Diane Durston
Curator of Culture, Art, & Education
Diane Durston is a writer, lecturer, and educator, whose work as Curator at the Portland Japanese Garden has been instrumental in expanding the Garden's reputation as a center of cultural learning and an international resource for all things Japanese.
Diane is perhaps best known internationally as the author of three books and numerous essays and articles on Kyoto, where she lived for eighteen years. Her book Old Kyoto, first published in 1986, is now in a second edition and 15th printing. The New York Times has referred to it as a "Japan travel classic." Her other books include Kyoto: Seven Paths to the Heart of the City, an introduction to seven historic neighborhoods in Kyoto. Her most recent book, Wabi Sabi: The Art of Everyday Life was published in 2006. Diane has lectured widely in Japan, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland.
With 18 years in Japan, Diane is fluent in Japanese. During her early days in Kyoto she studied Japanese art and language and went on to develop on-site cultural programs introducing Japanese art, culture, religion, history, and gardens to such organizations as the University of Pennsylvania, the Whitney Museum, the Yale Galleries, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For over a decade, she served as Director of Asian Cultural Programs for The International Forum, the top executive education program of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. As part of her work with The International Forum, Diane developed annual cultural seminars in both Kyoto and Shanghai.
Since returning to the US in 1996, Diane has served as a consultant to a number of organizations, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, where she produced two separate month-long performing arts festivals in conjunction with the openings of the special exhibitions "Edo: Art in Japan 1615–1868" in 1998 and of "Golden Age of Archeology in China" in 1999. From 2002–2006, Diane was Director of Special Projects and later Curator of Education at the Portland Art Museum.
Since coming to the Portland Japanese Garden in 2007, Diane has used her extensive background in Japanese art and culture to develop the Garden's seasonal Art in the Garden series—hosting exhibitions of Japanese glass, ceramics, bamboo, metal, and more. In her role as educator, Diane developed a program for K-12 teachers with workshops and teaching materials designed to focus on the Garden as a resource for teaching social studies, science, and art. Expanded cultural events at the Garden have also been a major part of Diane's contribution to the Garden's increasing success.
