Job Tours at the National Art Center, Tokyo: Behind-the-Scenes Interviews by Interns! Vol. 3　Curatorial Department: Library and Archives

Tell us what kind of work you typically do in the Office of Library and Archives!

The Office of Library and Archives is in charge of running the Art Library on the third floor of the Main Building of the National Art Center, Tokyo (hereafter, “NACT”), as well as the Annex reading room. I’m generally involved in the archives, which engages in the organization and preservation of art-related materials and making them available to the public, but I also sometimes work in the library. Depending on when, the ratio can be very different. Sometimes most of my work will be in the library and other times I’ll work mostly in the archives.

Compared to working on exhibitions, which has a flashier impression, jobs involving fine arts texts don’t attract as much attention, but our work also supports the museum’s curators. For example, we also contribute to the work involved in exhibitions by providing texts when curators need various materials in order to plan an exhibition.

NACT doesn’t have a standing collection. How does that change your work compared to a more standard art museum?

The National Art Center, Tokyo is based around the concept of not having a standing collection but proactively collects art-related books and other materials as one of its guiding principles. In addition, the aim of NACT’s Office of Library and Archives isn’t just to collect materials but also to organize them and make them available to the public. Right now it is particularly difficult to borrow and lend works of art due to COVID-19, and this is making it hard to hold exhibitions. Other art museums are able to exhibit items from their collection, but NACT can’t because it doesn’t have one. In such a situation, the Office of Library and Archives seeks to contribute by proactively providing books and other texts on art.

Were you interested in working with books when you were in university?

In university, I majored in art history for both my undergraduate and master’s degrees. At the same time, I was also interested in archival studies, and attended the National Institute of Japanese Literature’s Archives College (long-term course), learning the basics of archival studies. Accordingly, when I began looking for work, art and other museums were natural candidates.

After graduating from graduate school and before starting at NACT, I got a job compiling the history of the Tokyo University of the Arts. What I did was similar to what I do now in NACT’s Office of Library and Archives, organizing materials owned by the university and making them available to people if there was a request from someone who wanted to see them. Because I was interested in art texts from my university days, I ended up being involved in work handling art books and journals rather than becoming a curator myself. I felt it was necessary for me, however, to gain work experience outside of a university setting. I was also interested in a more administrative role, and so I applied to the National Art Center, Tokyo.

What part of your work has been the most memorable so far?

Material displays. There’s a glass display case in the Art Library on NACT’s third floor. We place some of our materials in the cases in an effort to share them with the public, mainly displaying materials from our collection in the Annex. The materials we put on display are very valuable and can only be viewed via reservation. Placing materials in the case in accordance with themes I’ve chosen myself and showing them to the public is particularly unforgettable.

Are you the one who is primarily in charge of that?

In general, material displays are planned by the office head and associate fellows. We can choose the themes for the displays based on our own interests, so it makes me very happy when someone reacts to one of my displays. In my studies, I also focused on sculpture, so I mainly choose sculpture as my display theme. When someone handling the counter in the Art Library tells me that a visitor said my display was interesting, it of course makes me very happy to know that I reached someone.

Around how long does it take to prepare a display, and how long is a display left out?

The amount of time spent preparing varies by theme, but I think we take around one month to prepare. Materiel displays are changed about four times a year. For one of these, an intern is put in charge to use it as a space for expressing what they’ve gained in their training in the Office of Library and Archives. During my time here I believe I’ve done seven or eight displays. As you plan one display the theme for the next one comes to you, making the entire process, including the prep work, enjoyable.

What other kinds of work can interns get involved in?

Interns in the Office of Library and Archives generally start in May and work here until around January or February. During their roughly eight-month long stint, interns will work here about 30 times, and we’ll have them do all sorts of things like organizing materials and creating lists. As the culmination of their work, we’ll have them take charge of one of the material displays in the Art Library. We’ll also have interns work together with staff who are certified librarians so they can experience working in the library as well.

Please share a message for those looking to be interns here in the future!

Being an intern is a very valuable experience which will enable you to be involved, directly and indirectly, in the work of an art museum, so I encourage you to be proactive and apply. If you are interested in working in an art museum, I think it is very important to intern or volunteer and interact with people currently working in the field.