Outline
Outline

Museum overview

One component of the World Heritage Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan.

Aomori Museum of Art
185 Chikano, Yasuta,
Aomori City, Aomori Pref. 038-0021, Japan
TEL 017-783-3000
FAX 017-783-5244
MAIL bijutsukan@pref.aomori.lg.jp

Message from the director

Sharing the beauty of the artistic prefecture that is Aomori

The Aomori Museum of Art opened on July 13, 2006. Since that time, it has viewed Aomori Prefecture’s rich artistic culture and the power of the Jomon artefacts symbolized by the adjoining Sannai-Maruyama Ruins as wellsprings of artistic creativity, and has conveyed the beauty of Aomori’s abundant diversity of arts.

To date, over 4.5 million people from across Japan and the world have visited the museum, something for which I express my sincere appreciation.

The innovative museum building was designed by Jun Aoki, who took inspiration from the Sannai-Maruyama Archaeological Site. The matching museum symbol and signs were designed by Atsuki Kikuchi. The uniforms worn by museum staff were designed by fashion brand minä perhonen. The museum’s collection includes works by highly individual local creators, including Shiko MUNAKATA, one of Aomori Prefecture’s most well-known artists; Yoshitomo NARA, a world-renowned contemporary artist; and sculptor and special effects director Tohl NARITA, known for his design of Ultraman and various fictional giant monsters. The museum also holds night at the museum events and music, dance, theater, and other performing arts activities leveraging such unique spaces as our Aleko Hall, in which are displayed backdrops created by Marc Chagall for the ballet Aleko.

With the opening of the Hachinohe Art Museum in November 2021, Aomori Prefecture now has five public art museums, the other four being our own Aomori Museum of Art, the Aomori Contemporary Art Centre, the Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Towada Art Center. Going forward, various art activities will be developed through the Aomori Gokan project, a collaborative initiative between the five museums.

Rooted in these activities and other efforts, we will be sharing with the rest of the country and the entire world the beauty of the artistic prefecture that is Aomori with amazing exhibitions, public performances, and a variety of other events which will convey the essence of Aomori better than ever before.

All of us here at the museum will be concentrating our efforts to further develop the unique appeals of the Aomori Museum of Art and convey them to an even greater audience. In turn, we ask for your continued support.

Director, Aomori Museum of Art

The goals of the Aomori Museum of Art

Introducing Aomori Prefecture’s artistic culture to the world
The Aomori Museum of Art perceives Aomori Prefecture’s rich artistic culture and the power of the Jomon artefacts buried in the adjoining Sannai-Maruyama Ruins to be wellsprings of artistic creativity. The artists of Aomori Prefecture possess intense individuality, and the museum seeks to explore their raw worldviews and introduce Aomori Prefecture’s artistic culture to the world.

Enabling visitors to experience outstanding art
The Aomori Museum of Art exhibits works of fine art, films, plays, music, and all manner of art and culture activities, proactively creating spaces where prefectural residents will have stunning and moving experiences, and encounter new values.

Cultivating sensitivity and creativity in children
Focusing on cultivating the children who will be the future of Aomori Prefecture, based on an image of an art museum for children, the Aomori Museum of Art engages in comprehensive projects to make art and art museums known to children from an early age and to instill abundant sensitivity and creativity in them.

Working together with prefectural residents
The Aomori Museum of Art seeks to be a part of the lives of prefectural residents and is constantly and proactively working to create opportunities for prefectural resident participation. In order to enable as many prefectural residents to participate in museum projects as possible, the museum secures opportunities for volunteering, internships, and art appreciation for people with disabilities.

Outline of Architecture

The Aomori Museum of Art

The inspiration for the architectural design of the Aomori Museum of Art comes from the excavation area of the nearby Sannai Maruyama Historical Site. The ground under the museum was cut in a geometric style to resemble the trenches of the excavation area. Structure enveloped by white-painted bricks lands these trenches. The concave/convex trenches and white structure are interlocking but maintain spaces. This is the basic composition of the museum. Spaces created by the white walls - 'White Cube' exhibition rooms - and exhibition rooms created by the exposed earthen walls and floors of the trenches are two opposing features in the design but combine to form a unified whole.

Aleko Hall

Aleko Hall

Permanent Exhibition Space

Permanent Exhibition Space

Creative Yard

Creative Yard

Panoramic Photograph of Architecture

Panoramic Photograph of Architecture

Jun Aoki
Architect

Born in 1956. Graduated with a M. Arch. from Tokyo University in 1982. In 1991 established Jun Aoki & Associates. From houses, public works to fashion boutiques, his career covers diverse directions. In 2004, his first monograph was published, and he was awarded the Minister of Education Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists.

www.aokijun.com

Outline of VI

Outline of VI

After thinking about the visual identity of the Aomori Museum of Art, I decided to incorporate a tree motif into the symbol. I selected the color of the sky and the color of the earthen walls, because they are in harmony with the environment surrounding the museum. I believe that it is important for this design to represent the museum itself.

Direction Signage on Elevator

Direction Signage on Elevator

Direction Signage

Direction Signage

Identification Signage

Identification Signage

Pictgram of Bathroom

Pictgram of Bathroom

Atsuki Kikuchi
Art Director

Born in 1974. Attended the sculpture course at the Musashino Art University. Established Bluemark Inc. in 2000. In addition to working as an art director and graphic designer creating brand images and graphics for businesses, he is known also as an art producer.

atsukikikuchi.com

Highlights

Aleko Hall

Aleko Hall

Positioned at the museum's center is a large, four-floor atrium, 19m high and 21m wide and deep. Displayed in the atrium, which is named Aleko Hall, are backdrops created by the representative 20th-century artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985) for the ballet Aleko. The backdrops were commissioned of him by the Ballet Theater (currently American Ballet Theater) in the United States, where Chagall, who was born to a Russian (now Belarusian) Jewish family, obtained refuge from persecution by Nazi Germany during World War Two. The works are stage art masterpieces in which Chagall, the magician of color, gives full play to his brilliant palette. Aleko Hall is also used for presenting concerts, dramas, and dance performances.

Aomori-ken (Aomori Dog)

Aomori-ken (Aomori Dog)

A colossal dog sculpture, 8.5 meters high and 6.7 meters wide, is established in an outdoor space on the museum's west side. The work, Aomori-ken (Aomori Dog) was created by NARA Yoshitomo, an internationally active artist from Hirosaki. Nara paintings of figures with glaring eyes resonate with people everywhere who feel overwhelmed by the complexity of temporary living. Aomori Museum of Art began collecting Nara works in 1998 and currently possesses more than 170. Aomori-ken, which looms over viewers like a Great Buddha, its expression changing with the seasons, is affectionately regarded by visitors as the museum's symbol.

Hakkakudo

Hakkakudo

Another large-scale sculpture by NARA Yoshitomo is displayed in the Aomori Museum of Art compound — the 6-meter high bronze statue, Miss Forest. The work is established inside the Hakkakudo, an octagonal brick building designed by Nara. Seated in the solemn building as if always having been there, Miss Forest invites visitors into intimate communion, speaking to them in happy harmony with the breezes, bird song and, sometimes, falling snow.

Uniforms

Uniforms

Museum floor staff uniforms were designed by fashion brand minä perhonen. Consisting of one-piece-style gowns in light blue and brown, the museum’s colors, embroidered with the “choucho” (butterfly) design long used by the brand, the uniforms bring a soft, warm atmosphere to the museum.

Museum Shop

Museum Shop

The Museum Shop sells originally-designed museum items, art-related books, and exhibition catalogues.

Online shop
カフェ「4匹の猫」

Café

Café 'Los Cuatro Gatos' is a relaxed open space looking out on the Hakkakudo (Octagonal Chamber) where NARA Yoshitomo's bronze statue stands. Visitors can enjoy confections and light meals of curry and pasta using Aomori-grown ingredients.

Cafe「4匹の猫」オフィシャルサイト Los Cuatro Gatos cafe website