Spencer exhibit explores reach of Japanese art

A new exhibit opening Saturday at the Spencer Museum of Art shows the longtime influence of Japanese art on the work of Western artists. Shown here is “Chinoise,” an 1896 color woodcut by French artist Paul Jacoulet. Lawrence artists Roger Shimomura and Sally Piller are among the Western representatives in the show.

Holocaust documentary to air on public television

Kansas City, Mo. — “Pola’s March,” an award-winning documentary film that chronicles Holocaust survivor Pola Susswein’s emotional journey back to Poland, airs at 2:30 p.m. today on Kansas City Public Television on Sunflower Broadband Channel 7.

The film also will be aired at 9 p.m. April 27 on Sunflower Broadband Channel 11.

The one-hour film travels from Israel to Poland. Pola (above) recounts for the first time her war experiences to 200 students during the March of the Living, an international, educational program that brings Jewish teens from across the world to Eastern Europe.

The film has screened at numerous festivals in the United States, Canada, India and Bangladesh, and won several awards. A two-minute preview of the film can be seen at www.polasmarch.org.

Filmmaker Jonathan Gruber spent six years making the movie, which is about his grandmother. Pola, who recently turned 80, still lives in Israel and continues to speak to audiences about her World War II experiences.