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International Symposium of Minpaku for the 50th Anniversary of the Museumʼs Founding ”Art, Anthropology and MuseumsーPast, Present and Future”

When:
2025年03月01日 @ 10:30 – 16:45 Asia/Tokyo Timezone
2025-03-01T10:30:00+09:00
2025-03-01T16:45:00+09:00
Where:
National Museum of Ethnology Auditorium, Osaka
International Symposium of Minpaku for the 50th Anniversary of the Museumʼs Founding Art, Anthropology and MuseumsーPast, Present and Future

Date Saturday, March 1, 2025 10:30-16:45
Venue National Museum of Ethnology Auditorium, Osaka
Capacity 【On-site participation】350 participants
【Online participation】500 participants
Fee Free * Admission fee required for entrance to the exhibition hall.
Language Translation English = Japanese
Organizer National Museum of Ethnology
JSPS KAKENHI “Reforming the Study of Art in Anthropology” (20KK0017)
JSPS KAKENHI “Anthropological Research on the ‘Emergence’ of Culture in Africa under Social Crises” (23K20563)

Objective

The collection of art, or more broadly material culture, anthropology, and museums —particularly ethnological museums — came into being as an integrated entity in the latter half of the 19th century. Subsequently, the study of art and the study of anthropology diverged onto separate paths, and the relationship between these fields and ethological museums also developed as distinct entities.
At the turn of the 21st century, the study of objects and museums in anthropology rapidly gained momentum. Similarly, we have observed a closer interaction between art and anthropology, marked by phenomena such as the so-called “ethnographic turn’ in art .
This symposium, held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku), aims to examine the past, define the present, and explore directions for the future regarding the relationship between “art, anthropology, and museums” both at Minpaku and globally. This endeavor simultaneously seeks to reaffirm Minpaku’s position within the global trends of anthropological research and museum studies.

Program

Saturday, March 1, 2025

10:30-10:40 Opening Remark

10:40-11:40 Session 1: Art and Anthropology
Key Note (30min)

  • Mary Jo Arnoldi (Curator, National Museum of Natural History, USA)

Lecture (20min)

  • Shirabe Ogata (Asst. Professor, ILCAA, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, JPN)

Q&A (10min)

11:40-12:00 Break
12:00-13:00 Session 2: Art and Museums
Key Note (30min)

  • Chris Spring (Artist, Former Curator of the British Museum, UK)

Lecture (20min)

Q&A (10min)

13:00-14:00 Lunch Break
14:00-15:00 Session 3: Anthropology/Community and Museums
Key Note (30min)

  • George Mudenda (Director-General, National Museums Board of Zambia)

Lecture (20min)

  • Lu Yiping (Curator, National Museum of Taiwan History)

Q&A (10min)

15:00-15:15 Break
15:15-16:45 Open Forum:Art, Anthropology and Museums
Key Note (40min)

  • Anthony Shelton (Professor, University of British Columbia, Canada)

Panel Discussion

  • Coordinator:Motoi Suzuki (Professor, National Museum of Ethnology)
  • Discussants:All Speakers and Participants

Registration

Please access this URL and apply from the reservation website.

  • Application Period :Tuesday, January 28, 2025 – Tuesday, February 25, 2025
  • Capacity:【On-site participation】350 participants / 【Online participation】500 participants
    * Advance application required; first-come, first-served
    * Applications will close once the capacity is reached.
    * For on-site participation only: If the capacity is not filled during the application period, on-the-day participation will be accepted.

Contact

Symposium Secretariat (The Senri Foundation)
Email:50thsympo_0301@senri-f.or.jp