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Paw Prints: Cats and the Floating World

Lecture Other Arts and Culture Art Exhibition

What’s Happening?

Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Leonhardt Auditorium

$12 per person for VBMA Members; $15 per person for non-members

Space is limited; pre-registration required.
Tickets include admission to the galleries.

In 2024, Hello Kitty celebrated her Golden Jubilee as reigning Queen of Japanese Popular Culture since 1974. Since then, Japan’s reputation as a nation of cat-lovers has only grown through the popularity of cat temples, cat islands, cat cafes, and innumerable feline celebrities. However, Japan’s ailurophilia has a much longer history, which is vividly depicted in centuries of Japanese art and visual culture, especially in woodblock prints. Depending on the context, they may elevate the mood, invite good fortune, prompt the viewer to meditate on a tale, or provide evidence of an unseen world of magic and supernatural happenings.

Rhiannon Paget is the Curator of Asian Art at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida State University. She has published research on paintings, textiles, popular visual culture, and especially woodblock prints, and curated numerous exhibitions of art from across the Asian continent. Her most recent books are Divine Felines: The Cat in Japanese Art (2023), Japanese Prints in Transition: From the Floating World to the Modern World (2023), and Saitō Kiyoshi: Graphic Awakening (2021).

Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Leonhardt Auditorium

$12 per person for VBMA Members; $15 per person for non-members

Space is limited; pre-registration required.
Tickets include admission to the galleries.

In 2024, Hello Kitty celebrated her Golden Jubilee as reigning Queen of Japanese Popular Culture since 1974. Since then, Japan’s reputation as a nation of cat-lovers has only grown through the popularity of cat temples, cat islands, cat cafes, and innumerable feline celebrities. However, Japan’s ailurophilia has a much longer history, which is vividly depicted in centuries of Japanese art and visual culture, especially in woodblock prints. Depending on the context, they may elevate the mood, invite good fortune, prompt the viewer to meditate on a tale, or provide evidence of an unseen world of magic and supernatural happenings.

Rhiannon Paget is the Curator of Asian Art at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida State University. She has published research on paintings, textiles, popular visual culture, and especially woodblock prints, and curated numerous exhibitions of art from across the Asian continent. Her most recent books are Divine Felines: The Cat in Japanese Art (2023), Japanese Prints in Transition: From the Floating World to the Modern World (2023), and Saitō Kiyoshi: Graphic Awakening (2021).

More about Vero Beach Museum of Art
Vero Beach Museum of Art, the largest cultural arts facility of its kind on Florida's Treasure Coast, is a precious cultural gem that is admired and appreciated by residents and tourists alike. Its permanent collection of American and international art from the mid-19th century to the present includes significant works across numerous media. The comprehensive art facility features five galleries, an education wing with art studios, an interactive kids space, seminar rooms, a 250-seat auditorium, museum store, and exceptional public spaces for art installations and public programs. Docent tours—free with Museum admission—are available each day at 2:00 p.m. Throughout the year, the Museum presents global exhibitions, so there is always something new to see. The Museum offers free admission to the general public on the Second Saturday of every month to ensure broad community access to exhibitions. Visit www.vbmuseum.org for hours of operation and admission & discounts.
When & Where
Nov 7, 2026, 1:00pm to 2:00pm Timezone: EST
$12.00


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