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Japanese art history books, and a collection of influential manga titles.
Statement of Need: Despite Japanese anime being a highly popularized form of art known and loved in the United States, there are no programs existing in universities that offer anime art classes. Traditional art classes often dissuade students from drawing in the anime art style. As a result, many artists specializing in anime have not been taken seriously, persuaded into being “anime-influenced illustrators,”—most dropping the association with anime altogether. With the anime industry becoming a multibillion dollar industry worldwide, anime is a prominent force renowned by the masses. Although known for its shows and merchandizing, anime is among the most important forms of artistic expression in modern Japanese culture, and now international environment (as recognized by the Japanese Ministry of Education in 2000). The anime art form has been in the American public eye for over 60 years, inspiring American anime artists, but has yet to be recognized as an art form warranting its own museum in the United States. Program Description: The Anime Art Museum was created with aspiring anime artists in mind. We want to create a space dedicated to anime art, namely the art of growing artists who may have no other outlet of exposure. We're creating an environment for anime artists to thrive and network among each other, nurturing their individual styles with the specific goal of improving, and showcasing anime artists who have already developed their signature style. As the first museum dedicated to anime art in the United States (even globally, outside of Japan), we're determined to reveal the artful variety in style and craftsmanship that is overshadowed by popular anime franchises. By showing that anime art is a visual and stylized interpretation of Japanese culture which has influenced international anime artists outside of Japan to explore different techniques in expressing and developing their own artistic style, we seek to give established anime artists exposure, and growing anime artists the guidance to improve. We will be creating opportunities for aspiring anime artists in the United States to publish and sell their works as well as take classes on the style, culture and the history. Being the only program that offers classes devoted to these studies, our program would receive national recognition, bringing art students not only nationwide but also worldwide to our museum to receive our certifications. Our goal is to raise awareness of a modern Japanese art form that has quickly gained popularity among American audiences since the 60s. Anime has grown to encompass many different varieties and styles, and American audiences are ready for a breakthrough museum dedicated to the art. Goals and Objectives: The Anime Art Museum will include a permanent collection, visiting artists’ and theme exhibits, anime library and café. In addition to these, our space will have classrooms for anime-centered workshops, lectures from visiting professors of the field, and documentary and influential anime film screenings. Furthermore, to serve our anime artists, we’ll provide an internship program, a publishing department, and showcase preparation and presentation. The following are the detailed plans for each department. Permanent Collection: Our permanent collection will include a timeline exhibit displaying the history and development of anime, donations from local and international anime artists, collection of original character designs and storyboard sketches used in the creation of renowned anime shows and video games, anime art used for advertisement in Japan (posters, company mascots and logos, etc.), vintage 1
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models and figurines, photo documentary exhibit of Akihabara (anime capitol of Japan), costume-play “cosplay” displays, a Hall of Fame celebrating famous anime artists such as Hayao Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon, and a display of anime creation work stations (desks, etc). The artwork selected for this collection will be reviewed by our AAM committee so that the art is always held to our standard, and rotated so that all pieces in our collection can gain equal exposure to the community. This permanent collection will become a familiar destination for locals and tourists, as it will inspire visiting artists, but also act as a comfortable location for locals to visit with family regularly while being able to learn and discuss the art with family members and friends. Visiting Artists’ and Theme Exhibits: The visiting artists’ exhibits will spotlight the works a specific artist or theme, ranging from local artists to international artists, and artists established in Japan. One exhibit in particular the AAM is excited to showcase is the work of young anime artists who have been teaching themselves the style independently. There are numerous anime artists starting out with no guidance and still meeting complex style standards, and teaching each other where no official teacher is present. Due to the fact that these exhibits would only be on display for a fixed amount of time, tourists would be inspired to come experience our museum, while also offering an assortment of calendar events for locals to look forward to enjoying with their loved ones. Anime Library and Café: The library and café section will be a relaxed environment where any member of the community can come and find something they can enjoy. Students, whether studying anime art or not, can study in a quiet place surrounded by a relaxing environment, while anime art students can gather and network with one another, sharing ideas and growing with one another. Residents can come visit our inviting location to reconnect with friends, family from out of town, grandchildren visiting grandparents, all able to experience our library and learn about anime art together. Business colleagues can hold conferences and other events in this space as well. The space will also be used for catering upon reservation. It will be stocked with art books (anime and traditional Japanese art), Japanese art history books, and a collection of influential manga titles. Anime-Centered Workshops: This feature of the museum will set apart the AAM from the rest, as there are little to no anime art classes available with an accreditation program for anime artists. The AAM would offer the following: Drawing Classes, where anime drawing techniques will be taught, incorporating figure drawing, still life and landscape, because as with any art, you must learn the rules in order to bend them into a style. Animation Technique Classes, following the drawing class, where the students will apply the skills they learned and practice computer coloring and animating techniques; Observing Japanese Culture through Anime: Accuracy and Misleads, a class that will discuss the most appealing part of Japanese Anime, the cultural depictions that have become a sensationalized image in mainstream American media; Speaking Japanese: Dos and Don'ts of Learning from Anime, a unique class that will observe the positive and negative effects of learning Japanese from anime—different from other language learning classes, this class will use dialogues from anime to teach native-like Japanese to Japanese learners, exploring common expressions versus over exaggerated ones and discussing how they are reflections of Japanese ideals and ways of thinking. These classes will not only pique the interest of aspiring anime artists, but also bring a brand new, enriching experience to our curious visitors. The classes will be open to all with no prior experience necessary, since it is our mission to make this information accessible and enjoyable to all. Lectures from Visiting Professors of the Field: There are many professors specializing in modern Japanese culture that have much to offer to the AAM. Since anime is such a vast art style, it is rich with Japanese culture. This is one of the 2
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most appealing aspects of anime—the window into a culture so very different from the one we experience in America. Visitors will have the chance to obtain a new insight into a culture that has been sensationalized and an art form that has yet to be taken seriously, an unforgettable experience to share as a community. Documentary and Influential Anime Film Screenings: There is no shortage of documentaries on the anime culture that exists today. True Otaku: The Documentary (2011), Manga Mad - Tokyo Otaku (2008), OTAKU (French with English Subtitles, 1994), and "Kingdom of Dreams & Madness" (2013) will be debuting in our film screening room open to the public. We are also looking into making live film screenings viewable online, making these watching experiences available to viewers nationwide. The purpose of these film screenings will be to make the culture and learning material of what we offer at the AAM easily accessible and understandable to all audiences. These films will act both as introductory information as well as offer further details to those who have already been exposed. Film nights will be a pleasant, leisure activity during the evening, accompanied by hor d’ourves to enjoy during the film and casually indulge in afterwards as well. Internships for Aspiring Anime Artists: As an anime artist myself (self taught for seventeen years), I knew that there were no opportunities for me to study and grow as an anime artist. I have taken any available art classes and comic classes, none of which could help me thrive as an anime artist. This is the reason I am so passionate about starting this museum. A quick look at online art communities such as deviantArt (deviantart.com) and Tumblr (tumblr.com/tagged/anime-artist) can reveal the incredible amount of anime artists reaching out for a community where their art style is taken seriously. Our program will be the first to offer internships, specialized classes, and university credits for major coursework. These courses are open to all who are interested, our hope being that not only anime artists will enroll, but also those who may be interested in learning a new art style. Printing and Publishing Opportunity for Anime Artists: While there are companies that produce translated manga and anime imported from Japan, there are few opportunities for American anime artists to publish their own works. Our program will make publishing accessible to anime artists, providing a network of published anime artists who can thrive in their own country. Our vision is to print original manga (Japanese comics, in other words, anime comics) created by international artists outside of Japan in 10” x 13” booklets, this large size allowing readers to focus on and appreciate the artful side of anime as well the story. Showcase Preparation and Presentation: In order to offer the best services to our artists, the AAM will offer “showcase preparation and presentation,” which will provide the artists’ work with framing for protection purposes. We will work with the artists to bring to life their vision of their work on display in the AAM.
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