Tags：Art and LifeChubu

“The 35th MOA Museum of Art National Children’s Art Exhibition” was held at the MOA Museum of Art from December 27, 2024 to February 12, 2025. 300 award-winning and selected artworks selected from 183,287 paintings and manuscripts submitted from 289 venues in Japan and overseas (including 25 venues in 11 countries overseas) were displayed in the museum. Many visitors viewed the children’s masterpieces that won awards such as the Prime Minister’s Award, which is selected once every five years; the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award; the Minister of State for Special Missions; the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award; and the Minister of the Environment Award.

 

 

 

On January 26th, the awards ceremony was held at the Noh Theatre, and the award-winning children and their families, as well as members of the Children’s Works Exhibition Executive Committee from all over the country, participated, and the performance was streamed live on YouTube. Following the opening remarks by Kazumi Murose (Public Interest Incorporated Foundation) Representative Director of the Mokichi Okada Arts and Culture Foundation; Kazushi Toyoguchi, Subject Researcher of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Yasutaka Kubo, Assistant Counselor of the Children’s and Family Affairs Bureau (in charge of project coordination); Takuya Mikami, Chief of the General Affairs Division of the Agriculture and Industry Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and Shinjiro Sasaki, Director of the National Park Utilization Promotion Office of the National Park Division of the Natural Environment Bureau of the Ministry of the Environment, took the stage. In addition to praising the children’s sensibility in expressing what they experienced and were impressed by the paintings and transcriptions, and their efforts in creating, they also praised the efforts of the national executive committee members to contribute to the healthy development of children together with the community.

 

While the award-winning works were shown on the screen, the children were called by their names, greeted cheerfully, and received certificates of commendation, and received warm applause from their parents and visitors. The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award School Encouragement Award was given to six elementary schools across the country that are working to train children with their families and communities, and the Minister of State for Special Missions Award was given to two executive committees that have contributed to the sound development and community enrichment of children by exhibiting artworks and holding workshops at local medical institutions.

 

 

Representatives of the award-winning children presented essays on the difficulties of creating and their dreams for the future, and the Spanish award-winning children delivered their joy in a video message. Following the review by the judges, the former winners of the national exhibition, who have become working adults and university students, conveyed that the hard work and joy at the time of winning the prize are an encouragement for the rest of their lives, and gave a cheer to the future of the winning children. The award ceremony has been released on YouTube (→ The 35th MOA Museum of Art National Children’s Exhibition).

 

Parents who watched the awards ceremony expressed their joy, saying, “She is a child who likes to draw, and she enjoyed drawing hard this time, but I was surprised to find that it led to a big award. I learned that it can be stored digitally at the MOA Museum of Art, and I wanted to come to see it again with my child.” “It’s an amazing museum that she won a prize for and came to the awards ceremony. I talked with my family about wanting to come to the MOA Museum again. The children continued to write many letters, and the hard work they put in even when feeling discouraged, their effort bore fruit, and we were able to come again.” After the awards ceremony, the award-winning children and their parents enjoyed a day at the MOA Museum of Art by viewing the national treasure “Red and White Plum Blossoms Screens” at the ongoing “Masterpiece Exhibition,” and viewing the scenery from the main lobby.

 

 

The MOA Museum of Art National Children’s Artworks Exhibition is held based on the “Learning Guidelines” of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, with the aim of nurturing sensibilities and enriching minds by expressing emotions and interests gained through relationships with nature, the environment, society, and others in paintings and calligraphy. Supported by beauty education volunteers all over Japan, the exhibition is expected to contribute to the healthy upbringing of children and the creation of healthy communities both mentally and physically through cooperation between schools, families, and the community.

 

(Organizer / Support) Organized by the Mochiki Okada Arts and Culture Foundation; supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; the Ministry of the Environment, the Children’s and Family Affairs Agency; the Japan UNESCO National Committee; the Japan PTA National Council; the National Federation of Children’s Associations; the Boy Scouts Japan Federation; the Japan Overseas Japanese Association; the National Newspaper Business Council; and the National Federation of Elementary School Principals Association