On November 30th, the Taichung Art Museum concluded its 2024 talk series “Conversations before an Art Museum Opening” with the final event at Zero Space, a venue constructed by Leo Construction. The final talk was delivered by Washida Meruro, director of the Towada Art Center in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Under the theme “A Two-Way Approach to Connecting the Art Museum and the City,” he shared insights into how art museums can foster connections with citizens, as well as his experience in setting up the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. The event saw enthusiastic participation, with over a hundred attendees.

Director Washida Meruro of the Towada Art Center shared that since 2000, Japanese art museums have increasingly focused on regional revitalization. The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and the Towada Art Center, designed by SANAA and architect Ryue Nishizawa, respectively, are committed to fostering stronger connections between contemporary art and the public. The Towada Art Center, as the core facility of Towada's urban art project “Arts Towada,” integrates art into the community by featuring large-scale outdoor public art and collaborating with local businesses, breaking the boundaries between art venues and the community, thus revitalizing urban development. Director Washida also mentioned his role as a curator during the construction of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, where he helped shape the museum's planning and operational strategies, creating a dynamic interplay between the museum's indoor and outdoor spaces, the artworks, and the local residents to form a new relationship between art, the public, and the urban environment.

Director Chen Jia-jun of the Cultural Affairs Bureau noted that the Taichung Green Museumbrary is expected to open by the end of next year. The Taichung Art Museum has embraced the spirit of “Starting from programming” by organizing a series of talks and other events this year to strengthen its connection with the city. In the future, the Taichung Art Museum will serve as a key site for fostering Taichung's aesthetic initiatives. It also aims to take the museum as a starting point to explore new relationships between urban life, art culture, and the ecological environment with the public, creating a new urban landmark that combines both international perspectives and local culture.

Lai Yi-Hsin, Director of the Taichung Art Museum, added that the talk invited Director Washida to share his insights on how art museums can form new connections with cities. Washida, who has curated exhibitions at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and the Japanese Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, has also been leading the Towada Art Center's efforts to engage with its community since 2020 through various art projects. These experiences offer valuable perspectives for the future growth of the Taichung Art Museum. Situated in the Taichung Green Museumbrary, which combines the elements of a museum and a library, the Taichung Art Museum will be committed to creating a space for dialogue between art museums, citizens, and the environment through interdisciplinary art programs.