Auburn: Vault Gallery The Floating World in Textiles by Maria Olga Meneses

The City of Auburn and the Auburn Arts Commission are pleased to present an art installation The Floating World in Textiles by Maria Olga Meneses at the Postmark Center for the Arts Vault Gallery, on view July 17th – October 5th, 2026.

“The printed pictures made in Japan from the late seventeenth century though the beginning of

the twentieth century revolutionized visual culture by making it possible for ordinary people who

were not part of the ruling elite to enjoy professionally produced art in their homes. Sold in stores

to the general public at very affordable prices, woodblock prints chronicled the urban

entertainment culture of the time, known as the Floating World (ukiyo). Artists of the school

called ukiyo-e (literally “pictures of the Floating World”) depicted current fashions and

amusements like Kabuki shows in paintings, book illustrations, and prints, but the term is mostly

associated with the woodblock prints. The artists and publishers strove to make commercial

products that would appeal to the widest possible range of potential customers, and in the long

run they were even more successful than they had ever dreamed. In the mid-nineteenth century,

the prints began to find an appreciative audience outside Japan as well, and today they are

enthusiastically collected and enjoyed around the world.” - Maria Olga Meneses

 The Floating World in Textiles detail image

Maria Olga Meneses, 2026                               

The Vault Gallery, The Postmark Center for the Arts, 20 Auburn Ave, Auburn, WA 98001

The gallery is viewable Wed 12-4, Thurs 12-6, and Fri 12-4.