Image: The Mennello Museum of American Art
The Mennello Museum of American Art will open 'Isamu Noguchi: Metal the Mirror' with an evening reception on August 28, 2026, in Orlando. The event is timed to coincide with the Obon Festival, and the museum says visitors will be invited to take part in creating and hanging floating lanterns as part of the opening night program. The reception runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m., following a members-only preview from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The opening night announcement arrives alongside the museum’s August programming, which also includes Free Family Funday, Music & Story Time, and the long-running 'Our Orlando' exhibition. On its website, the museum describes its mission as enriching the public through exhibitions, education, programs, and publications that celebrate the diversity of American art. It is located at 900 E. Princeton Street in Orlando.
According to the museum, 'Isamu Noguchi: Metal the Mirror' is a traveling exhibition on loan from the Art Bridges Foundation. The show brings together nine galvanized steel sculptures by Noguchi from 1982 to 1983, a group the museum says uses reflective surfaces and evolving patinas to explore themes of duality. The museum’s exhibition listing also notes Noguchi’s experience navigating his life as a Japanese American as an important context for the work.
The email announcement places the Obon connection at the center of the evening’s framing. Obon is described as a traditional Japanese Buddhist celebration honoring ancestors and the cycle of life through floating paper lanterns. The museum says the event will include lantern-making and a live performance by a Koto Duo, listed in the invitation as music by Friends of Koto. The opening reception is billed as an “opening reception and lantern celebration.”
The main exhibition page says 'Isamu Noguchi: Metal the Mirror' will be on view from August 28, 2026, to February 28, 2027. The museum’s online listing presents the show as part of its current exhibition and programs calendar for July 24, 2026, and states that it will feature nine sculptures made of hot-dipped galvanized steel. One image in the announcement identifies 'Cloud Mountain' (1982–83) among the works associated with the exhibition.
Ticketing for the opening night is straightforward: admission is free for members and $10 for others. The museum also notes that members receive free admission to opening receptions and general museum admission for a year. While the newsletter announcing the event also mentions other exhibitions and programs, the Noguchi opening is the main evening event scheduled for August 28, with the public reception set for 6:30 p.m. at the Mennello Museum of American Art.
