Mingei….folk craft or folk art; the Folk Craft Movement (Mingei undô)
was started by Yanagi Sôetsu (1889-1961; also Yanagi Muneyoshi). Art of the People.
Often during the last few years, I would go with the Geezer
to Balboa Park while he worked as a volunteer in the automotive museum. I discovered there was a free tram almost in
front of the museum, and this tram would take me into the heart of the
park.
The first year I joined The San Diego Museum of Art. Soon after that I also joined the Museum of
Photographic Arts. I loved the both
these museums, but I wasn’t passionately attracted to the works they
offered. I, who cut metal roughly, who
was best at slab built pots, and threw paint energetically on canvas and paper,
felt left out by the sterility of the works.
Slowly I stopped going.
Last year, I stopped in a few times at the Mingei
museum. No senior admission here, but I
complained. The works I saw there immediately
engaged me. I felt at home. No paintings here, but everything else I was
interested in was here and accessible.
Tentatively I asked, “Do you mind if join the Mingei Museum?”
“Only if you go more than once,” he said.
I found that now there is a senior admission. I immediately stuck my brand new members
badge on, and fell into an oasis comfort zone.
Although I was drawn to many of the small pots, like the sake vessel and
its cups, in the Contemporary ceramics show, I tried to take pictures of most of
the shows. I found quilts, weavings, and
upstairs the blue things in the True Blue exhibition. I even sat for a time and watched a film on
how to make Indigo…
…..all the while feeling right at home.
I worry about you. Take care!
ReplyDelete'Sounds like a good thing to do. I played with my grandson over the holidays. We worked with clay and I rediscovered my love for working with my hands. One of my hopes--not resolutions--for the new year is to get back into a more creative mode.
ReplyDeleteLove it when you know you've got yourself into the right place, all museums are not equal. I can see echoes of your new teapot in the pottery picture. Take care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteI wish you lived near as I think you would help me learn so much more about art. I can read about it and then see it, but freqently I think I miss so much!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you found a new place for joy....
ReplyDeleteI must start my museum going again....soon. Dianne
ReplyDeleteI love the folk art, much more than the formal paintings. That's what originally sparked my interest in Japan. I visited your mingei museum years ago and loved it. I also visited Yanagi's home, which is now a museum.
ReplyDeleteYes it sounds like your sort of place.
ReplyDeleteYour mix of meeting physical challenges and finding new satisfying venues for feeding the soul inspire me to keep on keeping on as do your balance briefs.
ReplyDelete