A Mingei fan favorite is returning to public view! The beckoning cat, or maneki neko, is a talisman of good fortune (engimono) and as such attracts happiness, wealth and good fortune, while diverting evil forces. This exhibition drawns from Mingei International Museum’s collection of over 150 maneki neko donated to the Museum in 2011 by Bay Area-connoisseur Billie L. Moffitt. The Museum’s collection includes cats in a variety of media, including clay, porcelain, stone, papier mȃchė, metal and wood, all crafted in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Numerous Japanese kiln sites are represented in this exhibition, including Bizen, Kutani, Fushimi, Tokoname, Seto, Shigaraki and Mikawa. Differences in materials, colors, paw heights, bibs, bells and other stylistic and formal considerations create individual expression in these beguiling felines.
Nearly 100 maneki neko will welcome you to Exhibition Hall, nestled at the top of 12 sprawling acres for Mingei’s first ever partnership with the San Diego Japanese Friendship Garden. What better place for these beguiling felines to pop up?
*Hours subject to change during special events. Refer to niwa.org/early-garden-closures.