{"id":2991,"date":"2012-08-14T11:57:51","date_gmt":"2012-08-14T02:57:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/no-ma.jp\/old\/?page_id=2991"},"modified":"2020-04-28T15:18:28","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T06:18:28","slug":"about-no-ma","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/no-ma.jp\/old\/english\/about.html","title":{"rendered":"About NO-MA"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Uniqueness of NO-MA<\/h2>\n

\"\"The Borderless Art Museum NO-MA was opened in June, 2004. It is located in an area of preserved historical buildings in Omi-Hachiman City, Shiga Prefecture. The venue is a converted dwelling from the early Showa period and utilizes a
\ntraditional Japanese building and a surrounding traditional warehouse for exhibition purposes. It is operated by Social Welfare\u00a0Organization Glow (formerly the Shiga-Prefectural Social Welfare Organization). It is a one of a kind museum found here in Japan.<\/p>\n

Our strength lies in exhibiting works by persons with disabilities along with works of art created by able-bodied
\npersons. Through this we believe that visitors will feel the universality of human creativity in a very real way. By doing so, we boldly remove any notion of \u2018borders\u2019 between the able-bodied and disabled of the world.<\/p>\n

The Birth of NO-MA<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The welfare institutions of Shiga Prefecture have a long-standing history of promoting the creativity of persons with
\ndisabilities. This is culminated in a Prefecture-wide debate on the increasing need for a place to exhibit these creations. An enterprise was established to provide a space to serve this need. A vacant 80 year-old traditional town house, in the preserved historical buildings area of Omi-Hachiman city, was chosen. Known as \u2018Nomatei\u2019, the example of a traditional Japanese architectural form, was to be transformed into this museum as we know and love it today. This is thanks to the input of an artistic community, social welfare workers, academics, and the local populace. The fa\u00e7ade of \u2018Nomatei\u2019 was left intact while the ground floor was converted into the main exhibition space. The first floor was renovated into a library and exhibition space retaining its strong traditional Japanese characteristics. A space, blending new art with Japanese classical tradition, was born. The name, NO-MA, was taken from the family name of the owners of the building. The name \u201cNoma\u201d comes from the family name \u2018Nomatei\u2019. The term \u2018borderless\u2019 is a nod to our strongly held beliefs in creating a space where culture and social welfare meet. It is where art and city-planning collide and where any differentiation between the able-bodied and disabled are meaningless.<\/p>\n

Initially, NO-MA was established as the \u2018Borderless Art Gallery NO-MA\u2019 and operated by the Social Welfare Corporation,
\nand the Shiga-Prefectural Social Welfare Organization (Social Welfare Organization Glow). In the spring of 2007, however, we
\nwere granted the status of being a \u2018museum\u2019 by the local government and have ever since been known as the \u2018Borderless
\nArt Museum NO-MA\u2019.<\/p>\n

Overseas Collaborative Projects<\/h2>\n

\n

\"\"We have been collaborating with the Collection de l\u2019Art Brut in Lausanne, Switzerland since 2006 . In 2008 the joint exhibition \u201cJAPON\u201d was realized. Also in 2008, we further collaborated on the \u2018Art Brut, Crossing Spirit\u2019 which toured Tokyo, Hokkaido and Shiga in Japan. We were finally able to give Japanese art brut exposure. It was after this, when the \u2018JAPON\u2019 exhibit was in Switzerland, that the works on display caught the attention of the director of the Halle Saint Pierre Museum in Paris. The director approached us, resulting in another collaboration. This brought 800 pieces of work by 63 Japanese artists to Paris. (Note: Out of the 63 artists, 18 were from Shiga prefecture)<\/p>\n

The exhibition was held from March 24, 2010 to January 2, 2011.<\/p>\n

These art works from Japan proved to be very popular. An exhibition tour in Japan was carried out as well. Media attention on art brut in Japan increased. There is now great interest in this very particular cross-over of disciplines, art, social welfare and medical care, all of which we cover.<\/p>\n

\u3000\u3000\u3000photo by Nobuo Onishi<\/p>\n

RESEARCH AND STUDY<\/h2>\n

\"\"With assistance from the Japanese Welfare and Medical Service Agency, NO-MA undertook a 4 year long (2006-2010) project researching and studying works of art made by persons with disabilities. Up to today, this has totaled 103 artists from across the whole of Japan. The criteria of this initiative was to look for \u2018works of art made by persons with disabilities\u2019. Many of the works, however, were found to be regarded as stellar examples of art brut. They were, therefore, included in the aforementioned \u2018Art Brut Japonais\u2019 exhibit held in France in 2010. Out of the 63 artists exhibited there, 31 were artists \u2018discovered\u2019 via this undertaking. As of 2011, further research and study into the works of art made by persons with disabilities across Shiga prefecture and Japan has been taking place. This time, however, the Shiga Prefecture Art Brut Furtherance Project, has been taking the helm of this initiative: \u2018Nation-wide, as well as through out the Asia region, art work research and study\u2019 has been taking place. This includes our neighboring country, Taiwan. Our research is definitely going international.<\/p>\n

This research and study programs were made possible by the kind support and wide network of people across not only Shiga Prefecture and Japan, but also from overseas. They have provided us with invaluable information in regards to the works of art and artists we are searching for. Touted as \u2018The Beauty of Shiga\u2019, we continue to cooperate closely with Shiga Prefecture in our quest to find local and indigenous forms of beauty.<\/p>\n

We are also doing more than looking for new artists. We are creating a database of all of our research results in the form of reports which will be utilized in future exhibitions. This will be done to disseminate the works and to give as many of the artists discovered, a wide a scope as possible for exposure. We also aim to create a network of persons found through our efforts of research and study initiative.<\/p>\n

Research is undertaken by the Art Director of NO-MA, social welfare workers , as well as members of the art gallery and museum world.<\/p>\n

SHIGA PREFECTURE, NO-MA AND ART BRUT<\/h2>\n

Shiga Prefecture has a long-standing history of fostering the creativity of persons with disabilities. It was just after the Second World War where clay-based art activities started at the local Omi Gakuen School. This was led by notable figures, such as Mr. Kazuo Itoga, Mr. Ichiji Tamura, and Mr. Taro Ikeda. They are known as the founding fathers of welfare for the disabled in Japan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese children are the light of the world\u201d is the well known epitaph of Kazuo Itoga. He was referring to the new possibilities of making the world a better place. He felt that it was important to live and to learn from what persons with disabilities can show us. That is their \u2018light\u2019 that he refers to. The artistic activities and philosophy, which began at the Omi Gakuen School, has been passed onto many social welfare facilities across Shiga Prefecture. With the involvement of many, we have now reached a point in time where we are gaining much attention domestically and globally in the field of art brut. This has allowed us to get the artists works of art out there into the world at large.<\/p>\n

Established in 2004, NO-MA sees itself as part of this historical lineage. It is proactively continuing to search out new
\nartists and art work by putting together new exhibitions. It is also being done by networking with groups both within Japan and overseas. Our initial contact with Collection de l\u2019Art Brut and subsequent developments have placed us in a position as Japans premier exhibition space for Art Brut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
1946 \u2013<\/th>\nOmi Gakuen School established as an educational, boarding and medical facility for children with disabilities (Artistic activities, such those that are a part of the curriculum, started the following year)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1954 \u2013<\/th>\nExhibitions, in collaboration with the Social Welfare Institutions in Shiga Prefecture, begin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1981 \u2013<\/th>\n\u201cEarth and Color\u201d exhibit
\n(Art work created by persons with mental disabilities from Shiga and Kyoto areas were exhibited. The work subsequently went on to be on permanent display at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art for 18 years)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2004 \u2013<\/th>\nBorderless Art Gallery NO-MA established (An initiative to exhibit works of art created by persons with disabilities and able-bodied persons together, with no \u2018borders\u2019 differentiating the two)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2006 \u2013<\/th>\nCommence research and study initiative into works of art created by persons with disabilities (with assistance from the Japanese Welfare and Medical Service Agency) \u2013 carried out until 2010 both within Shiga Prefecture and around the rest of Japan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2007 \u2013<\/th>\nNO-MA was granted museum status by the local government. The name was changed to \u2018Borderless Art Museum \u2013 NO-MA\u2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2008 \u2013<\/th>\nOverseas collaborations begin
\nThe \u2018JAPON\u2019 exhibit at the Collection de l\u2019Art Brut in Lausanne, Switzerland
\nThe \u2018Crossing Spirit\u2019 exhibit of Art Brut collection went on tour (Tokyo, Hokkaido, Shiga)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2010 \u2013<\/th>\nThe \u2018Art Brut Japonais\u2019 exhibit was held in Halle Saint Pierre, Paris \u2013 followed by an exhibition tour in Japan (Saitama, Niigata)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2011 \u2013<\/th>\nShiga Prefecture \u2013 \u2018The Beauty of Shiga\u2019 the Promotion and Furtherance Division was established Modern art, Buddhist art and Art Brut were designated as the 3 main pillars of culture to be promoted \u2018Great Beauty in Art of Shiga Prefecture\u2019 by Shiga Prefecture.
\nThe Japan-Korea joint exhibition \u2018Art Brut in Japan and Korea – Place to come and go\u2019 was held in Korea
\nThe Shiga Prefecture Art Brut Furtherance Project commences its research and study into works of art and artists across Japan and Asia. This part of the enterprise includes holding lectures in regards to Art Brut.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

WHAT IS ART BRUT\uff1f<\/h2>\n

Art Brut denotes art created outside the bounds of official culture. The term in French means \u2018Raw Art\u2019. The French artist, Jean Dubuffet, coined this term in 1945. It illustrates the nature of art works which are completely independent of the main cultural stream of artistic styles and training. It is solely reliant upon the creators individuality and imagination.<\/p>\n

They include \u201cworks created from solitude as well as pure, authentic creative impulses\u201d<\/p>\n

Debuffet placed great importance on what he saw as the genuine expression of Art Brut. Since then the genre has been prolific in Europe and North America.<\/p>\n

Works that can be called \u201cArt Brut\u201d, have existed in Japan from a long time ago too. The very well-known Kiyoshi Yamashita, was being covered by art magazines as far back as 1938. The nature of the coverage, however, placed emphasis on how to teach art to the disabled, rather than focusing on the power of his work. The notion of Art Brut was yet to be born.<\/p>\n

Art Brut has been gaining recognition recently in Japan. This has been possible because of numerous exhibits held across the country.<\/p>\n

Why is Art Brut becoming popular in our country now?<\/p>\n

We believe that in today\u2019s fast-paced society, people are looking for an immovable, and yet unyielding strength. The strength, to \u2018me and only to me,\u2019 seems to be true and comes to \u2018me\u2019 from the inside.<\/p>\n

The artists, behind the works of art, are, in some cases, physically or mentally disabled. In other cases they include the elderly. Without any kind of vociferousness, they continue to express their unyielding to\u2018me\u2019 from inside myself.<\/p>\n

Despite the fact, that their works are not made with any audience in mind, their work has the endless capacity to move us and stir our souls.<\/p>\n

Yoshiko Hata,
\nArt Director,
\nBorderless Art Museum NO-MA
\n(extract taken from the \u2018Art Brut Guidebook\u2019 published by Shiga Prefecture)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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