Concept

Message from
the Director

Architecture

VIdesign

History

The Museum as an Art Farm: Sowing the seeds to cultivate community, foster creativity, and create a vision for Hachinohe in the 22nd century

The Hachinohe Art Museum has been re-envisioned as an “art farm” that fosters creativity through art experiences, where personal growth leads to community development.Unlike conventional art museums, which focus on exhibiting artworks as objects, this museum aims to create a new culture and revitalize Hachinohe City by providing a large space for people to engage in activities that generate new artworks and new art experiences.
The museum is a place where anyone can readily experience art through exhibitions and projects, and we are committed to working together with local citizens to facilitate learning through encounters with art. At the heart of our permanent collection are works by artists with a connection to Hachinohe to ensure their preservation for future generations. We aim to create a museum where these encounters between people and art transcend conventional standpoints and frameworks. The learning gained from these relationships fosters creativity and a sensitivity for art, enriching the lives of citizens and their communities in the process.
To assist us in these efforts, the Hachinohe Art Museum calls upon its “Art Farmers,” local citizenry who are actively engaged in museum activities and who cultivate their community through art to ensure an environment where visitors can have a variety of experiences. The citizens, organizations, educational institutions, and companies of Hachinohe that work together on museum activities are called “Co-Creation Partners” and help generate new value in the community.
We also work with local elementary and junior high schools and the Board of Education to empower children and encourage them to think for themselves through our school partnerships. In addition to programs that bring the museum into local schools, we also draw on the expertise of local universities and technical colleges to conduct programs that apply the power of art to other areas and industries that include economics, welfare, and community development.

A museum to connect past and future art with Hachinohe, its citizens, and the world

Hachinohe Art Museum has been active in the community since its opening in 1986, but in 2021 it was reborn as a new space in response to the need for a place to contemplate contemporary art.
Art is a living thing, an expression of the zeitgeist that changes in myriad ways over time. Today it is not limited to a polished, completed object but extends to experiences created through the involvement of people who appreciate it. As such, we have built a unique architectural space that aims to accommodate art as it continues to evolve and expand. The museum’s Giant Room is a central hub for local citizens, surrounded by unique spaces that accommodate a wide range of artistic expression.
The museum’s programming is built on two major activities: exhibitions and projects. A central facet to many museums, exhibitions are where visitors come to appreciate finished works on display. Projects, on the other hand, are constantly evolving and are where citizens gather together with artists and museum staff to create new works and experiences. The museum also has a collection consisting mainly of works with a connection to Hachinohe by artists who were either born or live in the city. In dialogues surrounding artworks in the collection, we consider the context behind when they were made and how they relate to Hachinohe.
Our goal at the Hachinohe Art Museum is to connect past and future art with Hachinohe, its citizens, and the world, and I look forward to the many artworks and experiences we will create together.

SATOH Shinya

Director, Hachinohe Art Museum

Director

SATOH Shinya

Born in 1968 in Nishitokyo City, Tokyo, SATOH Shinya graduated from the Department of Architecture in the College of Science and Technology at Nihon University in 1992. In 1994, he completed the Master’s Course in Architecture at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Nihon University. He joined the Institute of New Architecture （I.N.A.） from 1994 to 1995. In 1996, he joined the Department of Architecture in the College of Science and Technology at Nihon University, where he is currently a full professor. He is a first-class architect and holds a Ph.D. in architecture.
Satoh was the exhibition designer for the ZKM Karlsruhe in 2006-2007. He served as vice-chairman on the architectural proposal review committee for the New Hachinohe Art Museum during 2016-2017 and was a member of its management review committee from 2017 to 2021. He has served as the Director of the Hachinohe Art Museum since 2021.
Satoh specializes in the architectural planning and design of art and cultural facilities such as museums, theaters, and concert halls. In addition to architecture, he has also produced artistic and theatrical works, serving as a structural designer for art projects, a producer of tour-like participatory works, and a dramaturge for community theater productions.
His architectural work includes the renovation of 3331 Arts Chiyoda in collaboration with Mejiro Studio in 2010. His art projects include +1 person/day （Toride Art Project, 2008）; Toshima Art Station Koso （2011-17）; Kaku Nagashima’s “How-To-Make” Laboratory: Someone’s Dream （2013-16）; ← （Yajirushi）（NAGASHIMA Kaku & The Team for YAJIRUSHI, 2016, Saitama Triennale）, and A Dressing Room for Everyone （AWAI~, 2017, TURN Fest 2）, etc. His theatrical works include Compartment City – Tokyo （composed and directed by TAKAYAMA Akira, 2009, Festival/Tokyo） and The House of Atreus （2010-） and Beyond Borders—Past and Future of the Asia series （with Ima theater, 2018, Festival/Tokyo）, etc.

Daici Ano

Two types of spaces to facilitate mutual learning and a wide variety of activities

With its unique and beautiful landscapes, Hachinohe has a culture that is deeply rooted in local customs and folklore. The new museum aims to sow cultural “seeds” and raise them to bear fruit through research, enriching them with new values and finally harvesting them in ways that are accessible to anyone through exhibitions and our permanent collection. Under the premise that everyone is an expert in something, we expect citizens, artists, and museum staff to trade places as they engage in various creative activities. Therefore, we thought that two types of spaces would be necessary to facilitate activities where everyone can learn from each other and where these activities can become the catalyst for creating new works of art. The Giant Room has movable partitions and furniture to enable all kinds of activities to unfold and bring teaching and learning into the same space. It is juxtaposed by a group of private rooms, each with a dedicated function for exhibition or production, allowing for profound learning experiences and interdisciplinary exploration. We believe that the flexibility of these spaces is needed to create enriching opportunities for people to gather, meet, discover, perceive, think, and create.

Hachinohe Art Museum Architects NISHIZAWA Tezzo・ASACO Yoshihide・MORI Junpei

Architects

NISHIZAWA Tezzo

Born in 1974 in Kyoto, NISHIZAWA Tezzo received his master’s degree from the Department of Architecture, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts. He then worked for Jun Aoki & Associates, where he was in charge of projects that included the Louis Vuitton Ginza Matsuya store and the Aomori Museum of Art. He established Tezzo Nishizawa Architects in 2007. His major works include a redesign of the collection gallery of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo （2012） and the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art （2019）. Nishizawa has also designed many exhibition spaces, including Reading Cinema, Finding Words: Art after Marcel Broodthaers （2014） and Re: play 1972/2015 – Restaging “Expression in Film ’72” （2015） at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Kon Wajiro Retrospective （2009, Panasonic Shiodome Museum of Art, Aomori Museum of Art）, and Syncopation: Contemporary Encounters with the Modern Masters （2019, Pola Museum of Art）. His awards include the 2020 Kyoto Architecture Award, the 30th AACA Award, the 62nd Mainichi Arts Award, the JIA Grand Prix 2020, the AIJ Prize 2021 [Architectural Design Division], and the Japan Federation of Architects and Building Engineers Associations Architecture Award 2021.

ASACO Yoshihide

ASACO Yoshihide is an architect and editor born in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, in 1972. He established Takaban Studio in 2007 and founded Contectures （now Genron） with AZUMA Hiroki in 2010 before leaving the company in 2012. In 2021, he added a publishing arm to establish a new company, PRINT AND BUILD, and released the company’s inaugural book, Design Today: Contemporary Design Interviews, written by TSUCHIDA Takahiro. His architectural works include gray （2015）, and his essays include “Interior Design of Comme des Garçons,” featured in Shiso Chizu Beta Vol. 1 （2010）. He is also the co-author of What Rem Koolhaas Changed （2014）. Asaco specializes in urban research and design through the lens of commercial spaces, and he has supervised the planning of “Tokyo Interior Tour,” a study of urban storefronts, “Tokyo Design Ten,” an exhibition that looked at Tokyo in 10 years’ time from the viewpoint of design, and “The Future of Public Toilets,” an ongoing study of public spaces （2017 to present）.

MORI Junpei

Born in 1985 in Malaysia, MORI Junpei received his master’s degree from the Department of Architecture, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts.He has been considering time from an architectural perspective since he was a student and continues to pioneer projects that facilitate new stage designs, exhibitions, and community development. Since 2013, he has been based in Matsudo, Chiba, where he established the artist-in-residence PARADISE AIR to welcome artists from around the world to live and work in the city. He has worked with Tono Off Campus since 2015 and has served as an Assistant Professor of Architecture in the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Tokyo University of the Arts since 2017. He also serves as a designer and director at the Learning Center VIVA （since 2019）.

Architecture Data

Building Name

Hachinohe Art Museum

Address

10-4 Bancho, Hachinohe, Aomori

Site Area

6,732.14㎡

Building Area

3,082.21㎡

Total Floor Area

4,586.42㎡

Numbers of Stories

3 floors above ground

Topmost Height

19.12m

Structure

Steel Frame

Construction Period

Main Building	April 6, 2019 to December 28, 2020
Plaza	March 22, 2021 to September 18, 2021

Design and Supervision

Concept	NISHIZAWA Tezzo・ASACO Yoshihide・MORI Junpei
Architecture	Tezzo Nishizawa Architects and Takaban Studio Joint Design Venture
Structure	Ono JAPAN
Mechanical and Electrical	P.T.Morimura & Associates, LTD.
Signage	LABORATORIES
Furniture	Tezzo Nishizawa Architects and Takaban Studio Joint Design Venture
Curtain	Yoko Ando Design
Lighting Advisor	IIZUKA Chieri
Acoustic Advisor	MORI Junpei・MORI Ritsuko
Architectural Design and Construction Supervision of Main Building and Plaza	Tezzo Nishizawa Architects and Takaban Studio Joint Design Venture

Construction

Architecture	Konoike Construction, Tanabu Gumi and Tofuku Construction Special Construction Joint Venture
Electric Equipment	Yurtec Corporation and Mizoguchi Electric Specified Construction Special Construction Joint Venture
Mechanical Equipment	Dai-Dan, Sakamoto, Aoi Special Construction Joint Venture
Plaza	Hozumi Construction Co., Ltd.

Construction Cost

Main Building	Approximately 3.2 billion yen （excluding land cost）
Plaza	Approximately 210 million yen （excluding land cost）

Main room area

Room name	Area ( ㎡ )	Ceiling Height（mm）
Giant Room	834.16	17,630
White Cube	516.55	5,000
Black Cube	45.90	3,500
Collection Lab	101.48	3,500
Studio	108.00	9,770
Gallery 1, 2	215.46	3,700
Meeting Room 1, 2, 3	61.22	–
Workshop Room	62.63	–
Atelier	65.69	–
Tea Room	52.65	–
Multipurpose Room	93.16	–
Office	94.27	–
Museum Storage 1, 2	689.52	–
Temporary Storag	51.63	–

Hachinohe Art Museum: Shaping the Future of Hachinohe Together

About the Logo

The logo was inspired by the Giant Room, the centerpiece of the Hachinohe Art Museum. The concave curve represents the largescale of the room, with a large amount of white space above it. I have interpreted this empty canvas as the future of Hachinohe, held up by the symbol of the Giant Room as the foundation that supports it. This logo represents a blank slate, a symbol of how things created together by the people of Hachinohe in the Giant Room will become a continual source of inspiration to be drawn across the canvas of history asit unfolds. I hope that the Hachinohe Art Museum will become the bedrock from which Hachinohe’s potential for the future can grow.

About the Signage

At first glance, the large signage found throughout the Giant Room may not look like it belongs in a museum as it was designed referencing signage for large public spaces such as airports and train stations. The Giant Room is sure to be home to much excitement as people visit and interact with the museum, and its signage has been designed to be both functional and representative of the space.

Hachinohe Art Museum Graphic Designer KATO Kensaku（LABORATORIES）

Graphic Designer

KATO Kensaku（LABORATORIES）

Born in 1975, art director and graphic designer KATO Kensaku heads the design team LABORATORIES. In 1995, he completed the master’s program in visual communication design at Musashino Art University’s Graduate School of Art and Design. In 2013, he founded LABORATORIES, where he is involved in graphic design, book design, web design, and signage as both a designer and art director.

1986

The Hachinohe City Museum of Art opened in the Bancho neighborhood of central Hachinohe on November 21, 1986. The first art museum in Aomori Prefecture under the Museum Act, it was established as a branch of the Hachinohe City Museum and was housed in the former Hachinohe Tax Office, which was renovated to accommodate the art museum.

1986

Hachinohe City Museum of Art soon after opening（1986）

Exhibition space during “The Postwar Art Community of Hachinohe” （2016）

Over the next three decades, the museum hosted numerous exhibitions until its closure on April 2, 2017. The museum exhibited a wide range of art, including exhibitions that featured its permanent collection and those that introduced art from Japan and around the world. It strived to collect and preserve artifacts related to the local community, and by the time of its closure, had amassed a collection of approximately 3,000 works.

The museum also rented out galleries to local artists for solo and group exhibitions. Ever committed to educational activities, it held gallery talks and creative writing courses for children and adults alike.

Print Workshop for Nengajo New Year’s Cards（1997）

Parent-child finger painting（2006）

Nango Art Project（2015）

Hachinohe Factory University （Hachinohe Kojyo Daigaku）（2018）

With the opening of the Hachinohe Portal Museum hacchi in 2011, Hachinohe City began promoting community development through art. As part of this effort, the museum launched projects to rediscover the Hachinohe region through art, including the Nango Art Project （2011-2020） and the Hachinohe Factory University （Hachinohe Kojyo Daigaku）（2013-2020）.
During this time, management of the museum was transferred from the Board of Education to the jurisdiction of Hachinohe’s then Department of Community Development, Culture and Tourism in 2011, where it began to play a role in community development. As its activities diversified, the museum needed more space to accommodate its ever-expanding collection and exhibitions. Its longtime home in the former Tax Office building was also in need of seismic retrofitting. Then, in March 2015, a petition submitted by a citizens’ group calling for the construction of a new art museum was adopted by the Hachinohe City Assembly, clearly expressing a desire for an art museum with modern facilities that would better fit the city’s needs.

Review of Architectural Proposal（2017）

Presentation to Stakeholders by the Architect（2017）

Planning of the new museum began in earnest in April 2016. In addition to expanding the project site through joint development with the planning of the new Hachinohe branch of Aomori Bank, a core concept and vision for the museum were formulated. Following an open call for proposals, Tezzo Nishizawa Architects and Takaban Studio Joint Design Venture were selected to design the new building, and together with a panel of specialists and experts, progress was made on the construction of the new building, and together with a panel of specialists and experts, progress was made on the construction of the new building, which incorporated the opinions of many Hachinohe citizens, the very people who will use the museum.

Hachinohe Art Museum under construction（2020）

2021

On November 3, 2021, the museum was reborn as the Hachinohe Art Museum.

About the museum

Director

Architects

Architecture Data

About the Logo

About the Signage

Graphic Designer

1986

1986

2021