Historic City Hall is now showcasing a new exhibition titled “The Pace Collection,” in its newly renovated art gallery. Featured are more than 30 woodblock prints by Paul Jacoulet (1896-1960) and Ogata Gekko (1859-1920).

This exhibition highlights more than a century of Japanese printing traditions. The collection is owned by Lake Charles resident Maureen Miller and was gifted to her by the late JoAnna Pace Lawes Johannsen.

Both women grew up in Lake Charles, and they opened The Frame House, Ltd. in Lake Charles in the 1970s. Johannsen was the daughter of Joseph and Lula Pace, the owners of the local Schlitz distributorship. After graduating from Lake Charles High School, she attended USL (now University of Louisiana) where she received a degree in Art. In addition to her role at The Frame House, she served as director of her family’s brewery and operated JoAnna Johannsen Design, Inc. After a courageous battle with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, she died at the age of 46. Miller had no idea she would be the recipient of the woodprints.

“I received the collection over 40 years ago, and have cared for it all these years,” Miller said, “keeping it in my portfolio of other art and hoping to some day have a way to give back to the city JoAnna and I grew up in and where we started our first business together.”

The Frame House and Gallery continues to thrive, according to Miller, and framed the collection in preparation for the show.

“With two hurricanes, an ice storm and serious damage to Historic City Hall, it took us two years to open the exhibit,” Miller said. “The collection is named in JoAnna’s honor, and it is my thank you to her, and to the city and community that has always supported my efforts in the decorative arts, interior design and residential home building.”

The timing might be ideal as the Asian aesthetic is a very peaceful one, offering simplicity, beautiful craftsmanship, fluid lines and calming sentiment.

“Today it is often referred to as Zen-like,” Miller said. “I think that aspect is very appealing to our busy Western civilization lifestyle. I think JoAnna recognized this when she started collecting in the late ‘70s.”

Jacoulet, born in France and raised in Japan, fits into none of the mainstream art movements. His Japanese woodblock prints are a mixture of traditional ukiyo-e printmaking of the highest standards and newer techniques invented by the artist himself. He was coined “the first Western master of woodblock” by The Japan Times.

Image sizes are 12 x 16 inches, Miller said. The paper is hand-pressed with each color of India ink applied separately.

Ukiyo-e, literally translated as “pictures of the floating world,” is a Japanese art form that flourished during the 17th to 19th centuries. In the ukiyo-e art form, artists depicted a range of subjects, including samurai warriors, kabuki actors, folklore, literary scenes, landscapes and historical events. The woodblock prints are created by printing different colors on top of each other. Each color is printed from a different carved block of wood; some prints require more than twenty blocks to create an image. It was very time consuming.

Miller said her interpretation of “pictures of the floating world” is that the images “float” in the space rather than being anchored to a landscape or room setting.

A self-taught Japanese artist, Ogata Gekko, was a painter and also a designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints. He was one of the earliest Japanese artists to win international attention. Gekko’s artwork was said to have informed the Japanese populace about the progress of naval and land war known today as the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. These pieces are 9 x 12 inches.

Additional pieces from Miller’s collection will also be on display. These include Japanese pottery, block stamps, woven bamboo, and a Kimono. The wood block prints and other items will be on view through Dec. 31.

Also featured: “High Flying and Living Large: The Paintings of James Michalopoulos.” Michalopoulos is New Orleans’ most recognized artist. This show includes 50 colorful and energetic compositions that span the artist’s career. The exhibit will hang in the third-floor gallery through Nov.r 27.

While touring the museum, don’t miss the Black Heritage Gallery’s Fall Group Exhibition, which celebrates 20 years with 17 well-known artists.

“Something Old, Something New” is a collection of works created by the Artisans’ Gallery, and is on view in the first floor gallery.

Historic City Hall is located at 1001 Ryan St. and has resumed normal business hours, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. Charlestown Farmers’ Market is open on Bilbo Street behind the center every Saturday 8 a.m.-noon. For more information, call 491-9147 or visit www.cityoflakecharles.com.