The interconnectivity of all things – for some, this bond is religion; for others, just fateful coincidences. But whatever your interpretation of the relationship between all things, a stunning study of one era’s belief in interconnectivity is now on display at the Sackler Gallery in the Smithsonian’s Patterned Feathers, Piercing Eyes exhibition.

The show, on display through April 2008, is a startling reminder that art is much more than just paint and a brush. Those who have seen the connected Freer Gallery’s collection of Edo screens will be impressed with the spectacular pieces exhibited in this special showcase of the Etsuko and Joe Price Collection – including over 25 of the era’s signature compositions: wide, colored screen canvases from masters like Sakai Hoitsu which embody the Edo ideal – practicality and aesthetics combining to produce an image of association, of interconnectivity.