Another attraction of Ueno is its various hands-on programs related to art and culture: authentic art schools, events for the participation of anyone, and more. Here are select programs where the “real thing” can be experienced through lessons given by professionals.
Founded
in 2018 on the principles of social inclusion, UENOYES is an annual cultural
initiative that brings diverse communities together in a joint mission to
introduce Ueno to the larger world. The Tokyo neighborhood’s appeal was
certainly on full display at UENOYES 2019/FLOATING NOMAD, a special art event
held in Ueno Park on Saturday, November 9th and Sunday, November 10th, 2019.
As a steady stream of event-goers filled the Takenodai Plaza over the weekend, a particularly lively crowd formed around the Cardboard Installation Site, a unique art project that invited the open participation of park visitors. Everyone from kids to adults of all ages eagerly tore, twisted, and taped corrugated cardboard, leaving their marks on a collaborative monument that steadily grew and morphed as a veritable symbol of the event.
There’s
nothing like a visit to a museum to get the creative juices flowing. After
admiring the artwork, one can’t help but feel an irresistible urge to set up an
easel and get to work on a new masterpiece of one’s own. Fortunately, the Ueno
Royal Museum offers a series of public art classes at the Ueno no Mori Art
School to satiate such artistic ambitions. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or
an aspiring hobbyist, the classes present an engaging opportunity to study with
a rotating roster of instructors, and “brush up” on techniques ranging from
oils to acrylics, watercolors, and even Japanese-style nihonga painting.
Having last picked up a brush in high school art class, this writer recently dusted off the rust, and reconvened with her lapsed inner artist by sitting in on one of the school’s watercolor sessions.
Ueno has a popular public participation project. A collaborative project between Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and Tokyo University of the Arts started just less than a decade ago now has a long line of people wanting to join. Art communicators, called “Tobira”, are selected from the general public every year to take on the leading role in the project. The openings for the position get flooded with many applications every year and some had to make several attempts over years to get accepted. Why does this Tobira Project attract so much attention? Sakura Koshikawa, Coordinator of Tobira Project, as well as Project Research Associate of Tokyo University of the Arts, gave us an insight.
