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.

Danish researcher gives aesthetics lecture

On July 5, Danish scholar Dr. Simon Høffding visited the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum to give a lecture on aesthetics entitled, “Passivity and Participation in the Art Museum—A Phenomenological Exposition.” Some 40 people, including students from nearby Soka University, attended the lecture on one of the methodologies of western philosophy.

Currently teaching at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Psychology, Dr. Høffding is an expert on phenomenology, aesthetics and musicianship, among other disciplines. One of the unique features of Dr. Høffding’s was to engage the audience in an interactive discussion even as he continued his lecture while standing before a number of works on display at TFAM’s permanent exhibition, “From the Renaissance to the 20th Century—500 Years of Western Paintings,” particularly before Dr. Paul Alexandre by the Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920).

Hachioji elementary school students visit TFAM

Fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders of the Hachioji Higashi-Asakawa Elementary School visited the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum on three separate days between October 24 and 27 as part of their art appreciation program. After viewing the exhibition, “From the Renaissance to the 20th Century—500 Years of Western Paintings” in the Permanent Gallery, the students joined volunteer aides from nearby Soka University in discussing their impressions of the works on display.

Students from two Hachioji schools visit TFAM

On August 30, third-graders of the Hachioji City Funada Elementary School took part in a field trip to the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum and viewed “The Peter Rabbit™ Exhibition Celebrating The Anniversary of Beatrix Potter’s Birth” and the “From the Renaissance to the 20th Century—500 Years of Western Paintings” exhibition in the Permanent Gallery. The next day, students from the Hachioji City No. 1 Junior High School toured TFAM’s backyard operations, with the 13- and 14-year-olds also viewing the Peter Pan and permanent gallery exhibitions.

Hachioji elementary school students visit museum

On Friday, January 13, 110 fourth graders from Komiya Elementary School in Hachioji City toured the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum as part of their art appreciation course. The ten-year-olds viewed “From TFAM’s Collection: One of Japan’s Largest-Ever Exhibitions of Western Paintings,” which features 275 works. The museum offers tours free of charge to nearby schools as part of its community outreach initiative.

Similar tours were held for students and faculty of the Kanagawa Prefectural School for the Disabled in Tsukui on January 31, as well as for Miyakami Elementary School on February 2 and Yugichuo Elementary School two days later.

Hachioji elementary school visits TFAM

On June 3, some 75 third-grade students from the Hachioji City Shimizu Elementary School visited the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. Four students from Soka University who are taking a class in art museum education assisted in the tour.

The elementary school children attended a Gallery Talk on art appreciation and then were asked to grasp a deeper affinity for a specific work of art by “closely observing, feeling out, think on and talk to” it as well as speaking with and sharing views with one another.

In a surprise event, the Shimizu school principal dressed up in a samurai suit and appeared before his students.

Museum hosts students from Hachioji Yui Junior High

On January 28, eight students and their instructor from Hachioji Yui Junior High School toured the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. The tour is conducted under TFAM’s ongoing educational services initiative designed to develop interest in art and art history for youth in the surrounding Hachoiji community. After viewing the exhibition, “A Pageantry of Faces: The Magical Allure of Human Expressions,” the students were provided with their own camera and encouraged to take photographs throughout the museum.

City of Hachioji cites TFAM outreach initiatives

On October 1, Tokyo Fuji Art Museum was awarded a certificate of appreciation from the Hachioji municipal government for the Museum’s contributions to the community. The ceremony took place at the Hachioji Art and Culture Hall during an event to commemorate the anniversary of Hachioji City’s establishment as a municipality. TFAM Director Kenji Harashima received the certificate from Mayor Takashi Ishimori on the Museum’s behalf. This is the third consecutive year that TFAM has been cited for its outreach programs by the City.

Museum holds training session for National Museum of Western Art volunteers

On March 11, volunteer staff members of the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo took part in a Gallery Talk training session organized by the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. Gallery Talks are interactive events conducted by TFAM curators, who provide commentary on an artwork on display, including insights on the artist and historical background, while answering questions fielded by visitors.

The training session was held at the request of the national museum volunteers, who were also able to view TFAM’s “Grand Masters of Ukiyo-e” exhibition as part of the event.

Museum art appreciation class for students from Soka Junior High School

On February 24 and 26, third-year students of Soka Junior High School in Kodaira City took part in an art appreciation class organized by the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. Forming small groups, the students viewed a work by Flemish painter Pieter Brueghel the Younger from the museum’s private collection and asked to evaluate it and offer their impressions without being told of the painting’s title or historical backdrop.

The students then judged the presentation of each group for themselves, with those earning the highest points winning commemorative prizes.

Such classes and related tours are conducted under TFAM’s ongoing educational services initiative designed to develop interest in art and art history for youth in nearby communities, along with learning the correct rules and manners as museum viewers.