The Museum as a Place to Encounter the "Power of Life"

2020/07/20

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed a self-evident truth: art possesses the power to stir the human soul and provide the courage to live. Because of this, we must believe in the power of art and work to ensure its flame is never extinguished.

Under the recent state of emergency, we were forced to stay home under the slogan "Stay Home," refraining from non-essential outings. We were asked to exercise self-restraint in all activities except for essential needs like grocery shopping, even avoiding meeting friends for meals, let alone going out for leisure. Opportunities to appreciate art and music in person were also taken away, as cultural facilities such as museums and concert halls across the country were temporarily closed.

Now that the state of emergency has been lifted, we are once again able to appreciate works of art in person. Facing an original work once more, what I feel is the "power of life" inherent in the piece. This is likely because great works of art are always imbued with a "vitality." In other words, the artist's personality, philosophy, thoughts, and the historical and social environment that forms their background are reflected and expressed in some form within them.

For example, one artist began the act of covering their own body in paint to remove the fear of losing the sense of "being here now" as reality grew thin in daily life, and to confirm that they were indeed alive. This act, which should be personal, ultimately captivates the viewer as a form of universal beauty. Furthermore, representative 20th-century artists like Picasso and Matisse were astonished and fascinated by the forms of African tribal masks and wood carvings. These works captivate and stir the viewer because the artist's earnest feelings toward "life"—a theme common to us all—are infused into each work and object with overwhelming intensity and purity.

This applies not only to fine art but also to music and dance. The once-in-a-lifetime experience of resonance between an orchestra and an audience in a concert hall, or the breathing and atmosphere of a dancer performing right before one's eyes, are things that can never be obtained except through live works of art.

During the recent period of self-restraint, artists and cultural facilities have undertaken unprecedented new initiatives for those deprived of opportunities to visit museums and music halls. These include dancers performing online and museum curators conducting gallery talks of exhibitions via the internet.

During our temporary closure, our museum also connected the venue online with Mr. Shigeru Ban in Tokyo to hold a gallery talk for the exhibition "Shigeru Ban: Projects in Progress," which was awaiting its opening. We also conducted internet broadcasts of gallery talks for collection exhibitions by curators, a "Picture Shiritori" through the exchange of postcards between education staff and participants, and the distribution of workshop programs via our blog.

Outside the field of art, various initiatives were also carried out, such as the "#YellMeshi" (Cheer Meals) campaign to support restaurants through takeout promotion, and the "Oita Cloudfunding" project, which raised support funds for restaurants by allowing people to provide support with cash and encouragement "now" in exchange for meal vouchers to eat and drink in the "future."

Despite the many restrictions imposed by self-restraint, each of these initiatives ignored those limits—or even turned them to their advantage—to create and execute new methods that did not exist in daily life before COVID-19. Being able to witness such great human creativity was a welcome byproduct of the pandemic.

After two temporary closures, our museum reopened on May 11 and has been welcoming visitors daily. Upon reopening, we have implemented measures against COVID-19, including requiring masks, encouraging hand disinfection with alcohol, measuring body temperature with thermal cameras upon entry, limiting the number of people in exhibition rooms, and asking for contact information in preparation for potential interviews by public health centers and other administrative agencies. Because we implemented these measures and reopened before the Japan Association of Museums released its "Guidelines for Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in Museums" on May 14, our museum's efforts attracted national attention.

Moving forward, I believe it is an important role of a public art museum to continue fostering a place of creation together with visitors and artists, while keeping the health of our guests and staff as the top priority.

To achieve this, it is essential to firmly carry out the fundamental museum activities of "research and study," "preservation and restoration," "exhibition," and "education/outreach." We must conduct exhibitions, outreach, and information dissemination that always provide new discoveries and stimulation to viewers and participants, while also creating opportunities for artists to be active. I believe that keeping these two wheels turning will further enhance the power of art, thereby making people's lives richer.

I hope that as a society, we will continue to work to believe in the power of art to stir the soul and give courage to live, and to ensure that its flame is never extinguished.