Here is a comprehensive list of the ways you can enjoy Mingei – from viewing art and exploring public spaces to sharing your experiences with us on social media.
The words over and under call our attention to something spatial, inviting us to imagine a maker’s hands systematically working, weaving, transforming filaments of thread or grass, bark or wire, into something whole - a basket, a rug, a fish trap, a fan.
Over/Under"Washi Transformed" presents over thirty highly textured two-dimensional works, expressive sculptures, and dramatic installations that explore the astonishing potential of this traditional medium.
Washi Transformed
In collaboration with LUCE et studio and its architect, Jennifer Luce, Mingei underwent a transformational construction project, reopening in 2019. For this project, the Museum commissioned eight new works by six visionary women artists. Each contributes a key element of function and beauty to Mingei’s building.
Sessions by Petra Blaisse – A billowing, acoustic curtain that stretches along the entire length of the 40-foot retractable glass wall in the Theater
Truth & Beauty in Black by Claudy Jongstra – A 30-foot felted mural that hangs above the bar as a sound-dampening textile within the new Bistro
sugi/kuruminoki and liquid2solid by Christina Kim:
sugi/kuruminoki – A pair of light, cut paper window screens to be installed in the Founders’ Gallery, home to the Museum’s iconic Nakashima table
liquid2solid – A series of flowing, hand-sewn temporary curtains to be used in the galleries, each made from off-cut waste of Dyneema®, a technological fabric
EAST | WEST by Billie Tsien – Mingei’s official gallery bench – one of three new benches that will be available for public use in the main galleries
Fan favorites from the Museum’s permanent collection are also on view – including the Mingei International Museum Chandelier by Dale Chihuly, A Palace for Wednesday by Alice Hudson, The Poet and His Muse by Niki de Saint Phalle, and many more.
The Commons Level (main floor) of the Museum is accessible from two main entrances, Plaza de Panama and Alcazar Garden, and will be open and free to the public at all times. On this level you'll find:
The upstairs Gallery level features newly configured, flexible spaces with sculpted plaster ceilings referencing origami. This level is also home to the Frances Hamilton White Art Reference Library and Founders Gallery.
And for the first time in decades, the two upper-level terraces are open to the public. Experience the full size and history of the building while enjoying views of Balboa Park!
Share your experience at Mingei with us – whether in person to our staff around the Museum or on social media. We’d love to hear from you and connect about your experience in the transformed Mingei! Follow us on Instagram and make sure to tag us on your adventure!
