Tomoko Ishida (Takamatsu Art Museum) x Emi Kuraza [Part 1] | Scenery Visible Only by "Going Out" Instead of "Having Them Come" - Hello, Curator? Vol. 12
Tomoko Ishida of Takamatsu Art Museum and Emi Kuraza discuss the appeal of art and the reality of educational settings through their outreach activities outside the museum.Summary
This dialogue, part one of the series "Hello, Curator?" featuring curators with unique activities nationwide, features Emi Kuraza (involved with the Kinyokai at Kikuchi Keifuen National Sanatorium) interviewing Tomoko Ishida, a curator at the Takamatsu Art Museum. Ishida actively engages in "Outing Museum" programs, taking actual artworks to nearby elementary and junior high schools, rather than assuming people will visit the museum. Both speakers discussed moving away from the conventional "curatorial persona," the importance of sharing personal feelings, and the significance of delivering the "authenticity" of artworks through outreach, acknowledging the reality that some people cannot visit museums. Ishida initiated the program after gaining permission from artists to take their works, visiting schools via an application system. She tailors explanations to the class subject and observed that for many children, seeing a genuine adult artwork was a profound stimulus, highlighting both the challenges in school-based art appreciation and the impact of art. They emphasized the importance of understanding the reasons why people "cannot come," such as teacher workload and geographical/economic barriers, underscoring that outreach is necessary to plant the seed that art can be an option in their lives.
(Source：artscape)