On Thursday, October 23rd and Friday, October 24th, two first-year students from the local Karuizawa High School underwent work experience at the Embassy of Japan.
On the first day, the students toured the exhibition rooms, learning about the role of a museum and how works are displayed, and also got to see facilities such as the storage room, which are not normally open to the public.
Afterwards, the students chose one of their favorite works, wrote a "description" based on their impressions of the work, and then presented it to the staff in a "gallery talk." The words, written from the unique perspective of high school students, were a fresh discovery for the staff as well. The completed description is currently on display next to the work in the exhibition room, so please look for it and read it. We believe that visitors will also enjoy the experience of viewing the work through the unique eyes of high school students.
On the second day, we also cleaned up the museum's environment by sweeping up fallen leaves in the courtyard, etc. It was an opportunity to realize that it is these kinds of detailed daily tasks that support the exhibition of artworks.
As part of their practical experience, the students also worked in the museum shop, tore tickets, and tried their hand at dealing with visitors by greeting them and checking their tickets. Their polite responses and cheerful tone of voice showed their dedication to welcoming visitors.
Here are some of the comments we received from them over the two days. (Original text)
"I had an image of art museums being very strict, but it was a very relaxing place. There were so many interesting works, and when you look closely at one painting you can learn a lot. I learned the joy of looking at art."
"(The museum staff) were always thinking about the visitors, and it was amazing how they had thought up the display order of the artworks, the lighting, the size of the display cases, and everything else."
The two days were a very educational experience for the staff in charge as well!
We hope that this experience will lead to new perspectives and new realizations for both of you. Please come and visit us again!
*The school has given permission for the photos to be made public.
Exhibition informationCLICK HERE.から