Museum of Together to be Held in OctoberExhibition arranged for art to be enjoyed by people with and people without disabilities together

The Nippon Foundation will hold the Museum of Together art exhibition, an event where art can be enjoyed by people with and people without disabilities together, from October 13 to 31 at the Spiral Building in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo. The exhibition will display approximately 500 works by 22 persons, including professional artists and non-professionals, and persons with and persons without disabilities. The exhibition is also being laid out to make the works accessible for visitors with disabilities.

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Planning team members tour the exhibition space with persons with hearing impairment

DIVERSITY IN THE ARTS program promoting the value of diversity

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Museum of Together poster

The Nippon Foundation DIVERSITY IN THE ARTS project was launched with the aim of achieving an inclusive society that embraces diversity and uniqueness, ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This diverse exhibition aims to challenge preconceived concepts, as a first step toward conveying the importance of diversity and a broad range of values by disseminating information that transcends the boundaries of traditional frameworks. The idea is to promote the development of persons with disabilities and artistic culture for 2020, when Tokyo and Japan will receive a large number of visitors, and beyond.

Works will be presented from a wide range of participants, from professional artists to persons working in studios in assisted care facilities and individuals working at home. This range of exhibitors includes artists who incorporate an awareness of art history into their works, to those with no formal training who produce works because it helps them relax or adds balance to their life. The desire to “produce” art is what binds these artists together, showing that all people have the potential to be engaged.

A team of 38 people, including persons with and persons without disabilities and specialists in curating, architecture, design, writing, museum operations, and other areas, is engaged in the exhibition’s planning and preparation. They are also working to make the exhibition space barrier-free, to encourage persons with visual, hearing, and other physical impairments to attend. In addition to improvements to the event space and layout, the planners will also look at overseas examples to gain insights into new ways to present the works.

Other events

Several events will take place in conjunction with the exhibition. A workshop on experiencing art with persons with visual impairment will take place on October 14, a project on sign language and the arts will be held on October 15, and a Museum of Together Forum, with planning team members discussing the highlights of the exhibition, will take place on October 22. In addition, the Spiral Café will offer a special menu during the exhibition period, with items tailored for persons with visual impairment, emphasizing flavor, aroma, sound, and texture.

The Nippon Foundation will also hold a forum on support for art created by persons with disabilities, at Roppongi Hills in Tokyo on September 9. This forum will seek to provide a deeper understanding of the range of artistic activities taking place at social welfare facilities and the issues involved, as well as how to bring this art to a wider audience. This will be the first event of its kind held in Japan.

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Contact

Communications Department
The Nippon Foundation

E-mail
cc@ps.nippon-foundation.or.jp