services

Target Circle™Target Circle™ CardTarget Circle 360™Target AppRegistrySame Day DeliveryOrder PickupDrive UpFree 2-Day ShippingShipping & DeliveryMore Services
PinterestFacebookInstagramXYoutubeTiktokTermsCA Supply ChainPrivacyCA Privacy RightsYour Privacy ChoicesInterest Based AdsHealth Privacy Policy