karreport
karreport is a blog by Robert W. Karr, Jr. covering the history of U.S.-Japan relations through the lens of the Garden of the Phoenix located on the Wooded Island in Jackson Park, Chicago. Karr has been involved with the Garden of the Phoenix for nearly 30 years, and is excited to share this complex history with you from his unique perspective.
To assist with your navigation of karreport, start with an Introduction: The Garden of the Phoenix. Beyond that, just scroll and jump through the blog and see where it takes you. Since the intent of the site is to familiarize you with this complex history, the blog entry titles typically begin with a date, and are in chronological order by event, beginning with most recent.
Karr regularly updates karreport with both new blog entries as well as updates within the blog entries. Please contact us if you are interested in receiving the karreport quarterly report, which highlights updates to this website and provides other materials not available on this website.
2021 | Wright’s Lost Imperial Hotel - Virtual Tour
At age 26, Frank Lloyd Wright was inspired by the Phoenix Pavilion that arrived from Japan for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park. He responded to Japan's gift to Chicago with his design of the Imperial Hotel, which was completed in 1923 and lost to "progress" in 1967. In 2021, the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust completes this brilliant virtual tour of the Imperial Hotel.
March 18, 2021 | The 1931 Diplomatic Mission of Charles Gates Dawes | Presentation by Robert W. Karr, Jr.
Robert W. Karr, Jr. presented to the Japan America Society of Chicago and brought to life three dramatic months of Dawes’ life that began with an urgent request on November 10, 1931 by President Herbert Hoover and Secretary of State Henry Stimson to go to Paris on a diplomatic mission to prevent war in Manchuria.
Feb. 25, 2021 | Past, Present and Future of the Garden of the Phoenix | Presentation by Robert W. Karr, Jr.
Robert W. Karr, Jr. presented on the Garden of the Phoenix, which was Part 2 of a 14-week Lecture Series on 130 Years of Public Japanese Gardens to uncover the history, development, and future of public Japanese gardens in the United States. The Series was co-Presented by Japan Foundation and The North America Japanese Garden Association.
2013-2019 | Evolution of SKYLANDING by Yoko Ono
In 2013, shortly after her 80th birthday, the artist was invited to visit the Garden of the Phoenix and the site of the Phoenix Pavilion in Chicago's historic Jackson Park. The Pavilion was a gift from Japan to the people of the United States following the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and was lost to arson in 1946. There, the artist became inspired to create SKYLANDING.
2017 | Webby Awards: SKYLANDING
In 2017, the SKYLANDING Website was an honoree for the Webby Award in the category of Art. Watch the video of SKYLANDING with Yoko Ono and visit www.skylanding.com.
2017 | Webby: The Garden of the Phoenix
The Garden of the Phoenix Website was established as the official archive of the history of the Garden of the Phoenix. In 2017, the Garden of the Phoenix Website was on of 5 finalists for the Webby Award in the category of Cultural Institutions. The finalists included the Tate Modern Museum in London, England and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Website, which was the category winner. Watch the video of the Making of the Garden of the Phoenix Website, and visit gardenofthephoenix.org.
2016 | SKYLANDING - Peace Rising Video
SKYLANDING in the Garden of the Phoenix is the first permanent work of art by Yoko Ono in the Americas, and a marker of her place as an artist of profound international influence and her lifelong mission for world peace.
2016 | SKYLANDING (Music of Yoko Ono)
SKYLANDING (MUSIC OF YOKO ONO) is the studio album by Tatsu Aoki and The Miyumi Project released on October 17, 2016 for the dedication of SKYLANDING by Yoko Ono. The idea and concept for the album was formed by Robert W. Karr, Jr. in June 2016 while working with Yoko Ono on final preparations for the dedication of SKYLANDING.
2016 | The Making of the Garden of the Phoenix Website
The Garden of the Phoenix Website was established as the official archive of the history of the Garden of the Phoenix. In 2017, the Garden of the Phoenix Website was on of 5 finalists for the Webby Award in the category of Cultural Institutions.
2015 | Jackson Park from Above Video
Frederick Law Olmsted designed Jackson Park, Chicago (540 acres) in 1871, and included it in a plan for the South Parks (over 1,000 acres), which included Jackson Park, Washington Park, and the Midway Plaisance. Today, the site of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition Jackson Park is poised to become one of the most important sites in the United States providing visitors the best experience of Science, Nature and Humanity. Experience Jackson Park from Above. The future is about to happen to this 150 year old park.
2015 | Jackson Park Revitalization Video
In 2012 we set out to revitalize Jackson Park following the vision of Frederick Law Olmsted. By 2015, Project 120 Chicago positioned experts to complete the first historical and ecological landscape restoration in the nation.
April 22, 2013 | One Man’s Dream: A Revitalized Jackson Park (Crain’s Chicago)
Crain’s Chicago asks whether the Phoenix is rising again in Jackson Park, Chicago? A local lawyer, Robert W. Karr, Jr., is hoping to restore the Japanese gardens in Jackson Park to their former glory, one cherry tree at a time.
Introduction: The Garden of the Phoenix
Over the past 120 years, the Garden of the Phoenix has become one of the most important sites in America reflecting the past and future of U.S.-Japan relations. In 2013, over 120 cherry blossom trees were planted in and around this historic site to commemorate its extraordinary history, and to usher in a new era for the Garden of the Phoenix and the relationship between these two nations.