An Art Museum and a Volunteer    

                 From Asahi Shimbun Globe 　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　11/25/2014

　According to "世界大百科事典 World Encyclopedia" by Heibonsha, English “museum” and French “musee” , which correspond to Japanese 博物館 hakubutsukan, are originated in ancient Greek "ムセイオン Mouseion" which is a sanctuary offered to the goddess of arts and sciences. It is said it was a place like  ムセイオン Mouseion, a research institute which was used in the sense of a school and Ptolemy ( Ptolemaeus ) built the first in Alexandria, Egypt. Now, in English, museum of art, gallery, etc. are used as a name corresponding to an art museum. The Japanese museum is a kind of the "method" of keeping and collecting data about "history, art, race,industry, natural science, etc.". That public museum doesn’t charge admission except for " cases where there is an unavoidable situation."　That means in the mainstream, an art museum deals with visual arts, such as pictures.

　After the Renaissance arose in Italy in the 14th century the number of people who could appreciate art was restricted, although royalty and titled nobility exhibited works of art in their collections at their gorgeous mansions.　The Louvre Museum, Musee du Louvre was born in Paris after the French Revolution in 1793 and it was the first art museum which began to exhibit art generally. The modernistic art museum started from there. The idea "that the private sector supports art activities independently" is strong in the United States.　Also the art museum was founded in form not by a state, but a philanthropist with private sector volunteers leading.　Three collectors who knew European modern art started MoM, the Museum of Modern Art, which opened in New York in 1929. After World War II, when the Center of Fine Arts moved from Europe to the U.S., the presence and recognition of art museums in the U.S. also expanded.

　Now, the number of those who support art museums by volunteering is large and their role is important. Once I visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial in North Carolina, United States, and most of the management there was done by volunteers’ hands. Moreover, the other day I visited Horyuji Temple in Nara. The personnel of Horyuji Temple and priest number only 15 people in that large temple and it depends on volunteers for guides, ticket gate staff, custodians etc. English, French Spanish and Chinese interpreter volunteers guide help with Horyuji Temple guided tours. Likewise many volunteers are also active at Himeji Castle.　

　I have been volunteering at the Hyogo Prefectual Museum of Art more than 10 years. Although 150 volunteers serve actively here with writing commentary, guiding, etc., I have been helping happily with other volunteers by arranging museum data.　My service has not gotten old even after working once a week for more than 10 years.