Meeting of Japanese
Art Specialists
February 10, 2023

Meeting of Japanese Art Specialists
February 10, 2023
Overview
This yearʼs meeting was held in conjunction with the Tokyo National Museum (TNM)ʼs 150 thanniversary celebrations. The meeting began with a discussion on how academic and otherinternational exchanges between TNM and museums outside of Japan could be expanded.
Participants also exchanged opinions on diversity and inclusion, which are major topics atmuseums across the world, and discussed how to present Japanese art and culture fromdiverse perspectives.
Location: Held online
Chaired and Moderated by Matsushima Masato (Supervisor of Research, Tokyo NationalMuseum)
Participants: North America: 14; Europe: 14; Asia/Oceania: 3; Japan: 28
OutlineThis yearʼs program was limited to an online meeting and an online excursion. The annualsymposium was postponed because of other events held in conjunction with TNMʼs 150thanniversary. The participants joined the meeting remotely from different time zones, whichmeant that the time was limited, but the meeting was productive and thought-provoking,nonetheless. There were two discussion topics, each introduced in a three-minutepresentation.
First Topic: Tokyo National Museumʼs 150th Anniversary and Future International
Exchange
Introduced by Yanagi Ei (Head of International Relations, Tokyo National Museum)
The Tokyo National Museum has established productive relationships with museums outsideof Japan through international exhibitions and other projects. TNM received many
congratulatory messages from these museums for its 150 th anniversary ceremony, manyof which expressed high expectations for future cooperation and exchange.
TNM and the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage established the International Exchange
Program for Curators of Japanese Art in order to build a strong network of curators ofJapanese art through symposiums, meetings, workshops, and other events. During thisyearʼs meeting, we explored further possibilities for academic exchange between TNM andmuseums abroad, and asked participants to share their expectations for TNM.

Participants suggested the following:- Explore possibilities for collaborative international project, including joint research projects.
- Resume exchange programs that were suspended due to the pandemic.
- Hold art-handling workshops in Japan.
- Create more opportunities for international cooperation, such as international exhibitions,to promote understanding of Japanese art and culture.
- Deepen exchange through face-to-face meetings.
Second Topic: Diversity and Inclusion and Its Impact on Curatorial Work
Introduced by Anne Nishimura Morse (William and Helen Pounds Senior Curator ofJapanese Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston)In her presentation, Dr. Morse outlined a campaign that was implemented at the MFA
Boston to promote diversity and inclusion. The campaign, revealed to the public in thesummer of 2022, was built on efforts that had begun over four years earlier. During anearly phase, the staff and trustees of the museum developed a strategy for promotinginclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. Dr. Morse deﬁned these four terms as follows:- Diversity: Honoring differences in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, andage- Equity: Ensuring access and opportunities for all, particularly the underrepresented- Inclusion: Welcoming people of diverse backgrounds- Accessibility: Creating an accessible environment for the physically challenged
Promoting inclusivity in museums has been discussed at the MFA and manyother institutions through the following strategies:- Decolonizing the museum and expanding perspectives beyond those of the dominantcultural group- Dissolving the canon and no longer privileging works of art by the “old masters”- Presenting a greater diversity of art and artists- Including indigenous voices to ensure that indigenous people participate in the curation of
their own narratives- Collaborating with community members in a way that makes the curator a team member
rather than the most authoritative voice- Supporting a new generation of students from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers
in museums
Lastly, Dr. Morse noted a number of challenges and questions that the promotion of

diversity and inclusion has posed.
- What will be the role of the curator of Japanese art in todayʼs museum?
- In the context of US museums, how can Asian American art, which is different from Asianart, be presented to the public?
- What can curators do to ensure continued interest in earlier Japanese art whencontemporary art is viewed as being more relevant to new audiences?
- What types of social issues can curators address?
These are some of the topics that were discussed during the open discussion that followed
the presentation:- Internships and related hiring and funding issues- Diversifying staff who are involved in Japanese art- The beneﬁts of dissolving the canon and diversifying the contents of exhibitions- Steps that could be taken to promote inclusion at the Tokyo National Museum- The difﬁculty of writing labels that are short yet accessible- The value and popularity of exhibitions based strongly on art historical research