No.045 - Exhibition at the Entrance of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: “Visitor Collaboration-based Global Environment Poster Exhibition”
Exhibition at the Entrance of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: “Visitor Collaboration-based Global Environment Poster Exhibition”
Center for Information & Public Relations
National Institutes for the Humanities
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is utilizing space within the ministry building for publicity purposes to present the findings and distinctive endeavors of universities and research institutions in Japan. Projects selected from public and private universities, research institutes, and other organizations are on exhibit at the MEXT main entrance where they can be seen by visitors and passersby.
In this issue, we introduce the MEXT entrance exhibition that was held from May to June 2019.
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature “Visitor Collaboration-based Global Environment Poster Exhibition”
(From 05/20/2019 to – 06/21/2019)
Between May to June 2019, the MEXT exhibition space showcased results of an educational workshop that centered on the works gathered for the International Children’s Painting Competition on Environment,* which are archived at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN) program.
In the workshop, sixth-graders from Kusatsu Municipal Shibukawa Elementary School, Shiga prefecture, formed groups of four and selected posters they liked. Then, after checking the artist’s name, age, and country of origin on the backside of the drawing, the children discussed and came up with a title and commentary about the posters. The students had 10 minutes to choose one artwork. At first, they quite seriously set out to observe the pieces, but it was not long until one began to hear exclamations of delight and discovery: “Wow! This one was drawn by a seven-year-old!” “The person who drawn this picture is the same age as me!” “That’s amazing!” as they picked up the posters and found out the artist’s nationality and age. Surprised that children of similar age around the world were capturing the environment through keen observation, they soon became absorbed in looking closely at the posters.
The children came up with commentaries and titles for the posters they chose in their groups.
The scholars overseeing the workshop learned a lot, too, from the way the children thought about and discussed
the posters among those with different points of view.
After picking out a poster, the children discussed and presented what the piece was trying to convey, the reason they chose that one, and what the poster made them think about. This was an opportunity for them to act like curators, jointly contributing to the Global Environment Poster Exhibition.
The MEXT entrance exhibit of posters done by children around the world
During the period the exhibition was on display, the organizers installed a corner for visitors to write down messages on leaf-shaped pieces of paper. This provided a unique twist, allowing people who saw the works to add final touches to the exhibition through their participation. Communicating a message about the posters instead of passively appreciating the works enabled visitors to have deeper interactions with the art.
Featured at the far end of the exhibition space was a video made during the workshop (see link).
A message board can also be seen in the far-right.
The National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU) study people’s cultural activities and the relationship between humankind, society, and nature. NIHU needs to question society about the true meaning of affluence, and repeatedly encourage interaction between society and the actual work of research. Continued efforts will be made by NIHU to host various events each year to promote general and research-related public relations activities. At the same time, NIHU will promote the circulation of humanities-related knowledge by carrying out an organizational project to train “Liberal Arts Communicators”, striving to achieve “mutual transmission of information.”
*International Children’s Painting Competition on Environment
This is a project the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has been organizing for children under the age 15 in all regions of the world. All competition entries are donated to RIHN, an affiliate of this project.
[Related links] The National Institutes for the Humanities’ official youtube channel
"Visitor Collaboration-based Global Environment Poster Exhibition"