Kurashiki Central Library, Kurashiki Museum of Natural History, and cultural facility zone in Kurashiki City, where Kurashiki City Art Museum is located. This place serves not only as an art museum but also as an educational space for children.
One of its representative activities, the Kurashiki Children’s Art Exhibition, started this year on January 31, 2025 (Friday).
I visited the venue filled with the energetic presence of children just after the opening ceremony.
What is the 39th Kurashiki Children’s Art Exhibition?
The Kurashiki Children’s Art Exhibition is an annual exhibition held at the Kurashiki City Art Museum, aimed at nurturing the imagination of children who will shape the future and cultivating rich emotional sensibilities.
This year (2024), marking the 39th edition, a total of 89 schools are participating.
- 60 Kurashiki City Elementary Schools
- 26 Kurashiki City Junior High Schools
- Okayama Korean Junior High School
- Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Amagi Junior High School
- Seishin Junior High School
A total of 9,340 works, including two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and collaborative pieces, are being exhibited.
The exhibition typically attracts over 10,000 visitors each year. This year, as of the morning of January 31, 2025 (Friday), 33 elementary school groups are scheduled to visit.
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony was held on January 31, 2025 (Friday) at around 10:15 AM in the first-floor lobby of the Kurashiki City Art Museum.
The opening ceremony was grandly conducted with the presence of the Director of the Kurashiki City Board of Education, Kurashiki City Council members, students and parents from Kurashiki-Nishi Elementary School, and the student council president from Kurashiki-Nishi Junior High School.
Runa Mitake, a fourth grader from Kurashiki-Nishi Elementary School, who served as the representative speaker for the children, said,
“I love art class very much. I am very happy that the works I created in art class are displayed at the Kurashiki City Art Museum,”
she continued,
“I want to carefully look at the works from other elementary schools and apply what I learn in the future. Let’s enjoy our friends' works together!”
At the end of the opening ceremony, there was also a tape-cutting ceremony, making it a splendid event.
Exhibition Overview
The works are displayed widely across the first and second floors of the Kurashiki City Art Museum.
Children Enjoying the Works Energetically
After the opening ceremony, the children first head to the exhibition room for elementary schools on the second floor.
Seeing their works displayed not at school but at the city art museum, the children couldn't help but smile and took commemorative photos with beaming faces.
After that, they moved on to appreciate works from other schools.
A child carefully appreciating the works alone.
Children introducing works to each other while going around with friends, saying, "Hey, look at this! It was amazing!"
A child diligently writing impressions on a feedback sheet tucked behind their life science materials...
The exhibition room filled with children appreciating the works in their own ways is lively, and being there with them energizes me as well.
On weekdays during the exhibition period, elementary school students come to see the displays every day, so you can also see children energetically appreciating the works.
Works that Utilize Each School's Characteristics
The Kurashiki Children’s Art Exhibition displays works by each school.
Depending on the size of the school, some schools participate by grade level.
Some schools worked on the same theme across the entire school.
Schools participating by grade level are adjusting so that each grade can exhibit at the Kurashiki Children’s Art Exhibition at least once during the six years of elementary school, such as "Every year, a certain grade participates."
Additionally, at Kurashiki City Tsurajima Minami Elementary School, works using the local specialty, lotus root, are being created.
Okayama Korean Junior High School is exhibiting works that use the auspicious paintings that were popular in 19th century Korea.
Works utilizing the characteristics of each school were also observed.
According to an elementary school teacher involved in the exhibition, "Works made from waste materials are also connected to learning about the Sustainable Development Goals. It is noteworthy how children perceive what could have become waste at home and transform it into art. The school also provides waste materials, so we instruct students to bring items from home instead of purchasing new ones."
After hearing this, when I viewed the works again, I found various pieces made from reused waste materials displayed from different schools.
Exhibited works created outside of art classes
In the first exhibition room on the first floor, works by junior high school students are displayed.
There were also print works using carving knives among the elementary school works, but as students progress to junior high school, they are creating even more three-dimensional pieces. There were many works that served as a goal for elementary school students, making them think, "When I become a junior high school student, will I be able to create works like this?"
As students enter junior high school, they not only create works but also seem to be engaging in self-evaluation. At Kurashiki City Fukuda Junior High School, works from all grades are displayed, and it is evident that the self-evaluation notes become more specialized as the grades progress.
I thought that since it was called an art exhibition, the exhibited works would be created during art class, but I also discovered works that combined art and home economics.
This is a toy for children devised by junior high school students during their home economics class on childcare.
Not only did they devise toys in the learning below, but by actually creating them, it has become an interdisciplinary learning experience involving art.
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, interdisciplinary learning refers to learning that aims to develop the qualities and abilities necessary for citizens living in modern society, where the fields of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) are intricately related, and to apply learning from various subjects to the discovery and resolution of real-world problems.
Additionally, when students enter junior high school, club activities also begin. In the back of the first exhibition room, there were also works created during club activities on display.
While you may have heard of "cross-curricular learning" and "club activities" in the news, it is not often seen how they are actually developed in school educational activities. I thought that the Kurashiki Children’s Art Exhibition is one of the opportunities to glimpse what kind of educational activities are being conducted in schools today through the works displayed.
Conclusion
During the guest speech at the opening ceremony, Kurashiki City Council member Kitabatake Katsuhiro said,
“As a child, I exhibited my work at the Kurashiki Children’s Art Exhibition at the Kurashiki City Art Museum, and when I have a child, I will bring them here to appreciate their work. This exhibition is a generational connection exhibition.”
Hearing these words made me once again feel the weight of the 39 years of history.
Additionally, Nishina Ko, the Superintendent of the Kurashiki City Board of Education, said,
“I hope you enjoyably appreciate the works created with joy.”
He spoke with a smile, reminding us that art activities are not about seeking correctness, but that "enjoyment" is the most important aspect of these activities.
In reality, the children were appreciating the works displayed in the museum with bright expressions, and the combination of the impressive works and the lively appearance of the children filled me with joy as I appreciated the works.
The 39th Kurashiki Children’s Art Exhibition, overflowing with generational connections and enjoyment, is being held until February 16, 2025 (Sunday).
Articles about the Kurashiki City Art Museum
Data for the 39th Kurashiki Children Art Exhibition
| Name | 39th Kurashiki Children Art Exhibition |
|---|---|
| Dates | January 31 (Fri) - February 16 (Sun), 2025 9:00 AM - 5:15 PM |
| Location | 2-6-1 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation Fee (Tax Included) | Free admission |
| Website | Kurashiki City Art Museum |
First Floor: Exhibition Room 1 (Junior High School), Entrance Hall (Elementary School)
Second Floor: Exhibition Room 1, Exhibition Corner, Lobby (Elementary School)