Our Team
Undergraduate Research at St. Olaf College
Collaborative Undergraduate Research & Inqiry (CURI)
This project is funded by the St. Olaf Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (CURI) program. CURI provides opportunities for St. Olaf students from all academic disciplines to gain an in-depth understanding of a particular subject through working closely with a St. Olaf faculty member in a research framework.
We are grateful for the guidance of Distinctive Collections Engagement Librarian Jillian Sparks in the Summer 2024. The first year of this project would not have been possible without her help. We have received generous technical assistance from Ben Gottfried, Sara Lynnore, and Anders Nienstaedt.
We also thank the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS) for providing our students with intensive, hands-on instruction regarding the antiquarian book trade in Summer 2024.
Prof. Christina M. Spiker
Primary Investigator (PI)
Christina M. Spiker is an assistant professor of art history and Asian studies at St. Olaf College. She specializes in modern Japanese visual culture of the Meiji era. She has long held a research interest in the relationship between text and art. She began working on crepe-paper books in 2019 at St. Catherine University before picking up this work at St. Olaf College. She is currently working on a publication about crepe-paper books and is the web designer for this virtual exhibition.
Sam Gering '27
Research Assistant
Sam Gering ’27 is a double major in Studio Art and Philosophy, with a Concentration in Business and Management Studies. In addition to cataloging and documenting our new 2026 acquisition of crepe-paper books along with a new group of fairy tale annotations, he has helped to establish a digital networking tool to assist in visualizing Hasegawa’s social connections at the time of his publishing activities. He has also worked to create an authentic Japanese woodblock print in the hopes of better understanding the entire crepe-paper process.
Tiana Pay '29
Research Assistant
Tiana Pay ‘29 is a double major in Asian Studies and Japanese, with a concentration in Applied Linguistics and TEFL. In addition to cataloguing and documenting the new 2026 acquisitions and contributing two annotations, she has worked on updating the database to improve its accuracy and consistency. She developed an interest in Hasegawa’s translators and their versions of Japanese folktales compared to other translations, resulting in her research into them.
Anika James '25
Research Assistant
Anika James ’25 is a double major in Art History and Studio Art. While contributing to the general investigation of crepe-paper books, she has spearheaded the development of timeline project for this virtual exhibition focusing on Hasegawa’s various publishing activities. She has also reconstructed the momidai device for making crepe paper. Anika worked with Laura to develop “Glimpses of Whimsy,” a case display for Rolvaag Memorial Library in 2024. Anika is a graduate of the Colorado Antiquarian Books Seminar (CABS) in Summer 2024.
Laura Smith '25
Research Assistant
Laura Smith ’25 is a triple major in Art History, Ancient Studies, and Latin. While contributing to the general investigation of crepe-paper books, she developed a special interest in the network of people involved in crepe-paper books. She has been in charge of the Meiji Social Network. Laura worked with Anika to develop “Glimpses of Whimsy,” a case display for Rolvaag Memorial Library in 2024. Laura is a graduate of the Colorado Antiquarian Books Seminar (CABS) in Summer 2024.