Museum shares education award with local elementary school

An art appreciation application developed by the Hachioji Municipal Toyo Elementary School with the support of Tokyo Fuji Art Museum has won The Tokyo Shimbun newspaper’s annual educational award. The application draws on such high-tech tools as AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) to encourage both children and adults on ways they can enjoy art and culture in a game environment that includes entertaining quizzes and imitating poses of sculptures on display.

We took part in the development and organization as part of our community outreach initiative to promote ways people of all ages can appreciate art. The Tokyo Shimbun award honors educators who create novel and enjoyable programs as learning tools for students.

PHOTO CAPTION: Students and adults take part in an art appreciation program co-developed by the Hachioji Municipal Toyo Elementary School and TFAM

Special lecture held on French painter Poussin

On January 10, Prof. Takao Ito at Soka University’s Faculty of Letters gave a lecture on legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus, who later artistic greats such as Shakespeare and Beethoven featured in their works. Classical French Baroque style painter Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) also created a piece entitled “Coriolanus Pleaded with by His Wife and Mother.” The painting is one of the major pieces on display for the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum exhibition, “Through the Eyes of René Huyghe: The Splendor of French Paintings—Formation and Transformation of the ‘Grande Manière,’” currently on display.

PHOTO CAPTION: Prof. Ito (podium) held a lecture at TFAM on Jan. 10

Art appreciation for children: A year in review

As part of its outreach initiative, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum has conducted programs to promote the appreciation of art among people of all ages, with a special focus on children. One such program caters to elementary and junior high school students enrolled in the city of Hachioji, a major suburb community of Tokyo which TFAM serves.

Under the program, TFAM hosted 2,144 students from 28 local schools over the calendar year of 2019, up from 1,684 kids from 20 schools in 2018. The curators are volunteers, either lecturers of or students taking university-level museum education courses.

TFAM also aims to provide its collected works and the museum itself as a center of learning to kindle the imagination and excitement of creativity by holding workshops, concerts, seminars and special summer vacation events. And it remains committed to this outreach initiative in service of the Hachioji and other communities in the Tokyo area.

TFAM, local junior high host Tokyo art appreciation event

On December 6, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum and the Hachioji Daigo Junior High School hosted an art appreciation course for junior high school students in the local community. TFAM held a special program for 30 students from the Yui Junior High School in which printed material containing a photograph of a painting from the museum’s collection was distributed to participants at school prior to their visit. They were asked to look over the piece to create their own unique story regarding the art and write it down. They then came to see the actual work in person and share their stories with their peers.

PHOTO CAPTION: Above: Yui Junior High students at TFAM; Below: Students attending a museum education lecture

Local school kids view TFAM’s artworks

On November 26, some 60 fourth-grade students from the Hachioji Municipal Ongata Daiichi Elementary School took part in a field trip to the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum’s Permanent Gallery. After viewing the works, they attended a lecture provided by a volunteer curator who teaches a Museum Education course at nearby Soka University, at which the kids were asked questions (“How is the painting different from a photo of the same scene?”) to stipulate their powers of observation and unique perspectives.

PHOTO CAPTION: Above: Ongata Elementary School kids examining TFAM Permanent Gallery artwork; Below: Soka University lecturer showing students new ways to enjoy paintings

Museum hosts women’s college seminar

On September 16, Soka Women’s College held a Student Life Support (SLS) seminar at the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. Some 60 junior college students took part in the seminar, which aimed to teach participants in the display and presentation of works by using those shown in the exhibition, “The World of Yamamoto Nizo, Master of Japanese Animation Art Director.”

PHOTO CAPTION: TFAM hosted a Soka Women’s College SLS seminar

Curator internship held

On August 29, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum conducted a curator internship, accepting 10 candidates who were recommended by various universities with museum curator programs. The eight-day course was supervised by TFAM curators and involved lectures and on-the-job training. The course concluded on September 12, with interns submitting reports on exhibition planning.

PHOTO CAPTION: Interns study at TFAM to become curators

Museum hosts medical research session on health effects of art

On May 8, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum held an orientation on health effects on art (A-Health Japan) as part of an ongoing international medical research initiative. Conducted at museums, the research examines the effects of “participatory art” on people aged 65 and over, investigating how art influences in three categories: wellbeing, quality of life and physical health. This is a pioneering attempt in which museums from ten countries are taking part.

The examinees will participate in such activities as workshops and be asked to answer to an online questionnaire. The research aims to demonstrate that museums and art appreciation activities serve as a means to promote the mental and physical health of senior citizens.

Columbia University scholar speaks at TFAM

On May 2, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum hosted a lecture by Dr. Megan Laverty, associate professor of philosophy and education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She spoke on philosophy and art appreciation, and the role museums play in educating the public on art. Yukiko Noguchi, a media interpreter for CNN and public TV network NHK, interpreted the lecture. Following the lecture, participants gathered before works on Napoleon Bonaparte on display at a TFAM permanent gallery to discuss the pieces based on what they learned from Dr. Laverty.

Yui Junior High School students visit TFAM

On November 20, seven students and their teacher the Hachioji Yui Junior High School special education class visited the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. Guided by a TFAM curator, they viewed the permanent exhibition and took photographs of their favorite works. The students also took part in a woodblock printing workshop.