Events and programs for children are held year-round at Ueno’s cultural facilities. From an event on the theme of children held by an art museum and library at each other’s facility, to a collaboration between a science museum and library on the theme of picture books, and a kid’s lunch set that looks too good to eat, Ueno becomes even more fun when you look at it from a child’s line of sight.
Fondly known as the “home of the open call exhibition,” the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum offers a platform for artists of all stripes to submit their work for consideration for a coveted spot on the museum’s walls. Successful entries are showcased in the museum’s Public Entry Exhibitions, held throughout the year in cooperation with art groups nationwide. In 2017, the museum redoubled this commitment to public art by launching the Ueno Artist Project, a perennial exhibition series which actively shines a brighter light on the work of select contemporary artists within the scope of a unique theme each year. The project recently returned for another round in 2019, with an exhibition of 55 nuanced, thought-provoking works exploring the theme “Artists Look at Children”.
On December 20th, visitors to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum were treated to a special gallery tour of Ueno Artist Project 2019: “Artists Look at Children”. Led by the exhibition’s curator, the tour met for two sessions, one in the afternoon, and one at night. In this installment, we take you inside the museum for a report on all that the evening session had in store.
Recent years have witnessed a remarkable number of cross-institutional partnerships in Ueno, collaboratively leveraging the strengths and specializations of the area’s many museums and libraries in service of a common goal: the identification and creation of newfound cultural value. In this installment, we take a closer look at the fruits of one such partnership between the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the National Diet Library’s International Library of Children’s Literature. Coinciding with the concurrent exhibitions Ueno Artist Project 2019: “Artists Look at Children” (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum) and 100 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art in Picture Books – From Dada to New Painting (International Library of Children’s Literature), each institution played host to a public talk event as part of a joint series exploring the keyword “children.” On November 30th, 2019, curators from the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum gave the series’ inaugural lecture to a sizable audience at the International Library of Children’s Literature.
Coinciding with the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum’s Ueno Artist Project 2019: “Artists Look at Children” exhibition and the National Diet Library International Library of Children’s Literature’s 100 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art in Picture Books – From Dada to New Painting retrospective, the two institutions partnered on a collaborative initiative with children as its common theme.
Following on the heels of an inaugural talk event given at the International Library of Children’s Literature on November 30th, 2019, the collaboration returned for a second installment the following December 22nd, hosted at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Conducted by librarians from the International Library of Children’s Literature, this second presentation was entitled A Kids’ Guide to Art Appreciation with a Picture Book Read-Aloud, and featured an engaging story time session for a rapt young audience.
If the mention of natural history museums conjures up fond childhood memories of monumental exhibitions to the wild world of dinosaurs and deep-sea creatures galore, then you would surely love Take a Journey with Pictures Books through the History of Life, a recent exhibition held in the National Museum of Nature and Science’s Japan Gallery. Turning a new page in the museum-going experience, the exhibition explored the theme of human evolution as depicted in a curated selection of children’s picture books in the nature and science genre. In this installment, paleontologist Makoto Manabe (aka “Dr. Dinosaur”) takes us on a special guided tour of all the highlights of the exhibition.
The National Museum of Nature and Science (Kahaku) is well known for its approach that makes “science” fun, friendly and educational. Especially popular among the kids is a space called “ComPaSS”, an exhibition area designed for families and children. It’s a children’s paradise filled with polar bear and dinosaur exhibits, playground equipment and picture books. So, the ComPaSS was the perfect venue for the International Library of Children’s Literture (ILCL) to hold a “story time” event, which took place in conjunction with a themed exhibition organized by the museum. The event was a great success, capturing the hearts of the young audience.
Throughout
the year, Ueno Park hosts a wide variety of events the whole family can enjoy.
After working up an appetite, the perennial question is: What’s for lunch?
Fortunately, Ueno Park is a kids’ meal paradise. Plenty of kid-friendly fare
can be found on the menus at the many museums and other public institutions
located around the park.
In this installment, join us on a culinary tour of the National Museum of Nature and Science, the National Diet Library’s International Library of Children’s Literature, and the Ueno Zoo, as we explore the park’s best kids’ meals — so scrumptious, even adults will be tempted to steal a bite.
What comes to your mind when planning an outing to Ueno with the kids? The Ueno Zoo? A bugs and insects exhibition or a dinosaur exhibition at the National Museum of Nature and Science sound like fun. Actually, there is another perfect spot just a short walk away — the library. The beautiful western-style building is called The National Diet Library International Library of Children’s Literature (ILCL). It’s a special library that is dedicated to children’s books. But the library is open to everyone, children and adults alike. We talked to the library’s director, Kenichi Terakura about ILCL and asked what makes it so special.
The International Library of Children’s Literature (ILCL) located in Ueno has its own museum that is dedicated to conveying the special appeal of children’s literature. The museum holds exhibitions of children’s books which help open new doors that lead to art and spark interest in other countries around the world. We sat with Kenichi Terakura, Director of ILCL, who talked about the museum’s role and about the special exhibition “100 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art in Picture Books – From Dada to New Painting” which was held from October 2019 through January 2020.
