I find it interesting that Afro Mingei opened and closed so quickly, as we were just starting a conversation on art, culture and community. Coincidentally, did you know that that there is a conversation continuing literally right across the street on Flora?
The Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas opened a new exhibition titled Japan, Form & Function: The Montgomery Collection, which includes artifacts from the Mingei movement founded in the 1920s by Yanagi Sōetsu. As stated on the Crow Museum website, "The Montgomery Collection is widely acknowledged to be the largest and finest collection of Japanese folk art outside Japan."
In April, I had the chance to meet the curator, Mr. Luigi Zeni, and the collector, Mr. Jeffrey Montgomery (or in his words "the keeper"). I also had the privilege to tour the exhibition with Mr. Montgomery and Mr. Zeni to better understand the collection of 240+ works on display, including works on paper, ceramics, wood, metalwork, and even textiles!
Many of the works are from the Mingei movement. Mingei focuses on everyday objects produced by the common folk, as opposed to highly refined works of art produced by professional artists. Mingei is typically: anonymous/unsigned, representative of the region it was produced, mass produced by hand, made of natural materials, inexpensive at the time of production, used by the people/folk, and functional in daily life. It can also be understood as a response to Japan's rapid industrialization, as it elevates objects made in large quantity by ordinary people, rather than in a factory. In this way, it can also be perceived as a method of cultural and historical preservation. Some of the key artists in the movement were Yanagi Sōetsu, Bernard Leach, Hamada Shōji, and Kawaii Kanjirō.
The exhibition will be on view for a full year, until April 14, 2024, so please don't miss this exquisite, yet comprehensive survey of Japanese folk art from north to south. As Master Oogway said in Kung Fu Panda, "There are no coincidences in this world.” I think it really means that you are traveling down the right path.
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