On Thursday, November Sixth, our museum held an art research class and training session for Nagano Prefectural Junior High Schools in collaboration with the Nagano Prefectural Comprehensive Education Center.

The morning began with an art appreciation class observation by second-year students from Karuizawa Junior High School. 2 students, led by Mr. Usuda, toured the "Connecting and Expanding" exhibition, watched by 40 art teachers from elementary, junior high, and high schools from as far north as Nakano City, as far south as Achi Village, and as far west as Nagiso, near Aichi Prefecture.
Although the viewing time was only about 40 minutes, thanks to the results of their prior study, each student chose their favorite piece, wrote a comment on it, and demonstrated to the museum what their usual art class using tablets looks like.

In the first half of the afternoon, the teachers introduced each other to the original lessons they normally teach, shared their know-how on appreciation lessons, and shared their experiences, improving each other's knowledge and learning.
In the second half of the afternoon, the participants were given the opportunity to take a closer look at the exhibition, with explanations from the curators at the forefront. They then split into several groups and had time to exchange opinions with other teachers in front of the works, providing a valuable opportunity to think and engage with contemporary art.

As the form of art changes rapidly due to the development of the internet society and AI, I believe it was a very meaningful day that allowed us, those involved in the arts, to question how we can approach contemporary art, how we can "connect and expand," and how we can help children develop free sensibilities. I hope that our museum will continue to be used as a place for learning like this, and that it will always remain an open space.
.