The Museum Experience in the Environment of the Japanese Collections Jungwon Lee

Florida State University Libraries

Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School

2010 The Museum Experience in the Environment of the Japanese Collections Jungwon Lee

Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF VISUAL ARTS, THEATRE AND DANCE

THE MUSEUM EXPERIENCE IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE JAPANESE

COLLECTIONS

JUNGWON LEE

A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Art Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2010

The members of the committee approve the dissertation of Jungwon Lee defended on April 27, 2010.

______Pat Villeneuve Professor Directing Dissertation

______Eric Wiedegreen University Representative

______Tom Anderson Committee Member

______Dave Gussak Committee Member

Approved:

______Dave Gussak, Chair, Department of Art Education

______Sally E. McRorie, Dean, College of Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance

The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members.

I am because you are.

Dedicated to:

My Parents Sungsoo Lee and Eunhee Park Your unyielding support, sacrifice, and trust have taught me to believe that anything is possible. Father and Mother, thank you, and I love you.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Life can be like a box of chocolates. One never knows what one will get. When faced with

circumstances and problems that I did not expect in the course of this dissertation, the precious

advice and trust of my parents guided me and helped me to keep going and finish this massive

undertaking. My mother, who is my mentor as well as my best friend, gave me endless love and passed on her wisdom about life. My father, who never doubted that I could do anything I believed in, encouraged me to focus on my work without any concerns throughout my schooling.

I extend my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Pat Villeneuve, for offering essential guidance through coursework and this constructive process of writing the dissertation. Her warm support, important advice, and words of encouragements enabled me to constantly focus on my dissertation. I also would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee: Tom

Anderson, David Gussak, and Eric Wiedegreen. Tom Anderson helped me to be aware of insights about art criticism, and David Gussak provided me with the philosophical foundations for my study. I also would like to thank Jayme Harpring, who edited my dissertation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ...... ix

1. INTRODUCTION

Introduction ...... 1 Statement of the Problem ...... 1 Purpose of the Study ...... 2 Research Question ...... 3 Background to the Study ...... 3 The Museum Environment ...... 3 Conceptual Frameworks ...... 3 Constructivism ...... 4 Museum as Cultural Landscape ...... 4 Interactive Experience Model ...... 4 Research Design ...... 5 Research Sites ...... 5 Methodology ...... 5 Data Analysis ...... 6 Justification for the Study ...... 6 Assumptions ...... 7 Researcher’s Background and Interest ...... 7 Definition of Terms ...... 9 Conclusion ...... 10

2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Introduction ...... 11 The Concept of Museum Architecture ...... 11 Architecture as the museum ...... 11 The Phenomenology of Architecture ...... 11 Japanese Museums ...... 13 Museum Education ...... 15 Meaning Making by Museum Visitors ...... 15 Museum Visitors, Learning, and Experience ...... 16

The Physical Environment of the Museum ...... 20 Museum Exhibitions ...... 23 Conclusion ...... 25

3. METHODOLOGY

Introduction ...... 26 Research Question and Overview ...... 26 Research Design...... 28 Theoretical Underpinnings...... 28 Study Sample ...... 29 Selected Museums ...... 29 Observations ...... 32 Interview Respondents ...... 32 The Interview Protocol ...... 34 Data Collection Procedures ...... 35 Data Collection ...... 35 Data Analysis ...... 36 Coding ...... 37 Example of Coding and Data Analysis: The Norton Museum of Art ...... 37 Conclusion ...... 39

4. PRESENTATION OF DATA: THE MORIKAMI MUSEUM

Introduction ...... 40 Analysis of the Morikami Museum ...... 40 Floor Plan ...... 40 Immersion and Response ...... 40 Categories of Experience ...... 42 Description ...... 45 Observation ...... 45 Seishin-an gallery...... 45 Art gallery ...... 46 Gardens ...... 48 The Yamato-Kan museum ...... 53 Contextual Information ...... 57

Observation ...... 57 Seishin-an gallery...... 57 Art gallery ...... 57 Gardens ...... 59 The Yamato-Kan museum ...... 59 Interviews ...... 61 Interpretation ...... 71 Summary of Findings ...... 72 Conclusion ...... 74

5. PRESENTATION OF DATA: THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Introduction ...... 75 Analysis of the Japanese Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art ...... 75 Floor Plan ...... 75 Immersion and Response ...... 75 Categories of Experience ...... 79 Description ...... 81 Observation ...... 81 Contextual Information ...... 85 Observation ...... 85 Interviews ...... 89 Interpretation ...... 94 Summary of Findings ...... 96 Conclusion ...... 98

6. EVALUATION, DISCUSSION, AND CONCLUSIONS

Introduction ...... 99 Evaluation ...... 99 The Morikami Museum ...... 99 Environmental features and viewers’ experiences ...... 100 The Metropolitan Museum of Art ...... 102 Environmental features and viewers’ experiences ...... 102 Comparison of the Two Museum Environments ...... 103

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Similarities ...... 104 Differences ...... 106 Conclusions ...... 110 Implications for Practice ...... 112 Further Research ...... 112

7. APPENDICES

A. Field Notes: Observation at the Morikami Museum ...... 114 B. Field Notes: Observation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art...... 130 C. Interviews at the Morikami Museum ...... 142 D. Interviews at the Metropolitan Museum of Art ...... 155 E. Figures ...... 166 F. IRB Approval and Consent Forms ...... 191

8. REFERENCES ...... 196

9. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ...... 204

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ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine how viewers experienced the museum

environments of two different Japanese collections, and to explore how these physical

environments affected visitor meaning making. The two museum environments selected for the

study were the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach, Florida and the Metropolitan Museum of Art

in New York City. A phenomenological research methodology using qualitative data-gathering

techniques and analysis was employed. Data-gathering involved the observation and description

of the museum environments housing the Japanese collections, the observation of visitor

behavior, including conversations, at the two research sites, and in-depth interviews with visitors.

The analysis of the data revealed that, despite the differences between the two museum

environments, most visitors aged 45 to 65 were engaged by the exhibitions at both museums and

were able to largely satisfy their keen interest in Japanese art and culture. In addition, most had begun to develop their interest in Japanese art and culture prior to their visit, and incorporated their personal experiences, past memories, personal affection, and familiarity into their personal meaning making in these museum contexts. Features of the museum environments that enhance or detract from the visitors’ meaning making were identified.

The proposed study provides a model for the phenomenological examination of personal meaning making in museums. It is hoped that this study will encourage museum educators, curators, designers, and directors to reconsider museum exhibitions and physical environments in order to facilitate the process of making meaning by visitors.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

This chapter contains an overview of the proposed study, including a statement of the

problem under study, the purpose of the study, and the research question to be addressed. In

addition, a background to the study is provided, and the research design is described, as well as a justification for the study and research assumptions. Finally, the chapter concludes with the

researcher’s background and interests, and a definition of important terms. Statement of the Problem

The reasons visitors go to museums can be organized into three broad categories: (1)

social-recreational reasons; (2) educational reasons; and (3) reverential reasons (Graburn, 1977;

Falk & Dierking, 1992). Museums, then, serve the public in a wide variety of ways, as exhibition

places for art and artifacts and, at the same time, as venues for social and educational events.

Nevertheless, as Eisner and Dobbs (1988) have noted, many museums are culturally rich and

pedagogically poor, as evidenced by the tendency of most visitors to reject the docent tour, refuse

the audio-guide, and leave the catalogue unread at museums. Because most museum visitors

choose to be on their own, the role of the physical environment is important in helping visitors

create meaningful experiences for themselves. Understanding of the role of the museum

environment in the meaning-making of the visitor is crucial, then, in facilitating good outcomes

for visitors to museums.

Falk and Dierking (2000) have suggested that the experiences of museum visitors vary

from individual to individual. To what extent visitors learn in the museum is shaped by three

contexts, the personal context, the social context, and the physical context, and the integration

and interaction of these three. In addition, Falk and Dierking have stressed that the individual’s

free-choice is a major factor in learning by visitors in a museum. They have emphasized that the

physical setting is a major factor in learning by visitors, since individual learning depends on the visitor’s ability to “frame prior experience within the context of their physical setting” (p. 54).

If learning is “situated” within a physical context, then, it is very much influenced by “the awareness of a place” (p. 65). In a museum, this “place” is the entire environment of the museum: its architecture, gardens, outdoor sculptures, signage and labels, accessibility to viewers, and so on. For purposes of this study, I propose that the environment of a museum functions as an important factor in the experience of viewers, as it communicates particular

messages and meanings to viewers as a part of their living environment. Purpose of the Study

Given the individual nature of learning in museums, the purpose of this study was to

examine how viewers experienced the museum environments of two different Japanese

collections, and to explore how the museum environments of the Japanese collections at the two

selected museums contributed to the viewers’ experiences. The aspects of the museum environments that will be addressed in this dissertation include the building structure, outdoor

sculptures, gardens, signage, labels, and placement of the works. The two museum environments

selected for the study are the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach, Florida and the Metropolitan

Museum of Art in New York City.

In addition to contributing to research on the relationship between the museum

environment and the experiences of museum visitors, the proposed study will: (1) provide

information on the public’s perception of the museum environments of the two selected Japanese

collections; (2) provide a model of for the phenomenological examination of personal experience

in museums; (3) establish a foundation for U.S. art museum educators and art teachers to

introduce and integrate environmental aspects of museums in their educational programs; and (4)

encourage museum educators, curators, designers, and directors to reconsider museum

exhibitions and physical environments in order to facilitate the process of making meaning by

visitors to museums. Research Question

The overarching question for this study involves whether and how the museum

environments of the Japanese collections at the two selected museums impacted the visitors’ experiences. The research question is stated as follows: How are viewers’ experiences of the

Japanese collections shaped by the museum environment? Background to the Study The Museum Environment A great deal of research about museum education and museum exhibitions has examined

the roles museums play in the lives of their visitors. (Chang, 2006; Csikszentmihalyi &

Hermanson, 1999; Falk & Dierking, 1992; Hein, 1998; Hennes, 2002; Henry, 2000; Hooper-

Greenhill, 1994b; Pekarik, 2004). This research mainly has considered the experiences of

museum visitors in relation to museum artifacts or objects, however, rather than in relation to the

environment in which museum artifacts are located, particularly in art museum settings.

Eisner and Dobbs (1988) have argued that a museum should make its works

“aesthetically accessible” (p. 11). They discussed two possible methods for accomplishing this

goal: (1) display collections adjacent to one another to facilitate comparisons and contrasts, and

(2) provide texts that explain such comparisons and contrasts, as well as offer comments that

point visitors to the unique features of a collection. Making the aesthetic features of museum

exhibitions more accessible to visitors in this way can greatly enhance their personal experiences

in the museum. Conceptual Frameworks The conceptual frameworks for my research include constructivism (Schunk, 2007), the

concept of “cultural landscape” (Norberg-Shulz, 1976, p. 417), and the Interactive Experience

Model (Falk & Dierking, 1992, p. 5). (see Figure 1)

Constructivism. Constructivists suggest that knowledge and meaning are

contextually constructed by individuals within a cultural environment. In the field of education,

the assumption of constructivism is that people are active learners who construct their own

knowledge (Schunk, 2007). Brooks and Brooks (1999) have suggested that learning occurs when

people understand themselves, their relationships, and their relative places in the world.

Meaning-making is regarded as a complex process, then, in which people constantly change their

internally constructed understandings of how the world functions. Because this study is grounded

in constructivism, it considered the multiple realities constructed by people and their interactions

with others (Patton, 2002).

Museum as cultural landscape. Because individuals may not only be aesthetically

pleased by architecture as a form of art, but also construct meaning from architecture, it serves as

a “cultural landscape” (Norberg-Shulz, 1976, p. 417). In this study, I adopted this concept of

architecture as a “cultural landscape” and applied this idea to the museum environments where I

conduct my research. Thus, I analyzed the selected museum environments in which the Japanese

collections are housed in terms of this “cultural landscape.”

Interactive Experience Model. Third, I used the Interactive-Experience Model

(Falk & Dierking, 1992, p. 5) to examine visitors’ experiences of the museum environments for

the Japanese collections. This model is based on the idea that visitors first perceive the world

through their own personal, individual contexts. Then visitors create a social context in which

they share these personal contexts with others. Visitors can be also attracted by particular objects,

individuals, or thoughts within the physical context. Therefore, any one of the three contexts –

personal, social, physical – can influence the visitor, and visitor experiences can be seen as a

continually shifting interaction among these personal, social, and physical contexts. While remaining aware of all these contexts, I focused on the interaction of the visitor with the physical context in order to examine this relationship within the museum environment. Research Design

The overarching purpose of this research is to examine how viewers experience the museum environments of two different Japanese collections, that is, how these environments contribute viewers’ experiences. I have selected two research sites for this purpose: the Morikami

Museum and Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New

York. Research Sites The Morikami Museum is a private museum in Delray Beach, Florida that features

Japanese architecture and Japanese-style gardens (The Morikami, About Us, para. 2). The

Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is one of the largest museums in the world, reflecting classical Western culture (Welch, n.d.). Although both museums exhibit Japanese collections, the physical environments, contents of the exhibitions, and arrangements of the art and artifacts differ significantly in each. I speculate in this study that the individual experiences of the visitors to each of these Japanese exhibitions differ accordingly. Methodology I used a phenomenological qualitative research method in order to seek in-depth, contextual, and holistic data. I conducted my field research along three lines: (1) observation and description of the museum environment and the art; (2) observation of visitors’ behaviors and conversations in the environment; and (3) in-depth interviews with visitors.

First, I observed and described the physical environments and my impressions of the

Japanese collections at the Morikami Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In so doing,

I investigated a range of physical factors, including the building structure, sculptures, garden, 5

signage, and labels. Secondly, I observed the visitors’ behaviors and conversations in the

environment at the two museums. Finally, I collected data on visitors’ personal experiences of

the museum environment and Japanese collections through in-depth interviews. Data Analysis After conducting the fieldwork described above, I critically examined the perceptions of

visitors to the Japanese collections by analyzing the data gathered through observation and

interviews. I used supplemental documents from each of the museums in this process. Lastly, I

interpreted whether meaning-making by visitors is influenced by the differences in the two museum environments under study. Justification for the Study

There are two primary reasons to justify the proposed research problem: (1) this will give an opportunity to examine the role of the museum environment for the Japanese collections and

its relationship with the visitors; and (2) this will lead to the further understanding of the visitors’

experience of the Japanese collections at the two different types of the museums.

Understanding how the museum environments give impacts to the visitors and their

experiences through the Japanese collections at the two museums is critical. In contributing to

the research efforts on the relationship between the public and the environment of the Japanese

collections, again, the proposed study will also (1) serve to provide information on the public’s

perception of the environment of the Japanese collections and its phenomenological contribution

to the personal experience; and (2) establish a foundation for U.S. art museum educators and art

teachers in their introduction and integration of various cultural and environmental aspects of

museums in their educational programs; and (3) will encourage museum educators, curators,

designers, and directors to reconsider museum’s exhibitions and physical environments in order

to increase visitor’s experiences and enhance the process of making meaning during the museum

visits. The result of this study may have implications for the art educators’ future plans for effective museum exhibitions, making them consider museum visitors’ experiences. Assumptions

The basic assumptions for this study are that Japanese museums and Japanese collections

in the U.S. are part of the cultural environment in the U.S. and the environments of the Japanese

museums and collections affect and deliver a certain message to visitors. Based on these

assumptions, I expect to find what different meanings visitors make in the physical environments of two different museums.

Further, I assume that the two museums, which I carefully chose for this research, deliberately organize and situate their artifacts in an environment for certain purposes, including educational purposes as well as other aesthetic and economic purposes. In addition, I emphasize that the selected museum environments for the Japanese collections are practically designed for those purposes. Researcher’s Background and Interest

I will introduce my research background and interests in order to provide some insight into the reason I chose this topic, and into the personal perspectives and biases that I bring to this study. I have studied and researched Japanese culture and history since I was a graduate student in the History Department at Korea’s Sogang University, where I became highly interested in

Japanese art, culture, and history. After graduation, I entered the Department of Art History at the

Florida State University (FSU) and concentrated on the study of Japanese art, culture, and history.

After earning an M.A. in Art History at FSU, I became highly interested in museum education and exhibition projects. I decided to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Art Education from the Department of Art Education at FSU, and while completing my doctoral coursework I conducted research at various museums in the U.S. It was while conducting this research that I came upon the topic for

this study.

While conducting research at the Art Institute of Chicago in February 2009, I spent time

observing the Korean and Japanese ceramic galleries. I noticed that the Korean and Japanese

ceramics were displayed together in the same collection there. In contrast with the Chinese ceramic gallery, no one really engaged with the Korean and Japanese ceramics collection. While

standing in front of this exhibit, I observed people passing it by with obvious disinterest in these collections. I overheard a conversation between two students who said, “These are Chinese ceramics again,” and “It all looks the same, and I have no idea what these are made for.” After that, they passed the Korean and Japanese artifacts and left this gallery. Soon I observed two seniors enter the room, who said, “They are all Chinese ceramics,” and “It’s a huge collection of

Chinese ceramics.” These comments made it clear that none of these visitors had paid attention to the descriptions on the wall next to this small collection of Korean and Japanese ceramics.

As I continued to watch, I could see that these visitors were more excited about viewing

the three-color Chinese ceramics than the Korean and Japanese porcelains, and that they could

not distinguish the Korean and Japanese ceramics from the Chinese. For me, however, they

looked completely different in terms of clay, colors, patterns, and shapes. Though I guessed that

the lack of specific interest in the details of Asian ceramics might have come from the

educational and cultural differences between me and these visitors, I also felt that the differences

of sizes, labels, and signage in the display environments of the collections had a good deal to do

with their response to the Korean and Japanese ceramics. After this research experience at the

Art Institute of Chicago, I continued to wonder how the collection environments of Japanese

collections influence the perceptions of U.S. visitors.

My interest in Japanese art and culture has led me to visit Japan eight times over the past

five years. Most of my travels were to visit various Japanese museums and historic sites,

including palaces and temples. In Tokyo, for example, I visited many magnificent museums,

such as the Ukiyo-e Ota Memorial Museum of Art, the Tokyo National Museum, and the

National Museum of Western Art, all of which own a wide variety of art and artifacts that

enabled me to immerse myself in Japanese art, culture, and history. These trips provided me with

precious learning experiences on Japanese art and culture.

Artworks reflect the understanding of a people and their values, and art criticism allows us

to understand our existence at a deep level (Anderson & Milbrandt, 2005). They have stressed that art criticism is an examination of artworks in order to discover what they tell us about being human. They have asserted that critics should constantly seek to find connections between description, interpretation, and evaluation. Criticism is best conducted by those who are immersed, embedded, or familiar with the cultural foundations of that which is criticized.

Given my long-term scholarly interest in Japanese art and culture, I feel I am qualified to

examine the museum environments of Japanese collections and the visitors’ individual

experiences of them. Definition of Terms

Japanese collection: The Japanese artifacts and cultural objects a museum holds, including

Japanese garden and Japanese outdoor sculpture.

Meaning-making: Meaning making is regarded as a complex process that people constantly

change their internally constructed understandings of how the world functions (Brooks, M. &

Brooks, J., 1999).

Museum environment: For the purposes of this study, museum environment contains three

major parts: the building itself, interiors, and exteriors. Specifically, it includes five components:

building structure, sculptures, garden, signage, and labels.

Physical content: Physical content includes the location of exhibition, the size of the museum,

the museum setting, the museum objects, labels, and all external museum environments (Falk &

Dierking, 1992).

Role of the museum: Hornsby (2007) suggested that the traditional role of museums has changed and taking on various social and educational functions that extend their mission beyond the preserving, researching, and exhibiting their collections. The shaping interactions with visitors and meaningful learning experiences for them became new challenges for the museum.

Redefining of the representations and the interpretation have led the museums on a more visitor- oriented approach: (1) The representations embrace multiple readings, personal insights, cultural learning contexts, and social practices with artworks; (2) The interpretation reflects and represent new ideas of interactions with visitors and recognition of diverse audience responses. Conclusion

This research explored the perceptions of visitors to the Japanese collections of two different museums in order to explore the influence of the peripheral museum environment on the visitors’ personal meaning making. Through on-site observation and in-depth interviews, I collected data related to visitor experiences at the Japanese collections of the two museums, and critically analyze it using qualitative methods. This research will contribute to an understanding of the role of physical environments in learning by museum visitors.

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Introduction

This chapter contains a review of the literature on concepts related to museum architecture,

the history and practices of Japanese museums, and specific issues in museum education, particularly the nature of the museum visitor’s experience and efforts to maximize this experience. The Concept of Museum Architecture Architecture as the museum Giebelhausen (2006) traced the history of museum architecture and concluded that

architecture is the museum, such that “it is precisely the architectural configuration that gives the

museum meaning” (p. 42). Giebelhausen’s assertion is based on the notion that the highly

symbolic architectural configuration of a museum actually defines it. She has maintained that

historical examples of changes in museum architecture, and the symbolic meanings of these

changes, reflect shifts in larger social paradigms. She asserted that the museum is a highly

symbolic building type that represents collections and the institution as sacred, modern, utopian,

and educational. Most important for purposes of this study, Giebelhausen has asserted that

museum architecture frames exhibitions and shapes the experiences of visitors. Although she did

not specifically deal with how the museum architecture influences viewers, I will adopt her

concept of museum architecture as a part of the museum environment. The Phenomenology of Architecture The literature on a phenomenological approach to architecture is helpful in analyzing the

constructive relationship between the museum environment and the viewers. I will briefly refer

to concepts in phenomenology as they apply to my choice of research settings.

Norberg-Shulz (1976) discussed the phenomenology of the daily environment and made 11

a connection with architecture. He emphasized the “phenomenology of architecture” (p. 415) in order to define the natural forms of a place. According to Norberg-Shulz, architecture is a “man- made [sic] part of the environment” that transforms nature into a “cultural landscape” ( p. 417).

Norberg-Shulz interpreted Heidegger’s concept of “dwelling poetically” as the art of building and introduced the idea that the ultimate goal of architecture is to let people “dwell poetically” (p.

437). From the perspective of Heidegger, a work of art does not represent something; rather, it presents itself as “truth,” and architecture “preserves truth” (p. 431) as well. In this sense, our everyday world consists of “concrete things” (p. 432) rather than the abstractions of science and mathematics. Similarly, architecture does not only exist for a functional purpose, but also exists for life and for its own sake.

Heidegger regarded a building as an “inhabited landscape” and a “lived space” (Norberg-

Shulz, 1983, p. 435). He asserted that we should see buildings as places that are embodied by means of sculptural forms. In his world, a building embodies a place between earth and sky by

“means of sculptural form” (p. 435). Norberg-Shulz’ ideas about architecture have helped us view landscape architecture and architecture as forms of art. I will apply the concept of

“architecture as a form of art” to my dissertation for the purpose of describing the Japanese museum environment.

Pallasmaa (1986) suggested that architecture is a form of free artistic expression that can influence the feeling of the viewer. In addition, he suggested that architecture gains meaning through the personal experience of the viewer. From Pallasmaa’s viewpoint, the phenomenology of architecture is about “pure looking at” architecture or “viewing its essence” (p. 450) within the consciousness experiencing of it. He noted that “the phenomenology of the building seeks the inner language of building,” (p. 450) and the most important architectural experience is the uniqueness of a place.

Winters (2007) considered architecture to be a kind of public art, and suggested that people learn about their lives from architecture, as our values and beliefs as a culture are embedded in it.

According to Winters, architecture has the potential to embrace a multicultural society by uniting different communities into one. Carlson (2007) suggested that human environments are

“deliberately shaped” and “designed” with aesthetic considerations, known as the “designer

landscape approach” (p. 47). He asserted that the aesthetics of the human environment are

closely associated with the aesthetics of art, since human environments are deliberately chosen

and designed just as works of art are. While acknowledging that architecture differs from other

forms of art in that it is overtly functional, and functionally and structurally connected with other

buildings, Carlson maintained that architecture is intrinsically connected to a people and culture,

and he adopts an ecological approach to the aesthetics of the human environment in such a way

as to reduce the gap between art and architecture.

The phenomenology of architecture and the aesthetics of architecture are crucial in

providing new insights into architecture. In my study, I will adopt the idea of the human

environment as a cultural landscape and examine the constant interaction between the museum

environment and the way it is experienced. Japanese Museums

Not much research has been conducted on Japanese museums in the United States and

their relationships with local visitors, although there are many Japanese collections and several

Japanese museums in the United States. The study of Japanese museums has mostly focused on

imperial museums, history museums, and folk museums in Japan.

Tseng (2004) examined the representation of Japanese culture in Japanese imperial

museums between 1872-1909 and saw it as heavily affected by Western ideas. She analyzed the

original circumstances and terms of the Japanese engagement with contemporary Western

exhibition practices and described the “construction of self-imagery” (p. 7) of unique Japanese

museums. She focused only on the socio-political environment over time and on historical events, however, and did not explore the original role and function of Japanese imperial museums.

Hashimoto (1998) reviewed the history of Japan’s National Museum of Japanese History and

examined the philosophy and practices underlying the exhibits on Japanese history and culture

now there, identifying several problems with this museum.

Although modern exhibitions should reflect the history of Japanese daily life from a modern point of view, the museum fails to provide this popular-history perspective. Further,

Hashimoto argued that the exhibitions are too ambiguous, and nowhere discuss the history of

ethnic minorities living in Japan. Finally, Hashimoto found that the museum demonstrates the

problematic ideology of Japanese folklore studies. He suggested that the museum should

embrace the ideals of “easily understood displays” and “enjoyable exhibits” for its visitors by

employing new methods for presenting Japanese history and culture.

Konishi (1987) investigated problems in Japanese museums and Japanese studies, and

made a connection between the two fields. According to Konishi, Japanese people can learn more about themselves and their history if Japanese studies work in conjunction with Japanese museums. Konishi did not explain which specific fields of Japanese studies should be connected

with Japanese museums, however. He only argued that Japanese studies have been regarded as

dry and abstract academic efforts by Japanese scholars, the meaning of which can become more

concrete as realized by Japanese museums. It should be noted that Konishi discussed his ideas in

reference to old and new Japanese folk museums and referred only briefly to other kinds of

museums. Museum Education

Researchers have explored meaning-making by visitors to museum exhibitions. Although

no literature has specifically addressed the relationship between visitors and Japanese museum environments, a great deal of research on museum education defines the museum as a learning

space, and this concept can be broadly applied to the peripheral environments of museums. Meaning Making by Museum Visitors Silverman (1995) argued that the concept of meaning making provides a new approach to

understanding museum visitors’ experiences. She noted that visitors “make meaning” through

memory and past experience. In order to make connections between the museum and visitors’

experiences, she proposed that researchers look at three particular realms of experience: (1)

special knowledge, (2) expectation and norms, and (3) life events and situations. She also

mentioned that the nature of the museum visit itself and visitors’ needs influence the memories

visitors will hold of their visits.

According to Silverman (1995), the three major influences on visitors’ meaning-making

process in the museum are: (1) self-identity, (2) companions, and (3) leisure motivations and

benefits. At first, a visitor’s own sense of self and the desire to affirm and express it contribute to

the meaning making process, as visitors actively respond to objects and exhibitions. In addition, companions can greatly affect a visitor’s shape of knowledge and experience, since visitors can

learn new things through a companion’s past experiences, background, and knowledge. Finally, a

museum visit is a leisure activity and visitors found their motivations of their visitation,

facilitating a different context for meaning making in the museum. Thus, Silverman asserted, all

meaning in the museum is subjective and personal.

Worts (1995) offered a conceptual model of museum experience, emphasizing that the

individual’s personal experiences occur during interactions with objects, people, and places. He

maintained that five processes of interaction exist as the individual interacts with the world: (1)

cognition, (2) emotion, (3) imagination, (4) intuition, and (5) physical interaction. Worts stressed

that each museum emphasizes a certain type of meaning-making process with museum objects,

and that museums should encourage people to experience objects using all five processes. Museum Visitors, Learning, and Experience

Falk and Dierking (1992) developed the Interactive Experience Model (see Figure 1) as a research framework for examining museum visitors’ experiences. They examined a multiplicity of visitors and museum types, trying to understand why visitors go to museums, what they do there, and what they remember. Their studies led them to contextualized the museum visit within three contexts: the personal context, the social context, and the physical context. The personal context includes the visitors’ interests, motivations, and concerns, and these characteristics facilitate individual appreciations, enjoyments, and experiences (Falk & Dierking, 1992).

Visiting museums happens within a social context, and every visitor is strongly influenced by social context. The physical context includes the architecture itself, visitors’ feelings of the architecture, and exhibitions. Visitors’ behavior, their observations, and what they remember are strongly influenced by the physical context. Each of the contexts is constructed by the visitors and their interactive experiences.

As such, the visitor’s museum experience is the sum of their constructed personal, social, and physical contexts. Falk and Dierking also suggested that the physical and social contexts are extremely important to visitor’s museum experience. The location of an exhibition can influence visitor behaviors, and the size of a museum affects visitor behavior. According to their research, visitors to smaller museums spend more time looking at exhibitions than do visitors to large museums. The visitor’s perception of a setting, especially a novel setting, also influences their behaviors.

Falk and Dierking (2000) later examined the education programs of museums in terms of facilitating learning. They made an effort to bring together the thoughts and findings of a diverse

set of investigators from various fields, but they approached museums as public institutions for individual learning. Their research findings suggested that when visitors interacted with exactly

the same exhibition elements, different learning resulted depending upon the arrangement with

which they interacted. Csikszentmihalyi and Hermanson (1999) emphasized that museums need

contextual stimuli as the “hook” that captures a visitor’s attention. Viewers attend exhibitions

with characteristics that evoke situational interest or curiosity, and such interest is associated

with learning and experience. Csikszentmihalyi and Hermanson also suggested that if museums

can produce the “flow” experience, visitors’ initial curiosity and interest will grow into a more

extensive learning interaction. The “flow” experience occurs when opportunities for action in a

situation are in balance with a person’s abilities. Thus, successful exhibitions facilitate this flow

by offering opportunities for the involvement of visitors and asking visitors to commit

themselves to making guesses, evaluating, and responding.

Hooper-Greenhill (1994b) has discussed the museum in terms of its function as a medium for communication, and suggested that museums need to become more open, more democratic, more responsive, and more professional. The museum must be integrated with the functions for collections, and the knowledge of collections reflects a close connection with the museum audience. Hooper-Greenhill also explored the development of the museum’s communication function by looking at its educational role. She also reviewed research on museum visitors and made distinctions between types of users of museums.

In addition, Hooper-Greenhill (1994b) emphasized that museums and galleries provide rich learning environments with enactive and iconic involvement. New approaches to displays enable museums to enhance the learning opportunities for museum visitors. She regarded the structure of aesthetic experience as similar to the structure of Csikszentmihalyi’s “flow” experiences, in that they refer to a feeling of deep involvement and effortless progression

(Hooper-Greenhill, 1994b). Museums and galleries should seek to provide such “flow” experiences for their visitors. According to Hooper-Greenhill, “flow” experiences are possible for all ages and do not necessarily have to involve an aesthetic experience. What museums can do to encourage “flow” is to enable visitors to investigate museum objects and pique their interests; then, the visitors will know how to respond, and feel enriched by the museum environment.

Visitors find information easier to understand and pay more attention when exhibitions are related to their personal experiences. The relation between new information and long-term memory is crucial for understanding how to make meaningful links for museum visitors. New knowledge can be more fully assimilated when a link exists to connect it with existing knowledge.

Falk and Dierking (2002) also discussed the “flow” experience in the museum. They suggested that successful free-choice learning experiences enable flow to occur more readily.

Good exhibitions allow visitors to seek the level of engagement and understanding appropriate to their own needs. “Flow” refers to whole body experiences involving all senses that take place in a free-choice context. Museums provide visitors rich opportunities for free-choice learning because they can choose where to go, what to attend to, and what to learn (Falk and Dierking,

2002).

Hein (1998) demonstrated how philosophies of education can be applied to facilitate a meaningful educational experience in museums. He introduced a brief history of public museums and examined how educational theories were used to encourage learning in museums. He showed how museums can adapt to social environments in order to create a constructivist museum. Hein discussed what is known about learning in museums and asserted that visitors make their own meaning from their experiences. According to Hein, visitor comfort is an

important prerequisite for visitor learning in museums. Comfort covers a wide range of factors,

from simple physical comfort to psychological conditions. The concept of comfort also

encompasses the comfort level of different groups in particular social or physical settings and the discomfort felt by anyone in novel and unfamiliar settings. Finally, Hein demonstrated how to conduct visitor studies in the museum.

Henry (2000) defined the relationship between visitors and museum experiences. The visitor holds the responsibility for the quality of the museum experience. Henry posited that the quality of museum experiences is affected by the structure and exhibitions of museums, the visitor's own self-directed tour of the museum, and how the works of museums are viewed. This study focused on a particular type of visitor, a university art student, and considers his/her positive or negative museum experiences. Like others, Henry asserted that a successful museum experience is related to the viewer’s experience and the museum’s environment.

Hennes (2002) argued that museums would benefit from different ways of thinking about experience based on John Dewey (1958)’s concept of experience. He applied Dewey’s theory to museum visitors and, concluded that visitors bring with them a naive tendency follows their own pursuits to achieve their own experience. Such activities become the foundation for experience.

He emphasized that in order to fully understand a “visitor-centered world of activity and enjoyment” (p. 7) we should know the nature of experience and museums’ purposes for engaging with the public. The museum should create richer places of experience for increasing the visitor’s

“creative” experience (Hennes, 2002).

Pekarik (2004) conducted research with art museum visitors about the nature of their

experience. He found that museum visitors do not come to museums for information. rrather,

they visit museums for their own reasons to experience something new and unexpected. Museum

visitors seek to satisfy their own interest in artworks and are eager to investigate them from their

own perspective and to draw their own conclusions. These tendencies for independence, self- control, and self-definition lead people to reach out toward new interdependencies and a new structure of consumption. He emphasized that museums need to transform themselves more creatively to extend the range of their exhibitions and other offerings, and to help visitors to make their own choices as they shape their visit (Pekarik, 2004).

Chang (2006) stressed the characteristics of museum visitors, including their behaviors and the nature of their experiences and learning, in order to find more meaningful ways to enhance visitor experiences in the museum. Chang borrowed from Falk and Dierking’s (1992, 2000)

Interactive Experience Model and contextual model of learning for the purpose of defining the concept of museum experience. She (2006) offered five suggestions to museums: (1) facilitate visitors’ personal learning experiences; (2) provide for the social nature of learning, encouraging social interactions with visitors and museum staffs; (3) provide appropriate physical contexts for meaningful learning experience for visitors; (4) help visitors’ cultural context of learning; and (5) be accessible to a broader public. By following such suggestions, museum professionals can create more meaningful exhibitions and programs for visitors.

The Physical Environment of the Museum

Falk and Dierking’s (1992) ideas about how visitors spend their time also appear to be strongly influenced by the physical context of the museum. According to these researchers, it is the objects and labels that have the greatest influence on the visitor’s museum experience. Such items help visitors become actively involved in their environment, though each visitor’s experience is different because every individual brings his or her own personal and social context to the museum environment and is affected differently by the physical context. Falk and Dierking

(2000) have discussed the importance of the physical context. They noted that just as people who visit museums select physical contexts to live within, they make decisions to visit a museum

based on their considerations of the physical environment in which they wish to spend their free

time.

Falk and Dierking (2000) also have suggested that good exhibitions organize information

in ways that make it remarkably easy to chunk information. Chunking information depends on

the ability of exhibitions to simplify, organize, and contextualize information, and such chunking

can make exhibitions potent teaching tools. People often respond powerfully to exhibitions.

Because exhibitions are so visible, they are an easily comprehensible way to access information and allow people make their own meaning. Successful museum exhibitions can move visitors to higher levels of understanding across a large range of topics.

Hooper-Greenhill (1994b) examined the functions of museum texts such as signposts, interpretive panels, labels, leaflets, and catalogues. She suggested that exhibition texts and catalogue texts are very different in the way they are experienced because exhibition texts are only accessible in the museum, but catalogue texts can be read at any time. Since museum visitors typically spend very little time at each exhibition, it is important to enable fast assimilation of information. Visual presentation that encourages reading is essential for exhibition texts, which should be evaluated based on whether they are useful and accessible to the target audiences, and should include easy-to-read writing. Eisner and Dobbs (1988) pointed out many museums have a “virtual absence of orientation galleries” (p. 9). They asserted that orientation galleries could enhance visitors’ learning, guiding individuals in what to look for in

the permanent collection or special exhibitions. The orientation galleries also effectively provide

historical information and aesthetic functions for visitors. They are good examples of how

museums can do a fine job of introducing and orienting the visitor. Exemplary museums help to

increase visitor perceptions of the artworks, providing the information about the artist, the

techniques, and the meaning of the work. These museums often use video presentations in order

to discuss an artwork or provide an interpretive text for viewers.

Hein (1998) also mentioned that orientation and other environmental and psychological factors play important roles in museums as in perceptions of places generally. Visitors also enjoy reading the story of museums, or the “museum narratives.” The image of the story and its possible multiple meanings are a model for teaching and learning. Visitors do “make meaning” in museums, and they construct an understanding from what they see, touch, and manipulate.

Museums often are effective at providing novel and interactive settings and unusual and surprising settings. In order to facilitate learning, not only do the distracting characteristics of unfamiliar settings need to be overcome, but exhibitions also need to provide intellectual and cultural “hooks” that permit visitors to be connected with exhibitions. Learning can only occur when visitors can connect to what they already know and can make an association between they bring to the exhibitions and what is presented.

Newman (1991a) conducted museum focus groups and found that physical surroundings and presentations affect the museum experience. This research concluded that the building itself is important because it creates an environment and influences the visitors’ experience of the objects. He also mentioned that the building may be viewed as a work of art itself, since visitors comment on the architecture, size of rooms, color of walls, selection of objects, and frames of paintings. Interestingly, visitors like period rooms because they can evoke a feeling for historical periods that takes visitors back in time.

Longhenry (2007) suggested that museums should provide advanced organizers and effective orientations for valuable motivated learning experiences. She noted too that museum visitors are unique individuals with idiosyncratic tendencies who create their own meaningful experiences in the museum. Longhenry focused on the “personal context” (p. 183) portion of

Falk and Dierking’s contextual model of learning, and suggested that the personal context takes

into account motivation, expectations, prior knowledge, and beliefs. She also mentioned that the

“self” provides motivations for museum learning experiences and emphasizes the importance of self-directed learning. Her research revealed that although visitors have a strong desire to seek their own course in the museum, they are challenged by the scale and complexity of the museum.

She pointed out the physical environment can be regulated by museum staff, curators, and

exhibition designers at most art museums. To encourage truly effective learning experiences in an art museum, then, educators should join together to create an optimal physical environment. Museum Exhibitions Museum exhibitions are one of the most significant matters for museums, and many researchers have worked to determine the most effective means of displaying art and objects.

Falk (1993) suggested that visitors respond differently to exhibitions according to their level of

familiarity and comfort with the setting. In addition, the “popularity” of exhibitions is a major reason visitors are attracted to exhibitions rather than simply the exhibition’s location within the museum. Falk did experimental research with two overtly different exhibitions in order to

examine the effectiveness of each exhibit’s elements, as well as the impact on visitors of the

arrangement and sequencing of exhibition elements.

The result of study indicated that “exhibitions should be designed so that: (1) there is an

array of individual elements, each of which is conceptually coherent; (2) they are arranged to make sense to the visitors, whether they are viewed in a hierarchical, linear manner or not; and

(3) they not only facilitate viewing but invite visitors to choose freely their own modes of viewing” (p. 121). Falk demonstrated that offering visitors a wide range of options with much freedom of choice for unstructured exhibitions fits best with most visitors’ needs.

Miles (1998) has indicated several problems that arise in designing effective exhibitions, such as the psychological and educational aspects of exhibition design, exhibition cost control,

layout of the exhibition, selection of media and their modes of use, accessibility for disabled

visitors, and conservation. The author suggested that the trial and error method is the best way

for museums to overcome their problems.

Eisner and Dobbs (1988) did research about what museums do to help visitors experience

works of art. They used the term “Silent Pedagogy” (p. 7) to refer to the use of non-spoken

information that provides museum visitors with cues for perceiving, thinking about, and

appreciating works of art. They suggested that the works of art do not speak for themselves, but

rather, they speak only to those who have learned to understand what they say. The viewer’s

experience occurs when the viewer interacts with the works of art. The main reason why the

works of art themselves do not work for the visitor’s experience is that the visitors do not know how to look at the works of art. The “Silent Pedagogy” can build a bridge between viewers and the viewed. In my study, I will adopt their idea of “Silent Pedagogy” and apply it to my observations and interviews in order to examine the personal experiences in the museum and visitors’ interactions with the Japanese collections.

While the structure of a museum conveys functional meaning to museum visitors,

MacLeod (2005) showed that architecture serves as a social and cultural product that defines the boundaries and possibilities of architecture. He argued that museums must be recognized as a specific site for individuals, including architects, designers, project managers, directors, curators, and users. He considered a museum space as the production of a useful and relevant space for culture.

Serrell (1997) observed the behavior of museum visitors in order to learn about the patterns in visitors’ duration and allocation of attention to different exhibitions. This research suggested that exhibition development teams should make more realistic decisions about exhibit size, more informed choices about the different media and experiences included, and better

matches between visitor expectations and museum objectives. Serrell suggested that visitor behavior has patterns related to what they select to attend to. Serrell concluded that in order to hold visitors’ attention, the exhibition should be attractive and give satisfactions to the visitors.

Davidson, Heald, and Hein (1999) did an evaluation study at the Boston Museum of

Science to investigate the effect of increasing exhibit accessibility and enhancing the visitor’s experience using different sensory modalities. They suggested that giving visitors the opportunity to learn about objects through a wider range of their senses increased the power of exhibitions to attract visitors. Their study indicated that visitors are clearly able to synthesize information from multisensory sources into personal learning. Conclusion

This chapter contains a review of the literature on museum architecture, the history and practices of Japanese museums, and specific issues in museum education. In particular, the review explores research on the nature of the museum visitor’s experience and the ways in which museum curators and educators can enhance the learning experiences of visitors.

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

This chapter contains a description of the methods used to address the research question.

The research question and an overview of the study are provided, as well as a description of the

research design and methods, including the study sample, data collection, and data analysis

procedures. Research Question and Overview

In this study, I investigated meaning-making by visitors to the Japanese collections of two

museums in relation to the physical environments of these museums. I began by examining and

analyzing the museum environments of the Japanese collections, including the architecture,

gardens, outdoor sculptures, the signage and labels. The overarching question for this study is:

How are viewers’ experiences of the Japanese collection shaped by the museum environments?

In answering this question, I observed and analyzed the physical environments of the Japanese collections at the Morikami Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition, I observed and interviewed visitors to these collections, and critically analyze the results using qualitative methods.

This study incorporated three methods of data collection: participant observation, in- depth interviews, and document analysis (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). Using three methods makes

procedural triangulation possible by combining and comparing the data from these different sources (Patton, 2002). Such procedural triangulation from multiple sources leads to a fuller understanding of phenomena (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007).

I followed the four stages of ethnographic criticism in order to recognize patterns and understand the importance of situations and phenomena (Anderson, 2000). Besides making

observations and analyzing the phenomena with the help of the four procedures above, I also

applied the conceptual framework to my research in order to examine the personal meaning

making through the museum environment. (see Figure 2)

In summary, in the first stage of this study I observed and described the physical

environments, the art works in them, and impressions from the Morikami Museum and the

Metropolitan Museum of Art. I spent one week at each of the museum for observations and personal in-depth interviews. I carefully observed the physical context including building structure, design, garden, signage, and labeling at the two museums. I was open to initial situations in order to get a broad sense of the phenomena.

In the second stage of this study, I observed the visitors’ behaviors and conversations in the environment of the museum. In my previous fieldwork in museums, I found that the observation of visitors’ conversations and behaviors are crucial to understanding their behavioral patterns, social activities, and learning processes. At this stage, I focused on the personal context

in order to explore visitors’ usage of the physical environment and their perceptions and experiences of the Japanese collections and the physical environment of the museum.

In the third stage of this study, I interviewed three adults at each of the two museums in order to explore the visitors’ personal meaning-making in the museum environment of the

Japanese collections. After selecting the respondents, then, I conducted an interview with each of

the respondents.

Finally, in the fourth stage of the study, I analyzed the observation and interview data, as well as museum documents, such as museum catalogues and brochures. I reviewed the data

carefully and assign codes based on the perspectives, thoughts, themes, and concepts that

emerged from the field notes, interview transcripts, and other documents. I then identified the

relationships, similarities, and differences of patterns, themes, and concepts at each museum.

In the last stage of this study, I analyzed the impact of museum environment of the

Japanese collections on visitors, and interpreted how the museum environment is experienced by the visitors, referring to the literature and document analysis. I carefully reexamined and analyzed the collected evidence in order to reconstruct meanings and to capture meaningful relationships between the physical environment and visitors. In the end, I evaluated the adequacy of the interpretation, which will strengthen the value of the interpretation (Anderson, 2000). Research Design Theoretical Underpinnings Denzin & Lincoln (2000) have maintained that the research design of a study sets researchers in the empirical world and connects them to specific sites, persons, groups, and institutions. Phenomenological study examines and investigates “the lived experience of a small number of people” (Rossman & Rails, 2003, p. 97). Rossman and Rail have suggested that the phenomenological researcher seeks to understand the in-depth meaning of personal experiences, often through a series of in-depth, intensive and iterative interviews. Because the phenomenological research enables the researcher to focus on particular aspects of lived experience, it is appropriate approach for this study.

In phenomenological research, one gathers data through in-depth interviews with people who have directly experienced a phenomenon of interest (Patton, 2002). As such, a phenomenological qualitative research method is the most appropriate design for my research because I seek to learn about personal meaning-making in the museum environment, and do not plan to control the cases or settings.

Thus, I conducted this qualitative research using a phenomenological approach.

Phenomenology emphasizes the exploration of how human beings make sense of experience and transforms experience into consciousness both individually and socially (Patton, 2002).

Phenomenologists attempt to understand the meaning of a particular phenomenon and its interactions with people in that particular situation (Bogdan & Biklen, 1998). They asserted the subjective aspects of people’s behaviors and attempt to understand how they construct meaning and what meaning they build around events in their daily lives. In addition, phenomenologists believe that a reality is “socially constructed” because there are multiple ways of interpreting experiences; thus, people perceive the same events in different ways based on their previous experiences (Bogdan & Biklen, 1998).

Phenomenology also is consistent with the constructivist approach I will employ in examining the variety of personal experiences of visitors to the museum environments of the

Japanese collections. Constructivists suggest that knowledge and meaning are constructed contextually, that is, by individuals within a cultural environment. In the field of education, the assumption of constructivism is that people are active learners and must construct their own knowledge (Schunk, 2007). Thus, constructivists consider multiple realities constructed by people, their lives, and their interactions with others (Patton, 2002). I believe that, as part of our culture, museums interact with visitors as they construct meaning in individual, personal ways. Study Sample Selected museums. I selected the Morikami Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of

Art as subjects of this study for several reasons. Both museums are accredited by the American

Association of Museums (American Association of Museums, About Museums: Accredited

Museums). The Morikami Museum is listed as a specialized museum, and the Metropolitan

Museum of Art is listed as an art museum.

The Morikami Museum follows the style of traditional Japanese architecture and gardens and has one of the finest Japanese gardens and outdoor sculptures in the United States (The

Morikami Museum, About Us, para. 1). Since opening in 1977, The Morikami Museum has

introduced Japanese art and culture with various exhibitions, tea ceremonies, education programs with local schools and organizations, and Japanese traditional festivals for the public several times a year. The museum exhibitions have included Japanese gardens, art, history, and contemporary culture in comprehensive ways. The mission of the Morikami Museum is listed as follows:

serving as a bridge of appreciation and understanding between Japan and all other cultures

represented by visitors and outreach participants of all ages; presenting, improving and

maintaining exhibits including the garden and future developments; providing high quality

presentations and educational and customer services; ensuring financial security and

stability; resulting in a satisfying and unforgettably positive experience (The Morikami

Museum, About Us: Mission).

The permanent collections of the Morikami Museum contain objects that reflect the modern Japanese culture, including the period from the mid-19th to late 20th centuries, during which the Yamato colonists established their own unique culture in Florida. The other collections, dating from the Meiji Period (1868-1912) to the present, also include fine arts and folk arts from the same periods (The Morikami Museum, Collection). The accessibility, size, collections, and physical condition of the museum make the Morikami Museum an excellent place to examine how U.S. visitors experience the Japanese museum environment.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has one of the most famous, extensive, and specialized collections in the United States (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2008). The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world’s largest and finest art museums (The Metropolitan Museum of Art,

About the Met). Its collections include more than two million works of art spanning five thousand years of world culture, from prehistory to the present and from all around of the world.

Nearly five million people visit the Museum each year. The museum also offers various

education programs, tours, and lectures for family, teachers, teen, and general audiences.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded on April 13, 1870, “to be located in the

City of New York, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining in said city a Museum and

library of art, of encouraging and developing the study of the fine arts, and the application of arts

to manufacture and practical life, of advancing the general knowledge of kindred subjects, and,

to that end, of furnishing popular instruction” (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, About the Met).

This statement of purpose has guided the Museum for more than a century. The trustees of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art have reaffirmed the statement of purpose and supplemented it with

the following statement of mission:

The mission of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is:

to collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge

of works of art that collectively represent the broadest spectrum of human achievement at

the highest level of quality, all in the service of the public and in accordance with the

highest professional standards (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, About the Met).

I also found the following three major goals of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for further understandings:

(1) Collect: Enhance the Museums holdings by acquiring works of art that are the finest

and most representative of their kind from around the globe and from all periods of

history, including the present; (2) Exhibit: Present exhibitions of the Museum’s works of

art and those borrowed from other owners, provide additional access to the Museum’s

collections through study rooms and loans to other institutions, and present works of art

in the most visually appealing and intellectually stimulating manner; and (3) Service of

the public: Reach out to the widest possible audience in a spirit of inclusiveness, serve the

best interests of the public in every aspect of the Museum’s governance, programs, and

operations, and seek to increase public understanding of the Museum’s goals (The

Metropolitan Museum of Art, About the Met: Annual Report).

The physical environment for the Japanese collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

follows the classic styles of Western culture (Welch, n.d.). Specifically, I intend to examine two

different museum environments for Japanese collections; therefore, I purposefully chose these

two museums, carefully considering the geographic locations, accessibility, size, numbers of

visitors, popularity, collection, physical condition including architecture style, layout, population,

and interior/exterior design, as well as my personal interest in the museum. Because I will

analyze the physical environmental features of the two museums, I consider them to be study

subjects as well as research sites.

Observations. I observed and described the physical environments, the art works in them, and impressions from the Morikami Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I carefully

observed the physical context including building structure, design, garden, signage, and labeling

at the two museums. I was open to initial situations in order to get a broad sense of the

phenomena. I also observed the visitors’ behaviors and conversations in the environment of the

museum. I focused on the personal context in order to explore visitors’ usage of the physical

environment and their perceptions and experiences of the Japanese collections and the physical

environment of the museum.

Interview respondents. I adopted and used a purposeful random sampling method in

choosing the potential respondents with whom I seek to conduct personal interviews. At each

museum, I identified potential respondents, introduce myself, explain the purpose of the

interview, and asked whether they took a docent tour while in the museum. If they did take a

docent tour, I excluded them from my respondents with the assumption that they may not have

made an independent choice to visit Japanese collections.

Once this is determined, I asked the potential respondent’s age range and choose only those visitors aged 45 to 64 for my interviews, because the percentage of individuals aged 45 to

64 who go to a museum more than once a year is higher than any other age groups (Hooper-

Greenhill, 1994b). Although this statistic concerns visitors to British museums, I purposefully chose people aged 45 to 64 for my study, also because they typically have completed their child-

focused years, and have more time to spend on themselves.

Most adults visiting an art museum make a conscious decision to do so based on their personal knowledge and past experience (Henry, 2007). Falk & Dierking (1992) have mentioned that the adult museum visitors they studied “showed cognizance of the functional architecture.” and noted that “the ability to use the functional aspect of the physical settings seems to be important in the recollection of other aspects of the experience” (p. 121). As such, I assume that adults aged 45-64 decide to visit an art museum in order to make a meaningful experience, and that for these adults, the physical environment of the museum plays an important role in constructing their own experiences.

Even with fixed resources and limited time, a researcher can study an open range of experiences with a small number of people, and attain in-depth information that can prove to be invaluable (Patton, 2002). Following the Patton’s (2002) recommendation, I chose “minimum samples” (p. 246) based on the purposes of this study. Since I conducted in-depth interviews with open-ended questions, three respondents at each museum seem to be an adequate number for my purposes. One respondent would be insufficient because one respondent might not represent the

“ordinary” museum visitor, for example, if he or she had professional knowledge, a special cultural background, or unique previous experiences. Two respondents allow for comparability, but still are not enough to understand the patterns in meaning-making made by visitors to the museum environment. Further, the results of the interviews can be too subjective if they only

emerge from one or two interview(s) at each museum. In order to avoid those problems and effectively compare interviews at the same museum, I used data triangulation with three respondents.

Interviews allow access to the context for people’s behavior and provide a way for researchers to understand the meaning of individual’s different behaviors (Seidman, 2006, p.10).

The basic assumption of an in-depth interview is that the respondent’s meaning-making of their experience affects the way they carry out that experience (Blumer, 1962; Seidma, 2006). The purpose of interviewing is to allow us to enter into the other person’s perspective (Patton, 2002).

Especially, the in-depth interview starts from an interest in understanding the lived experience of other people and the meaning-making process through their personal experience (Seidman, 2006).

Since I am working on qualitative research and will do in-depth interviews with open-ended questions, the different answers or results among three respondents were not problematic to my research.

In my earlier field studies on this topic in museum, it was efficient to compare three different perspectives of the respondents for my research (Lee, 2009a; 2009b). Furthermore, the meaningfulness and insights have more to do with the information richness and the researcher’s observational and analytical capability than with sample size (Patton, 2002). I compared three respondents’ perspectives with data triangulation and discussed how they actively respond and what specific experience they gain through the museum environment. The Interview Protocol Meaning making requires that the participants look at how the factors interacted to carry them to their situation (Seidman, 2006). They also look at their present experience within the context. Taking advantage of the interactive nature of the interviews, the interview included questions on demographic information, personal museum experience, and the individual’s

response to the Japanese collections. I also asked the participants to answer open-ended questions designed to tap into opinions and thoughts that reflect their own interpretations of the

Japanese collections and their environments. Data Collection Procedures Data Collection Data collection took place over the course of one week for each of the selected museums.

During this time, I conducted field observations, in-depth interviews, and document analysis.

The order in which I executed my field research is as follows: (1) observe and describe the peripheral environment of the Japanese collections; (2) observe people’s behaviors and conversations in these environments; and (3) conduct in-depth interviews with selected museum visitors.

The use of three methods for gathering data enabled procedural triangulation that can

help ensure the validity of the results (Janesick, 2000). In addition, I triangulated the interview data by using at least three different individuals with various perspectives and experiences. Data triangulation strengthens a study and has been called the “ideal method” for research (Patton,

2002, p.247).

I more specifically followed Anderson (2000)’s four stages of “ethnographic criticism” as a qualitative methods strategy that allowed me to thoroughly examine and contextualize the essence, the meaning, and the value of this research (p. 82). The ethnographic criticism that

Anderson has described involves looking at human social constructs and interactions as though looking at a work of art. This critical method consists of four primary stages: (1) immersion and response, (2) description, (3) interpretation, and (4) evaluation.

In order to follow these processes, I began data collection by writing field notes which contain my impressions and reflections. In addition, I relied on the in-depth interviews I

conducted to explore individual’s personal meaning-making within the museum environment.

For the document analysis I used photographs, catalogues, brochures, and related literature and look for codes and patterns that may link to themes drawn from the visitors and the characteristics of the museum environments. Additionally, I carefully checked the signage and labels of the two museums in order to examine their usages and effectiveness. Finally, I compared and analyzed field notes and interview data with these documents for procedural triangulation. These processes contributed this examination of the physical environments of the museums and whether and how the museums affect visitors’ experiences through them. Data Analysis

Rossman and Rallis (2003) stated that “data analysis is the process of bringing order, structure, and meanings to the mass of collected data” (p. 278). They identified seven phases associated with the analysis of qualitative data: “organizing the data, familiarizing yourself with the data, generating categories and themes, coding the data, interpreting, searching for alternative understandings, and wring the report” (p. 279). Rossman and Rallis also suggested that one’s analytic strategy depends on the genre of research conducted and on the extent to which the analysis is open-ended or prefigured. I conducted my data analysis in an open-ended way, and the genre framing my analysis is phenomenology, as I seek to derive the personal meanings of respondents within the museum environments.

Rossman & Rallis (2003) suggested that the foundation of analysis is the thick description of physical surroundings, time and place, actions, events, words, and people on the scene. They also emphasized that it is such thick description that makes analysis and interpretation possible, through suggested intentions and meanings in the field. I wrote field notes of my observations with as much thick description as possible, applying the two following analytic questions: (1)

What is the nature of this act? and (2) What is happening here? (p. 275).

After making observations, conducting personal interviews, and gathering documents, I reviewed the field notes and supplement them with any additional thoughts or concepts I might have missed during the data collection process. I carefully reviewed the data and find codes

based on my perspectives, thoughts, themes, and concepts that emerged in the process of

analyzing my field notes, interview transcripts, and other documents.

Consistent with the data analysis procedure described by Miles & Huberman (1994), I followed these five stages for data analysis: (1) look for repeating words, phrases, phenomena, and ideas, code field note and interview data, review written documents, photographs, and

websites; (2) make separate notes with my own personal reflections of the data; (3) identify the

relationships, similarities, and differences of patterns, themes, and concepts at each museum; (4)

make inferences about the individuals’ meaning making through the use of codes identifying

patterns, themes, and concepts; and (5) capture and develop general findings. Coding Rossman & Rallis (2003) mentioned that coding is the formal presentation of analytic

thinking related to a conceptual issue. In coding the data, I have to be “clear about what words or

phrases illustrate and elaborate each concept” (p. 286). In order to clarify and elaborate on each

concept, I followed three steps for coding the data: (1) create codes and definitions of codes; (2) review field observations and interviews; and (3) find similarities and differences of the patterns and concepts. Of course, these steps occur in an iterative manner and not simply sequentially. Example of Coding and Data Analysis: The Norton Museum of Art In previous field research, I investigated a variety of perspectives of visitors to the Norton

Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida. The purpose of this research was to understand seniors’ meaning making in the Norton Museum of Art, as well as the role of the museum for the community.

After observing senior visitors and interviewing one senior visitor, I created ten different codes using field notes and interview data: special exhibitions (SE), meeting friends (MF),

docent tour (DT), share knowledge (SK), aesthetic pleasure (AP), construct meaning (CM),

positive response (PR), negative response (NR), curiosity (CS), and relaxing place (RP). Here, I

will introduce the two codes, positive response and negative response, as examples of my

previous research, because these two codes may potentially be applied in this proposed study as

well.

Before coding, I defined the meanings of the codes. The code positive response (PR)

referred to such behavior as the slow and careful examination of artworks. Since I did not ask the

study subjects whether they liked the artworks or why they were looking at them carefully, I

choose the term, positive response, to keep objectivity in my research. Conversely, the code

negative response (NR) was used when seniors did not like artworks, or did not see the artworks

because they just passed them by. The process of developing these codes helped me to

understand how to use terms and clarified the specific meanings of the codes.

In the next stage of my research at the Norton Museum, I applied the codes to the actual

notes of my observations. Under the code positive response (PR), I included such observations

as: “They carefully read the description on the wall and saw the artworks very slowly and

carefully” and “They carefully read the explanations before they started looking around this

room” and “They did not leave the dragon jade for about five minutes.” Examples of the

observations associated with the code negative response (NR) included: “It’s too dark to read the

description of the painting” and “Humm… this piece does not have any explanation.” I coded the

interview transcripts in a similar way: Positive responses: “I really liked it all. I really did. You

know, art is art, which you take in.”; “They just had it laid out nicely, you know. I wandered. You

do feel like you go exactly from this room to this room, just flowing.” As for negative responses:

“Weakness? Price maybe. I should visit the first Saturday because it’s free.” The codes Positive

Response and Negative Response, then, may prove useful in the analysis to be conducted in this study. Conclusion

Phenomenological research focuses on a particular aspect of lived experience, and one gathers research data through the undertaking of in-depth interviews with people who have directly experienced the phenomenon of interest (Patton, 2002). I used a phenomenological qualitative research method in order to approach the subject of this inquiry in an in-depth,

contextual, and holistic way. This chapter describes the research design, including its theoretical

underpinnings, choice of research sites, study sample, and data collection and analysis

procedures.

CHAPTER 4

PRESENTATION OF DATA: THE MORIKAMI MUSEUM

Introduction

This chapter contains data collected at the Morikami Museum as well as the analysis of this data using ethnographic criticism strategies (Anderson, 2000). The overarching research question for this study involves whether and how the two museum environments under study impacted the experiences of visitors. More specifically, the question is: How are viewers’

experiences of the Japanese collections shaped by the museum environments? This question was

addressed using qualitative research methods. Analysis of the Morikami Museum Floor Plan The Morikami Museum has two major buildings; one is the main building that has the

main entrance, art galleries, a library, an auditorium, a museum store, and an outdoor museum

café. The main building is one story building with a small outdoor garden. From the main

entrance, the museum shop, the art gallery, and the library are located in the left side, and the

auditorium and the café are located in the right side. Another building is the Yamato-kan museum

located on the side of gardens across the lake. While there was no floor plan provided for the

buildings, the site map guides the overall view and the location of important features of the

museums and gardens (Figure 3).

Immersion and Response

The Morikami Museum is a Japanese museum with a traditional Japanese-style garden and

building structures. When I entered the museum, I was delighted to see the traditional Japanese buildings, tea house, and gardens.

First, I visited a gallery where a model Japanese house, Seishin-an, had been built (Figure

4). This house, with its tea room, effectively replicated the architectural style of this type of traditional Japanese house. The accompanying wall texts for the Seishin-an were succinct, yet

descriptive, and included drawings that helped me to understand the specific Japanese terms, history, and functions of the different parts of the house (Figure 5). An actual tea ceremony was held in the Seshin-an gallery. At the tea ceremony, there were a Japanese master and three

Japanese who were learning about this ritual. All wore kimonos and spoke Japanese during the ceremony. It was a new experience for me to see a real Japanese tea ceremony conducted by

Japanese.

In addition to the Seishin-an gallery, the Morikami contained an art gallery, traditional

Japanese-style gardens, and the Yamato-Kan museum. After visiting the Seishin-an gallery, I entered the art gallery, where I saw teapot collections and contemporary sculptures. The interiors of this gallery reminded me of Japanese architecture in terms of the style of the ceilings, the lattice-patterned door, and the cozy, dim lighting (Figure 6). The visitors to this gallery seemed to be greatly interested in its artworks, especially the traditional Japanese artworks and photos.

Just adjacent to the main building was a small Japanese rock garden. A wall of windows enabled visitors inside the building to look out at the garden and a big lake view. To me, the scene provided a good sense of Japanese aesthetics. I noticed many visitors enjoying the outdoor museum café, taking in the great scenery of the lakes and gardens. I observed that, along with its aesthetic pleasures, the Morikami was providing a great social and meeting place for visitors.

As I walked through the gardens, I noticed that although they were artificially designed they were created in very naturalistic ways. For example, in the Late rock garden (Muromachi period, 15th century) and the Flat garden (Edo period, 17th-18th century), the wall-enclosed nature of these gardens seemed to make the visitors feel that they were inside actual gardens of these periods. In the modern romantic garden, there were several waterfalls, which created lovely, clear

sounds of water. These waterfalls looked very natural, not artificial at all, so I felt like I was on a mountain. I enjoyed the calm and peaceful moments I spent immersed in the Japanese aesthetic

of these gardens. Further, it was interesting to observe the variations in the styles of the Japanese

gardens of different periods. In addition to the beauty of nature, then, the gardens allowed me to

learn and think about Japanese culture and history.

After passing through the Japanese-style gardens, I found the Yamato-Kan museum. This

museum had several exhibition rooms divided according to themes: the Yamato colony room, bathroom, kitchen, and dining room, Tatami (straw matting used as a floor covering in a

Japanese house), shops, classroom, and Shinkansen (Bullet trains) room, shops, classroom, and

Shinkansen room. It was amazing to me that the museum was showing real models holding

Japanese drinks and foods in the kitchen and dining room. When I visited Japan, I bought those same drinks and foods. It was also interesting to see real posters and photographs from Japan.

The tatami room and the bathroom reminded me of the traditional Japanese ryokan (the Japanese traditional style hotel) where I stayed on my visit to Japan, and I was glad to see them in this museum.

In the Yamato-Kan museum, I found well-organized explanatory texts, photos, and wall posters that proved very helpful in understanding the exhibitions. I also found that the exhibition rooms in the Yamato-Kan were very interactive places, and I was able to experience contemporary Japanese culture through them. Categories of Experience My analysis of the observations and interviews I conducted at the Morikami Museum revealed that visitors to the museum engaged in individual meaning-making during their visits, creating personal experiences sometimes grounded in former associations with Japanese culture.

Below I provide the codes I used to organize and categorize the data on the visitors’ experiences,

and well as the frequencies with which such experiences occurred.

Aesthetic pleasure. This category refers to expressions related to the experience of

personal aesthetic pleasure. In six cases, visitors said, “I like it,” “It’s amazing,” or “It’s beautiful.”

Construction of meaning. This category refers to indications that visitors were constructing their own meanings while looking at exhibitions, such as talking with people

about exhibits and interacting with exhibits. This occurred in six cases.

Cultural experience. In ten cases, interview respondents mentioned an

“experience of other cultures,” or I observed visitors experiencing Japanese culture

through interaction with the exhibits. I coded such phenomena as cultural experience.

Curiosity. In six cases, visitors asked questions of others, or sought to get

information about artifacts or Japanese culture. I labeled such phenomena as curiosity.

Educational purpose. In three cases, visitors noted that their reason for visiting

the Japanese collections of the Morikami was to educate themselves or their children, and

I coded these phenomena as educational purpose.

Effective environment. In 16 cases, visitor behavior indicated that the museum

environment was effective. For example, when explanatory labels, lights, or other

physical elements of the gallery or the gardens effectively helped visitors to see and

understand Japanese artifacts or the Japanese culture that the artifacts reflected, this was

coded effective environment.

Interaction. This category referred to instances in which hands-on exhibits, visual

settings, or interactive labels were engaged with by visitors in response to their interests

in Japanese culture. This occurred in nine cases.

Lack of information. This category refers to the seven instances in which visitors

found there was no information about the artworks, no historical context, or not enough description of artworks or artifacts.

Learning opportunity. Visitors, watching a real tea ceremony, had an opportunity to learn about the Japanese tea ceremony. Such actual demonstrations of acquiring

information about Japanese art, history, or culture from the exhibitions were coded

learning opportunity. In three cases, visitors were observed participating in such learning

opportunities that the museum provided to them.

Peaceful environment. This category refers to the nine instances when visitors remarked about the peaceful environment of the museum, saying for example, “It’s peaceful,” “It’s calm,” “I meditated.”

Personal affection. When respondents said, “The Japanese culture is beautiful. I like it,” or “I love Japanese art,” I coded it as personal affection. This was observed two times.

Personal connection. When visitors derived, through the exhibitions or the

environment, personal meanings or associations with works seen previously, it was coded

as personal connection. This occurred in seven cases.

Relaxing place. The museum created a relaxing place for its visitors. In three instances, when visitors sat on benches, enjoyed the gardens, or took a rest on a bench in the middle of the gallery, it was coded as relaxing place.

Uncomfortable/Ineffective environment. In six cases, the physical environment distracted visitors, or was not noticed by visitors. Such phenomena were coded uncomfortable/ineffective environment.

Understanding other cultures. In five cases, respondents said, “Understanding other cultures is always important,” “We like learning about each other,” or

“Understanding each other and peace in the world is important,” I coded this as understanding other culture. Description Observation. The following section contains a description of the observations made of the different exhibitions of the Morikami Museum, including the Seishin-an Gallery, the

contemporary art gallery, the gardens, the Yamato-Kan museum.

Seishin-an gallery. The Seishin-an gallery contained a traditional Japanese tatami

house and tea room. The white walls of the house were decorated with several lights that shed a

soft glow, providing a comfortable daylight effect to the shadows under the roof. This traditional

house and the room inside were built realistically, in a traditional Japanese way, using light

brown wood with lattice patterns and lights on the ceilings. The sloping ceiling was made of

various thickness of bamboo, and provided a rhythmical appearance. At the center of the tatami

there was a fire pit with a tea pot, a reference to the tea ceremony and the way Japanese people

enjoy tea rooms.

The house was composed of three separate spaces: a tea room in the center, a tokonoma

(decorative alcove), and an inner garden space. The interiors and exteriors of the house were

decorated or painted with light green, turquoise, and light brown colors in addition to the white

color on the window panes and on the door, which stood in the middle of the house. The lights

mounted in the ceiling provided additional variety in the midst of the colorful harmony of the

house. They made the center of the room bright, and from this center out, the periphery of the

floor became increasingly dark, with ripples of shadows.

The tea room in the house had a three-dimensional, realistic form. Geometrically shaped,

with a balanced triangular roof and rectangular bottom, the house also appeared open, with three

latticed, white-paper-backed wooden doors opening to the tea room: the Kyuji-guchi (access to

the tea room from the preparation area), nijiri-guchi (crawl-opening) and Sadoguchi (another access to the tea room from the preparation area). In addition, there were two wooden windows on the left side of the house.

The house looked very natural, as did the small inner rock garden, which paralleled the traditional form of the Japanese house with its tea room. The garden, which was next to the

house, was composed of white, ivory, yellow, orange, brown, and grey pebbles, a small tree, and

several large rocks.

The house and the tea room were symmetrical in that the dominant focal points – the colors, furniture, windows and doors, and size of decorative objects – were balanced. The light green, blue, and neutral wooden colors created a sense of harmony, as did the combination of shapes, textures, patterns, materials, styles, and size of the house.

Art gallery. A contemporary Japanese art gallery was situated next to the Seishin-an

gallery. This contemporary gallery was divided into two main spaces: the entrance room, with a huge sculpture at center and a small number of artworks, and a main exhibition room, with a greater number of art works.

The entrance doors to the gallery were traditional Japanese-style wooden doors with a lattice pattern backed by white paper. The entrance room of the gallery contained a big blue sculpture, titled Head, by Jun Kaneko. In the larger exhibition room there was a special exhibition entitled “Elegance in Iron: The Art of the Japanese Tetsubin.” Iron tea pots, woodblock prints (Ukiyo-e), hanging scrolls, handscrolls, and photographs were displayed.

A gallery guide pamphlet was placed at the entrance to this exhibition. The pamphlet was a handy device for providing information about the artworks in the gallery. The guide provided an introduction to each artwork along with a color picture. The overall shape of this room was square, and its interior walls were painted in khaki and olive colors. The floor was natural wood,

which, along with the wall colors and halogen lights, gave the room a feeling of cozy comfort.

The lights on the ceiling also shed warm light directly onto the artworks.

Black lattice frames were installed over the white ceiling. Some of the artworks were

surrounded by huge vitrines, which had white opaque glass at the top and a wooden frame, with

halogen lights hanging above, causing light to pass through the opaque glass and providing a

cozy dim lighting effect that enabled the audience to clearly see the real colors of the artworks.

Inside the other vitrines, iron tea pots and Japanese-style furniture were displayed.

Instead of only showing tea pots and furniture, however, the exhibition provided a sense of what the Japanese tea ceremony culture was like as well. In one corner of the room was a special exhibition catalogue for references. In the other corner, a replica of an iron tea pot and sencha tea

were prepared as samples, giving visitors an opportunity to freely touch these items. This

arrangement, along with descriptive texts and photographs, enabling visitors to imagine how

Japanese people actually used the iron tea pot in actual tea ceremonies.

Besides the iron tea pot, I noticed several woodblock prints in this area. These Japanese

artworks conveyed a sense of manga (comics and printed cartoons) or ukiyo-e (woodblock

prints) in terms of their subject matter, flat quality, and very bright, bold colors. But there were

no explanatory texts for these prints.

At the end of the gallery, the museum placed notes asking for visitor comments, and many

people already had written their thoughts and feelings about the exhibition and the garden. The

visitors’ comments were very helpful to me in understanding the personal experiences of other

visitors to the museum, so I took notes of these comments.

In the course of doing my research, the exhibition in this gallery was changed. The new

exhibition displayed the paintings and sculptures of Jun Kaneko, a contemporary Japanese artist.

Several major differences between the environment of this exhibition and the former were

apparent: 1) The museum installed a television that played a videotape about the ideas and processes involved in the artworks of Jun Kaneko’s, and 2) unlike the previous iron tea pot exhibition, most of the labels next to the artworks did not provide any explanations, and as most

of the artwork was labeled “Untitled,” I was left a bit confused about the meanings of the

artworks.

Gardens. An introductory video in the museum’s theater provided general

information about the gardens at the museum. The video mentioned that a sense of space and the

rhythm was deliberately incorporated into the design of the gardens. The gardens were designed to speak to visitors individually. According to the video, the goal was to make “the garden individually inspire visitors.”

From the outside of the museum, visitors can see all of the buildings of the Morikami

Museum (Figure 7). The architectural style of the Morikami Museum follows the traditional

Japanese architectural style, with lattice-patterned windows, an almost black, dark navy-colored roof, and white walls. An outdoor museum café, where visitors could sit and enjoy the lake view,

was built in a similar style.

The gardens of the Morikami Museum displayed six major historical periods of Japanese

garden design spanning the 9th century to the 20th century, and served as a sort of outdoor

extension of the museum (Morikami Museum, Visitor’s Guide). Roji-en included the Shinden

Garden (9th-12th century), the Paradise Garden (13th- 14th century), the Early Rock Garden (14th

century), the Late Rock garden (15th century), the Flat Garden (17th-18th century), and the

Modern Romantic Garden (19th-20th century). Since I could not describe and observe all of the

natural environments surrounding the Morikami Museum, I focused my observation and

description on these six major historical garden designs.

At the entrance to the gardens stood a stone lantern called the Wisdom Ring (Figure 8).

The color of Wisdom Ring was light grey, and its shape was round, with a hole much like a ring in the center through which people could look at the lake. There was no explanation of the lantern however, so most people passed it by without looking at it carefully. In fact, such lanterns at the Morikami Museum represent memorials and symbols of giving life to the gardens

(Morikami Museum, Visitor’s Guide).

Shinden garden (Heian period, 9th-12th century). According to the sign at the

entrance to the Shinden garden, “Japanese nobles adapted Chinese garden design concepts that featured lakes and islands, often viewed from a boat.” The Shinden garden was located at the

beginning of a mile-long white pebbled path along which visitors could stroll. The design concept of this garden was “more than one path,” so this garden was purposefully created in order to give a variety of scenes, new experiences, and sounds at each road (Audio guide). Such gardens in their time were created based on a deep belief in the central role of nature in our lives, unlike the human-centered approach of Western cultures. In this way, the museum sought to convey a sense of traditional Japanese culture, providing visitors with a calm and peaceful place to walk and to feel nature itself.

In the garden, there were no specific explanations on the labels, but only several numbers

for the audio tour. My first time through the garden, I did not take audio tour, so I could not

discern what each object and design meant or learn anything about their historical backgrounds.

So, I decided to take an audio tour, through which I learned a great deal.

In this garden, visitors could enjoy different lake views, and a side-by-side bridge and a zig-zag bridge led visitors to other parts of the garden (Figure 9). The bridges were dark red and

bright brown and made from wooden and iron materials.

According to the audio guide, in the Roji-en, bridges were important elements in both form

and function. The bridges have symbolic meanings as bridges among different peoples, cultures,

and times, like a bridge to understandings between different cultures. So, here, the act of crossing the bridge means leaving one world for another and crossing the big gap. In fact, I observed that the Morikami museum itself actually builds a bridge between the different cultures of the United

States and Japan.

According to the audio guide, in ancient Japan there were three basic types of beauty – formal, semi-formal, and one close to nature and peace. In this garden, the Kodai-mon, an ancient style gate, represented these Japanese principles of formal and informal beauty (Audio guide), (Figure 10). The top of the gate was patched, not tiled, and was supported by the round columns. The gate represented semi-formal beauty, and it gave a sense of moving from the old period to the new period. After passing this gate, one entered a grove of bamboos, representing natural beauty.

Paradise garden (Kamakura and early Muromachi periods, 13th- 14th century). The

Paradise garden was described as, “An earthly representation of the Pure Land, or Buddhist heaven. Such gardens exhibited the first step toward abstraction in Japanese garden design by incorporating the same elements as shinden gardens, but on a smaller scale.” (signage) The audio guide explained that this sort of garden was designed for the newly-emerging Samurai class, not for the Heian nobility of the time.

There were two different ways to approach this garden: a short way or a long detour around a small pond. Next to the pond was a small, three-story stone pagoda, surrounded by various trees (Figure 11). Turtles lived in the pond, which had been designed in harmony with the surroundings to enhance a sense of balance and beauty. In fact, on a previous visit I had not noticed that this was a constructed garden because the pond and trees were designed in a very natural way.

Early rock garden (early Muromachi period, 14th century). The early rock garden

was described as, “A landscape design which expresses nature in a more abstract manner by eliminating water but suggesting its presence. Such gardens were inspired by the newly imported sect of Zen Buddhism, and were in imitation, not of nature directly, but of early Chinese landscape ink paintings” (signage).

This garden had no water element and consisted of rocks, moss, and gravel (Figure 12).

Early rock gardens were based on minimal materials, such as the trees, gravel, and rocks in an area. The museum’s early rock garden was located in an open space without walls or artificial patterns in the gravel. The colors of the rocks were dark brown, dark grey, and dark ivory, mainly because of the moss growing throughout. The gravel was composed of white, yellow, brown, and grey colors. There were no decorative elements in this garden, so, it looked more natural than the later rock gardens. Because there was no bench in front of this garden and no border between the path and the garden, it was hard to notice that this was an artificial garden.

Late rock garden (Muromachi Period, 15th century). According to the signage at its entrance, this garden represented: “A completely abstract garden space enclosed by walls and composed principally of rock arrangements and coarse gravel as an aid to meditation as a Zen

Buddhist discipline.”

The shape of this garden was rectangular, and the garden was surrounded by walls with tilted roofs (Figure 13). At the center of this garden were three irregular rocks with plants. The colors of these central rocks were white and grey, with dark green moss growing on them. Two small brown rocks sat in the upper right corner. On the left, several brown and grey rocks with moss growing on them were located along the wall, created a sense of emptiness. The color of the gravel was light grey. At the periphery of this garden, there were tiles with dark navy-colored pebbles around them.

This garden was separated from the outer space by its walls. It was surrounded by pines

and other trees, giving visitors a quiet, calm moment. The tall surrounding trees created a separate space for this garden, where visitors could listen to the sounds of water falling nearby.

Unlike the earlier gardens, the late rock garden allowed visitors to sit on a bench, listen to the

sounds of water, and enjoy a calm moment.

Flat garden (Edo Period, 17th-18th century). The flat garden was described in this

way: “Evolving out of late rock gardens, flat gardens make liberal use of plant material and often

incorporate open space by relying on the design technique called “borrowed scenery (shakkei)”

(signage).

Unlike the late rock garden, the entrance to the flat garden was made up of bamboo and

wooden walls. Inside the garden, an open space contained small trees, tall pine trees, one stone

pagoda, and one stone lantern (Figure 14). As compared with the late garden, the flat garden

provided wide views and great open scenery. While the wall of the late garden prohibited

viewers from seeing beyond it, the open scenic views of the flat garden allowed viewers to look

beyond this garden. Even its bamboo walls, which seemed to block viewers from the rest of the

world, were still standing behind. This garden enabled viewers to enjoy a calm separate space

and wide scenery at the same time.

This garden also contained the same light grey gravel as seen in the late rock garden, but

the patterns of the gravel were different. This flat garden created a more vivid and rhythmical

space by creating various wave-like patterns in the gravel. A light grey stone lantern with moss

and a tall pine tree stood at the center of this garden and at the back stood a thirteen-story stone

pagoda with rocks and trees.

When I visited this garden, three people were already there. One was a middle-aged woman

who appeared to be in meditation, and another was a senior woman reading a book. The third

person, a senior man, was drawing a picture in his sketch book. Most of the visitors to this

garden took pictures and enjoyed the moment without saying anything. It was a very calm place.

Modern romantic garden (Meiji Period, late 19th-early 20th century). The modern

romantic garden was described in this way: “Often reflecting Western influence, a garden of this

type also breaks from the earlier tendency toward abstraction in garden design by returning to

direct observation for inspiration” (signage).

In this garden there was a small pond surrounded by several Bonsai and other trees (Figure

15). In the upper center of the pond there was a small stone lantern surrounded by trees. This garden had a small stone bridge across the pond, which helped visitors feel closer to the water

and nature. A small waterfall had been created with a tiny-scale lantern. The garden could be enjoyed in two different, but complementary ways. Visitors could walk around the pond and feel

nature directly, or follow its upper path, where there were a small pavilion and benches where they could sit and listen to the sound of the waterfall and enjoy the whole view of the garden.

The Yamato-Kan museum. The Yamato-Kan museum is a residential-scale house located on a small island in a big lake. The museum has a small dry rock garden at the center of

the house (Figure 16). The shape of this garden was square, and it contained two groups of rocks

with plants and light grey gravel around them. From the exterior corridors outside the exhibition

rooms and surrounding the garden, visitors could view the garden. The house had a dark brown roof and white walls, and its doors were designed with the traditional dark brown lattice pattern.

Here, I focused on observing the six major exhibition rooms: Yamato colony room, kitchen

and dining room, Tatami room, shops, classroom, and Shinkansen room.

Yamato colony room. This room represented Japanese-American history and the

immigrant experience. It contained many pictures with signage and labels providing information

about the Yamato colony (Figure 17). The room also provided a fun kit consisting of several

postcards in order to help children understand the historical significance of the Yamato colony in

the U.S. This room had a rectangular shape and white walls. The signage was black, and the labels had black letter text with a white background. The tables along the wall were a wooden color and were covered with black cloths. The lights in this room shed a white light onto objects, and natural daylight from a small window helped brighten the room.

Kitchen/ Dining room. The kitchen had a rectangular shape (Figure 18). Three latticed doors added a sense of openness to this room and allowed visitors to come easily in and out. A sliding door connected the kitchen with the adjacent tatami room. The color of the sliding door was very light sky blue and turquoise. There was no special artificial light in this room. Instead, the building opened its three big doors and allowed the used natural daylight from outside to light the room.

At the center of this room was a rectangular dining table with small chairs, all of a natural wooden color (Figure 19). On the table were models of noodles, dishes, and chopsticks with explanations on their usage.

In the right corner of this room, there was a refrigerator with “Open Me” stickers on the front. When visitors opened this refrigerator, they could see models of real Japanese soft drinks, teas, and foods. Next to the refrigerator, there was also a real sink, a rice cooker, a mini oven, and shelves with “Open” signs (Figure 20), as well as real Japanese snacks, cookies, wrap, cereals, pancakes, and teas. I believe that having visitors interact with Japanese culture in this way enhanced the visitors’ learning experiences. The museum also displayed various posters from fast food shops in Japan, such as Mcdonald’s, Krispy Kreme, Hagen Daz, Subway, pizza shops, and

Starbucks (Figure 18). A photograph of a Japanese family eating together in their kitchen was displayed as well. It was interesting to see real posters and photographs imported from Japan in this room.

The tatami room. The tatami room, had green walls (Figure 22) and a tokonoma, a

decorative recessed alcove, in the left back corner. The floor of the room was covered by tatami mats, a traditional Japanese floor covering. A two-story fixed closet on the right side of the room

was used for storing futons. Real futons were shelved in the closet, with a signage of explaining

how to use them. The light in the ceiling of the tokonoma shed a strong warm light that was

brighter than that in the other parts of the room. At its center was a chestnut-colored table with three sitting cushions on a tatami mat. The cushions were red, grey, and green with white strips.

Signage in this room warned,, “Remove shoes before stepping on the tatami mat.” Some people actually removed their shoes and walked into the tatami room and sat down at the table.

There they read the labels explaining the tokonoma and other features of the room. . These labels

were very interactive and interesting.

Shops. In another room, there were displays of items from Japanese bento (a type of

Japanese lunch) shops and kimono shops, Japanese folk toys, and Japanese school supplies. In the bento shop section, the museum provided five samples of Japanese bentos –including boxed lunches, instant noodle soups, and drinks (Figure 22). Japanese menus with a photograph of a

Japanese chef also were displayed. The label here said, “What might you eat for lunch in Japan?”

(Figure 23).

The kimono shop section displayed three kimonos with socks and shoes (Figure 24). The wall here was a turquoise color, and the sign for the kimono shop was a wooden color. Next to the kimono shop was a shop for school supplies. This section included Japanese school supplies, bentos, forks, spoons, and chopsticks designed with the logos of Hello Kitty, Doraemon,

Pokemon, and other Japanese animation characters (Figure 25). Here the museum provided a label asking, “What school supplies do Japanese children use?” The display of Japanese folk toys showed traditional toys and their unique characters along with the map of the province where they were popular.

Classroom. In this room, the school uniforms worn by Japanese middle and high school students were displayed (Figure 26). The rectangular room was painted white and contained a chalkboard with small wooden desks (Figure 27). On the floor was a grey carpet. The museum lit this room very bright. Also in it were items used by Japanese elementary school students, such as textbooks, backpacks, indoor shoes, hats, and hiragana (the cursive script that is one of two sets

of symbols of Japanese syllabic writing), katagana (the form of Japanese syllabic writing used

especially for scientific terms, official documents, and words adopted from other languages), and

kanji (a Japanese system of writing that utilizes characters borrowed or adapted from Chinese

writing) charts.

On the teacher’s desk, the museum posted labels that gave information about Japanese

schools. These labels were very interesting; among the questions on the labels were, “Do

Japanese classrooms look like those in the United States?” and “Do students wear special shoes

for school?” (Figure 28). A special feature of this display was that it was very interactive.

Shinkansen room. The museum contained a realistic, smaller-scale model of the inside

of a Shinkansen, a Japanese train. Inside, there were three seats with rows where visitors could

sit and feel what it might be like to ride on such a train (Figure 29). The rectangular shape of this

room was actually designed as a miniature Shinkansen. On the left wall of the room there was a

full-sized picture of the inside of a Shinkansen. The room used for this display was somewhat

small and was lit by natural light coming from the front window and back doors. An adjacent

wall was painted with the image of the exterior of a Shinkansen. The color of the train was white

with blue stripes, and on its surface was written “Shinkansen-Bullet Train” (Figure 30).

Outside the Shinkansen room, there was a room with a red Japanese vending machine, a

red trash box, and blue chairs (Figure 31), just as a waiting room at a Shinkansen might look. A

scene from a Shinkansen station was pictured on the left wall, while on the front wall were

painted Japanese maps as well as an introduction to the scene and representative characters from

each Japanese province. Contextual Information Observation. The following section contains a contextual information of the observations made of the different exhibitions of the Morikami Museum, including the Seishin-an Gallery, the contemporary art gallery, the gardens, the Yamato-Kan museum.

Seishin-an gallery. Not many people visited this Seishin-an gallery. Most people stopped at the entrance and then left immediately after glancing at the house. While some people read the texts on the walls of this room, they did not stay long either.

Art gallery. In the art gallery located in the main building, there were two seniors looking at the iron tea pots very carefully. One senior said, “Look at this form, the form of rats.

Did you see?” They read labels very carefully. They kept saying, “This is incredible,” and “Oh, my God!”

Some other seniors looked at a replica of an iron tea pot and at the pictures of sencha and matcha that accompanied the texts. They touched the tea pot and showed great interest in it. As they moved to examine the other tea pots they said, “See this one, the geometric pattern!” and

“Oh, my God!” Several other seniors were in front of the woodblock prints. They said, “Oh, look at this one. Cute! Incredible!” They seemed to really enjoy the exhibition.

After the museum had changed its exhibition in the art gallery, I observed visitors there for two days. At the new exhibition, I watched two middle-aged people passing the exhibits without carefully looking at them. When I moved to another section containing a television that ran a video about the artist’s history and perspectives, no one was there. A few minutes later I saw a couple of visitors come through, discussing their dinner appointments as they passed through the exhibition room. Several minutes after that, two seniors sat down on the bench in front of the

television and began to watch the video. They left a few minutes later.

In general, both the installation and content of a video can be very useful in attracting

visitors. In this case, however, even though the video succeeded in catching the attention of the

visitors, it failed to sustain their interest because it contained only sparse narration and

background music, and the scenes moved quite slowly. The majority of those watching it left

soon before it ended.

I found two seniors looking at drawings that had no explanatory texts or titles. One senior

went back to the general explanatory text installed on the wall near to entrance, saying, “I have to look at it again.” Then, she watched the video, which was being played at one corner of the gallery, and moved to the artworks. There she said, “I love this stuff,” “I love this shape,” “You

can make it whatever you want,” and “This shape is wonderful.” She also said, “It looks like a

chair. Nicely shaped.”

Later, two other seniors came into this room. At first, one of the seniors viewed the video while the other looked at the drawings. Then both watched the video together. After about three minutes, they moved toward the artworks, looking carefully at them. One senior said, “I like this painting,” and “It looks like Andy Warhol!”

After viewing this exhibition, one senior found the visitor comments section and said,

“Look at those things.” She looked carefully at the other visitors’ opinions, and then began to write her own.

Two middle-aged people came in and stood looking at a photograph next to the visitor comments section. One commented on an empty glass box next to the photograph: “I think over here is conceptual.” Her comment about the empty glass box was a joke, but I found that it brought the attention to other people in the room to the empty space as well.

Several minutes later, three seniors showed up and began to read the main explanatory text

posted on a wall near the entrance. Soon they moved toward the artworks. One remarked, “In my kindergarten, I drew this.” About one untitled piece, she said, “Oh, my gosh. Still untitled,” and later, “Don’t you want a title?” and “Tell me what you have in mind.” One of the other seniors said, “Give me a clue.” Then, the other said, “They might explain the unexplainable!” Looking up, she said, “The ceiling is very nice.” They all watched the video with great attention, and then looked at the sculptures very carefully. Soon they turned to the photographs, viewing them with the same interest. Afterwards, they left this gallery. I was left with the impression that the visitors wanted more information about the artworks in the gallery. When the information was not adequate or not provided, the visitors seemed distracted and unable to fully engage with the artworks.

Gardens.

Shinden Garden (Heian period, 9th-12th century). After passing Kodai-mon, an ancient gate, visitors could see a grove of bamboos. Many visitors took pictures and enjoyed the view of the lake behind the bamboo grove. Three people went to the bamboo and touched it.

Late Rock Garden (Muromachi period, 15th century). I noticed that one middle-aged woman was meditating in this garden with her eyes closed. People here were enjoying their moment in various ways without any human sounds.

Flat Garden (Edo period, 17th-18th century). When I arrived, there were already three people in this garden. One middle-aged woman was meditating, and a senior woman was reading a book. One senior man was drawing a picture in his sketch book. Most visitors who entered this garden took pictures and enjoyed the moment without saying anything. It was a very calm place.

Yamato-Kan Museum

Yamato colony room. I saw nine visitors in this room, and they looked highly

interested in the exhibits on the Yamato colony. They said, “It has a purpose,” “It’s the information,” “You should read this,” and “It’s important. People were carefully reading about the history of Japanese in Florida. I think it was because they found common historical facts between exhibits on the Yamato colony and U.S. residents in Florida.

Kitchen/Dining room. In the kitchen/dining room area there was a group of people who had brought their daughters and sons. The young people were highly interested in the

Japanese foods in the refrigerator and on the shelves. They said, “What’s in there?” and “Look at the eggs!” They also read aloud the signage, “Open me” and “What do you see inside?” and kept opening the various items available to them.

One family was talking about the kitchen supplies. They said, “See the little gloves,”

“Strange,” “More practical,” “Isn’t it really cool?” “Yes,” “It is interesting,” “Look at the stack,”

“It’s interesting,” “It’s interesting to write those things this way,” “It’s fascinating!” “They have pizza,” “What’s in there?” “Look, it’s parmesan and eggs,” “Let’s see, open me… pizza,” “That’s vegetables,” “This must be noodles,” “Oh, look at these, there are more! Cleaners!” “Oh, my

God, I’m getting hungry,” “Give me an Oreo, a Japanese Oreo, frozen cereals,” and “Here are chopsticks and pork, interesting, very nice.”

Two seniors also opened these items and read the signage, saying, “Isn’t this a cool sign?”

“It’s nice,” “This is gas,” and “This is a nice cooker, I guess.” People seemed to really like the interactive nature of this place. Visitors here were actually looking at the labels very carefully.

The tatami room. In this room, many people carefully read the labels. The tatami room also enabled and encouraged visitors to interact with the exhibits by seating in the mat and touching furniture in this room. The opportunities for interaction seemed to help visitors better understand the Japanese culture.

Shops. The visitors to the shops seem to enjoy themselves very much. Some said,

“Those are really cute,” and “Kid sized!” Two women came to this display with their children and said, “That’s so cute,” “Did you see that?” “The little things,” “I want to take that,” and finally, “That’s an original museum!”

Classroom. Visitors read the labels and looked at the charts in the classroom.

Many took pictures of a prominently displayed Japanese elementary school text book.

Interviews. I interviewed three female visitors in the course of my visit to the Morikami.

In order to protect their privacy, I will use pseudonyms names rather than their actual names:

Diane, Joan, and Carrie. Diane and Joan had come together to visited this museum, while Carrie

was visiting with her husband. Each of them came to the museum for a different purpose. When I

asked, “What’s your purpose in visiting this museum?” Diane said, “Umm. To experience

beautiful gardens. To visit and explore,” while Joan said, “To get a feeling of the Japanese

culture,” and Carrie said she wanted to satisfy her curiosity because she “had heard about it for

so long.” Thus, Diane and Joan had come to the museum in order to experience the gardens and

Japanese culture, but Carrie came to see what the museum was like. As an artist, Carrie had read about the Morikami. She remembered, “We heard about it, and we also wanted to go there because we hadn’t been here yet. So, here we are.”

All three of these visitors read the descriptive labels and wall texts in order to obtain information and learn more about the artworks and artifacts they were viewing. The self-guide

facilitated their meaningful experience in the Museum. The orientation provided by the labels,

texts, and guide were very important to them. I found that they constructed a meaningful

experience using the information provided in these accompaniments to the artworks. For

example, when I asked, “Did you read the description labels or pick up the self-guide?” Diane

said, “Yes, because I want to know what each garden has, and to get more information.”

Similarly, Joan said, “Yes, I was looking at hers. So, we both looked at the guide. Well, she has

the guide, but I also wanted to know which are the highlights of the garden we should see.”

Carrie answered,

Yes, but as much as I want. I always like to find the ways to read about something first.

Then, return to learn more, based on what I’ve read. It was wonderful to have all the

descriptions on the labels. I also picked up the guide. This is my guide. Very important.

Because with this, I knew the gardens [and] what I saw. Yes, very important and helpful.

The labels and guides at a museum must be properly designed in order to enhance the

visitors’ understanding of the artworks. Carrie asked me,

Would you have any questions, I’m saying, would you change anything? Because I have

something I would change. For example, as long as I go through this book, and I walked

into the garden, so I was walking along, and I saw numbers, saying, oh, what is the

number? There is a number, but that doesn’t correspond with the audio. So, it’s different.

What they need to do is put the same number on the audio as in this book. Then, you can

say, oh, this is 117. So, you really need that coordination. This is very important.

I realized that Carrie wanted to know more about the information in the gardens, and the lack of

information and coordination between the numbers in the guidebook and on the labels distracted

her experience and meaning making in the gardens.

Both of the past experience of this Museum and the lack of experience have neutrally

affected the meaning-making of my interviewees. In other words, regardless of their past

experience of this Museum, they had meaningful experience here. When I asked them, “What art

collections did you expect in this museum?” Diane said, “I did not have any expectations. I was

just experiencing it.” Because she already had visited the Morikami four times, she was familiar

with the museum. But Joan was a first-time visitor, and she said, “Well, I expected something –

Japanese art, Japanese woodcuts, which they have.” Carrie’s previous experience with the

museum led her to be quite surprised by the museums, and she was aesthetically pleased and had meaningful experiences in the garden. Carrie commented,

I didn’t know about the Morikami Museum and the Japanese garden, and even little

things to say. When I saw waterfalls here, I thought it would be nice to have one at home.

Now we realize there is the bookstore, the museum shop, and we can actually buy things.

It gives us ideas now of bringing these things into our home.

Thus, Carrie was so inspired by the waterfalls in the gardens that she wanted to create her own waterfalls at home.

The extent of their familiarity with Japanese art and culture affected the meaning-making of the interview respondents. At the same time, the absence of familiarity with this Museum did not prevent the visitors from having a meaningful experience and creating a new sense of familiarity and enhanced curiosity toward Japanese art and culture. When I asked, “Are you familiar with the Japanese arts or Japanese culture?” Diane said, “My father worked in Japan for a few years, so he brought to me a kimono, and I can say ohaiogozaimas.” Joan answered,

The only familiarity was [from] the home we lived in before; we saw some Japanese

entertainments there, and I went to a tea ceremony. I’ve seen the Japanese museum. I

loved that. I mean it’s superficial. I don’t know about Japanese.

Finally, Carrie said, “Not very familiar. No. But more familiar now.” She felt that she had become familiar with the Japanese culture after visiting this museum.

A good physical environment was an important factor in creating a meaningful experience for these visitors. I found that the museum’s failure to control the temperature, for instance, could distract visitors and negatively influence their experiences of the exhibition. When I asked the interviewees, “Did you read the labels and signage of the Japanese collections?” Diane said, “All of them, yes. To get more information.” But Joan said,

Some of them. When I wanted to know about the Japanese art and get additional

descriptions of the stories of the Japanese art. I liked to read that. But unfortunately, it

was very cold, and we couldn’t stay as long as we would have liked. We were freezing.

Very cold in there.

The cold temperature in the exhibition rooms may have reflected the museum’s failure to properly gauge the age and physical constitutions of most visiting patrons.

The cold temperature indoors interrupted the respondents’ experiences of the Japanese tea house and exhibitions, too. When I asked, “In what ways, if any, do you think the interiors play effective roles for your understanding of the Japanese collections? What would you do differently?” Diane said, “The air conditioning really made a difference to me. It was so cold. It was ridiculously cold. The biggest problem was how cold it was.” Joan offered,

It was a lovely room which I would have liked to stay in …[it] had a Japanese tea house.

I loved it. I would have liked to stay longer, but the air conditioning made me run out of

the room so quickly, and it made me really feel bad. I love the Japanese tea house. I

would like to stay longer and see more. I also would like to see the Japanese dancing at

the other room. I liked the way they dance.

In sum, the cold temperature interrupted the respondents’ experiences of the Japanese tea house and exhibitions.

The lighting in the museum was also an important part of the physical environments which affected the extent to which visitors had a meaningful experience. The lighting effects helped the visitors feel comfortable as they watched and appreciated the artworks. When I asked the interviewees, “What did you observe or think about the interior design and lighting effects?”

Diane said, “I thought it was very nice. Good. I don’t remember it was too dark for me. I felt comfortable.” Joan agreed: “Arranged very nicely. Displayed well. I felt the lighting is just right.

It’s alright.” Finally, Carrie responded, “I think it’s very nice. The lightening is very nice. Easy to read. Nothing’s too big.”

Furniture, including benches, also affected the visitors’ experience. For example, Carrie said to me,

I think I wouldn’t do anything differently, but for example, if you want to sit over there,

and I want to sit here, then I can continue to look at the beautiful garden, sculptures, and

waters. And there are benches. They have benches here for people to enjoy in quite spot.

They are all very important for museums.

She emphasized that the benches were best for contemplating the aesthetic pleasures of the museum and enjoying calm moments.

The similarity of the exhibitions and the museum environment to some of the past

experiences of the respondents enhanced their experience. They all were reminded of personal

memories that facilitated a sense of personal connection with the Japanese collections and

gardens of the Morikami. I asked them, “Did the Japanese artifacts and collections remind you of

any personal memories?” Diane replied, “A movie. I don’t know what the name of the movie is,

but it reminds me of a Japanese movie that I’ve seen.” Joan answered, “Well, it was interesting

because the house that I bought has furnishing in the Japanese style. And so, this is nice to see

because I see the similarity.” Finally, Carrie said,

Yes, because I grew up on a farm in Indiana, and what we had was a little path around the

growing barn. And [as] you can see, the rocks, things concentrated, and the little

pathways remind me of little my path, and the yard and stones, and the waterfall remind

me of the little garden I created at home. So, yes. Those are examples.

The respondents seemed to enjoy not only the peaceful environment and serenity of

Japanese culture, but also the aesthetics of Japanese culture as represented in the gardens. I asked,

“Did you visit the gardens and outdoor sculptures? If yes, how did they help you understand the

Japanese culture?” In response, Diane said, “Yes, because we love nature, and we want to experience the peaceful serenity of the Japanese culture and the Japanese gardens. It was really

beautiful and peaceful.” Joan said,

Yes. I love to see the Japanese garden. I really like it very much. The other thing that I

was really interested in was the garden with just sand and rocks without water. I looked at

it, and I felt the same feeling – like it really has water and the same kinds of calm and

feelings that you get from the water. That was interesting. In fact, at one in Maryland,

they have a book-sized garden, and we went and got a tour. I wanted to ask how to

decorate your own backyard in a garden, and it was a man there that told me about the

different styles, and one was the Japanese style. And he was saying that you don’t have to

have water to make a beautiful decoration, and you just need sand and rocks. And he

drew a design, and when I came here, I saw that. And that was so nice. I just saw the

design, and it was actually true. It is beautiful and relaxing, and that was very nice. You

just think of water and the movement.

In response to the same question, Carrie said,

First, we visited the garden. Then, we went into a room. I love the house, the museum out

there. The example of the Japanese house. That’s wonderful. And the children’s education

center…Well, I understood [the Japanese culture]. I loved the room that you had at the

entrance, the dining, bed, all in one place. And they had a wonderful example. Also they

had a kitchen. Did you notice? [It was] open, open, and inviting, inviting into the

museum. We can try everything. Yes. My daughter is eighteen today. It’s her birthday. I’m

thinking about taking her here…she will love that little center for children. That would be

great.

She mentioned the Yamato-Kan museum. She felt that her interactions with the exhibitions

helped her to better understand the Japanese culture, and led her to want to share these

experiences with her daughter.

The building structure also seemed to affect meaning-making by the respondents, as it

made them think of their past experiences with similar forms. I asked, “Did the building

structures remind you of any personal memories?” In response, Diane said,

Same things, movies.” Joan said, “Yes, it’s my new house and the wall paper that I have.

Just kind of that. But it really reminds me of paintings and woodblocks that I’ve seen in

other museums. It was an Asian Museum in Washington, D.C. And you see the paintings

and sculptures and buildings like these.

Because the respondents had such a keen interest in the Japanese collections and

exhibitions, they wanted the exhibition gallery to be larger in order to have a more extensive

experience of Japanese art and culture. When I asked, “Are the size and space of the Japanese

collections gallery enough for you to experience Japanese art and culture?” Diane said, “Maybe

not. I want to know more. Again, it was cold, but I think I probably want to see more.” Joan

answered,

Yes, I mean, I want to see more exhibitions, and it could be bigger.” In addition, Carrie

said, “Yes, although it’s always nice to have it bigger, so maybe someday. That would be

good. They have beautiful outdoor spaces here, and I would not expect that there would

be an indoor museum, too. So, it is nice to have it, an indoor museum. I’m sure that one

day it will be expanded. It’s always nice to have more.

The respondents indicated that the interactive exhibitions of the Yamato-Kan, the labels, and the gardens were helpful in enhancing their understanding and experience of Japanese

culture. I asked, “How did the environments of this room help your understanding of Japanese

art and culture?” Diane replied,

The whole environment is very peaceful. And I meditated. We actually did. And I showed

Joan some meditations. I’m always meditating. So, it was very peaceful here. The whole

thing was very peaceful. So, maybe Japanese people are very peaceful, but I know Tokyo

is very chaotic. Even the restaurant here; the food is very delicious and very peaceful.

Everything here is very peaceful. And they show you rooms, a dining room, and a tatami

room.

In response to my query, Joan said,

Well, you know, I’m happy to visit this nice place here. We can experience the Japanese

garden. I especially like the labels that are helpful, and the themes are very interesting.

The Japanese environment, it is very peaceful, serene, and very lovely. I really enjoyed

that, the houses they showed. And when you go to the Japanese restaurant, it would be

nice to eat on the mat like these. But what they explained is that they do not like these

anymore. The small size of bathroom was so interesting, too.

Carrie answered the question similarly:

I think it’s a peace. Peace, you feel. When you stroll through the art, then, you can

experience the sculptures and trees in the way they create the stones. And you realize it’s

all artistic artifacts. It’s all wonderfully peaceful, and I want to go home now and

incorporate some of these things. And we just put the screens on the doors. That happens

to be from IKEA. Do you know IKEA? They have a beautiful white Japanese bamboo

looking screen. I just installed it at our home. And now, I feel part of a peaceful white sort

of beauty.

I thought that she felt a special connection between the museum environment and her home.

I also found that the respondents actually learned about Japanese culture, gardens, art, and aesthetics from this museum. I asked, “What do you think you gained from your visit?” Diane

said, “Peace and serenity.” Joan replied, “Well, peace and serenity but also more knowledge of the Japanese culture and gardens.” Carrie answered,

Peace, an appreciation of Japan, the art of Japan, and the beauty of the sounds of water. I

have forgotten how beautiful just the trickle, trickle of the water and the bamboo is. How

can it be. Do you remember that out of the garden? The big one, filled and empty.

I also sought to determine what the respondents thought about the role and importance of a

Japanese museum in the United States. I asked, “Do you think a Japanese collection is essential

for this museum and for the community in the United States?” Diane said,

I don’t think it’s essential, but it enhances the community. Let me go to Italy for a second.

Okay, yeah, everything in Italy is a museum actually. And anyway it’s such a new young

country here, and the other countries are much older, and museums and churches are

everywhere in other countries. Here, we need to have actual physical museums.

Joan replied, “I think that it’s important to show various cultures, and I think it enriches

everybody and gives us more of an understanding of other cultures and nationalities. It’s

essential.” Carrie answered,

Very important that people understand the Japanese culture. More than one hundred years

ago, the Japanese people were removed from their lands by our military. That’s wrong.

People can appreciate other ways of life. Turning the corner, then, you can find

something new. You will appreciate all of life more. With the Japanese, for me especially,

it is the simplicity of life. For example, the Western garden has water and flowers and

flowers. But here, it’s the simplicity of single nature. It’s time to breathe and enjoy.

I asked, “What do you think the role of the Japanese museum or collections in this community or society is?” Diane answered,

Same things, to increase the information, to get resources and libraries there, you know,

to get more information.” Then Joan said, “Well, an understanding of other cultures is

always important. We learn about Florida culture here, too. Yamato Road, see, this is

fascinating. The Yamato road is actually named after the Japanese person, Yamato. I

thought it was very interesting. We are learning about each other.

Diane also said, “Understanding each other and peace in this world are important; otherwise, the

crazy wars are everywhere.”

I thought Carrie became more curious about the Japanese culture after her visit to the

Morikami Museum. Curiosity is a very important element in a meaningful museum experience.

In response to my question about the importance of a Japanese museum for the community,

Carrie said,

Yes. I would think about recommending this to my friends who live in Hollywood and

Sarasota, Florida. Do they know about this? This is worth traveling across the state to see.

I can say to my friends in Connecticut, you can come here down to see this beautiful

museum. I think it crosses boundaries. And I’m wondering do we have the Japanese

museum in New York? I don’t know. So, it makes me curious. That is what a museum

should do, don’t you think? Make one curious.

The interviews also revealed that the museum stimulated the desire of the respondents to know more about the characteristics and aesthetics of Japanese art and culture. When I asked,

“Do you want to know more about the Japanese culture, art, and history?” Diane said, “Sure.”

And Joan agreed with her, and said, “Of course.” Carrie also replied, “Yes, I want to take a tea

course. They offer a tea course. I want to do that.” They all agreed that they would like to know

more about Japanese culture, art, and history.

Finally, I asked, “Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for the exhibitions in the Japanese collection, including the interiors and other physical factors (light, labels, size, and location)?” Diane said, “No, I can’t. That’s fine.” Joan replied, “Yeah, well, I really want to take

classes and workshops, and I really think that the garden is beautiful. But they need to keep [the

rooms] at a temperature we could enjoy it.” Carrie answered,

I would like to learn more about the kimonos in the shop. It would be beautiful, and they

maybe have or they maybe will do kimono exhibitions, and you know, tell you about it.

Or, fashion shows. I don’t know. You can have fundraiser or something. They don’t have

to expand, but it would be fun, a Japanese style show [that] might support a scholarship

or foundation back in Japan. Interpretation After conducting and analyzing the results of the observations and interviews, I found that

most visitors aged 45 to 65 clearly were engaged by the exhibitions of the museum, and showed

a keen interest in Japanese art and culture. They enjoyed the museum’s galleries and gardens, and appreciated Japanese art and aesthetics, as well as the opportunity to experience Japanese culture in interactive settings. I realized that although it was curiosity that led the visitors to come to this museum, the museum experience itself made them even more curious about Japanese art and culture than before their visit. The total experience of the Morikami Museum generated both familiarity with and curiosity about Japanese art and culture for the visitors. One of the most important roles of the museum is creating this kind of meaningful experience for visitors.

The experiences of the respondents were made more meaningful by features of the museum that helped them understand and engage with the Japanese artworks and artifacts, such

as opportunities to interact with exhibits, signage, and descriptive labels. Such explanatory items

helped the visitors to more fully appreciate the gardens, interiors, and buildings. In addition, the

self-guide served as an important tool by which visitors could orient themselves to the museum

and learn more about its contents.

My observations and interviews with the three respondents suggested that these visitors were interested in the Japanese art and culture, and actively sought to know more about Japanese art and culture. Their curiosity and interest motivated them to obtain further information on

Japanese artworks and objects. They carefully read the descriptions and explanations associated with the artworks and objects, and they were disappointed when such explanations were absent.

This lack of information, when it occurred, diminished to some extent the meaningfulness of their experience in the museum. Conversely, the visitors greatly enjoyed the interactive labels

and the interactive settings of the Yamato-kan museum. The hands-on activities gave the visitors

a great opportunity to experience Japanese culture in a natural learning environment.

I noticed that the temperature of the exhibition galleries played an important role in the visitors’ opportunities for meaning-making in the museum. Maintaining a moderate temperature that allowed visitors to be comfortable would have increased the time they spent in the galleries.

The temperature actually disturbed the ability of some of the visitors to appreciate the art works and other collections. Good lighting, on the other hand, increased the visitors’ meaning-making by providing a comfortable environment in which to appreciate the art and read descriptive labels.

There was wide agreement among the visitors that the environments of the gardens reflected a sense of Japanese serenity and peace. They enjoyed these peaceful environments and saw them as a way of gaining a more personal knowledge of Japanese culture and gardens. Summary of Findings

My analysis of meaning-making in the environment of the Morikami Museum yielded the

following findings.

Elements of the informational environment, including description labels, signage, explanatory wall texts, and self-guides, are important in order to creating a meaningful experience in the museum, since visitors make personal connections through them. When a lack of information existed, visitors were disappointed, and their experience and meaning-making was obstructed. In general, the visitors sought more information in order to better enjoy and appreciate the museum.

Size, layout, and lighting effects are all important for visitors’ flow experience in the museum. The temperature of a gallery also can greatly influence the museum experience. A cold temperature in a gallery can interrupt the visitors’ enjoyment of its exhibits.

The Japanese-style buildings of the Morikami Museum are important to the experience of

Japanese culture. Visitors indirectly gained a greater understanding of Japanese culture through

these buildings. Visitors make personal connections to Japanese culture and experience aesthetic

pleasure through both the museum buildings and gardens. Visitors gained knowledge of both

Japanese culture and gardens after visiting the museum and gardens.

Interactive exhibits and settings are essential for a rich museum experience, as they help visitors to create meanings learn about other cultures more comprehensively. Some visitors called the Yamato-kan museum “the original museum.” The interactive setting of the Morikami’s

Yamato-kan museum allows visitors to experience contemporary Japanese culture. Visitors construct their own meanings by seeing and touching objects and by reading labels. The interactive labels in the Yamato-kan improve visitors’ readability and accessibility. Many visitors became more familiar with Japanese culture after visiting this museum. One visitor commented,

“I really felt like I was in Japan.”

Visitors seek additional explanatory information when they feel short of information. In

front of the gardens, there were labels with numbers designated for an audio tour, but the visitors wanted additional explanatory information in the setting. The Morikami Museum environment makes visitors more curious about Japanese culture and other Japanese museums.

Videos shown in galleries can easily attract visitors, but the content, sound, and narration of the video are very important in maintaining visitor attention. The benches in the gardens and gallery are important, for they allow visitors to comfortably enjoy the views, artworks and the quiet of the place.

Visitors gain inspiration from the Morikami’s artworks and artifacts and create personal connections and meanings, particularly in relation to the Japanese gardens in the museum. They recognize that understanding other cultures is important. The Japanese gardens in this museum also provide a peaceful environment and communicate to visitors some of the unique characteristics of Japanese culture. Visitors are highly interested in the cultural connections between Florida and Japan, and are willing to learn more about this historical relationship.

The physical environments and interactive settings of the Morikami Museum greatly affected the visitors’ personal meaning-making and overall experience at the museum. In particular, the museum environment helped visitors develop individual knowledge and an appreciation of the Japanese aesthetics through their experiences of Japanese visual culture in the art and gardens of the Morikami. Conclusion

This chapter used the critical categories of immersion, response, description, and interpretation to analyze data on visitor meaning-making collected at the Morikami Museum in

Delray Beach, Florida. In the next chapter, I apply the same analytic tools and procedures to data gathered at the Japanese collection of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in order to more fully explore visitor experiences and meaning-making at Japanese collections in the U.S.

CHAPTER 5

PRESENTATION OF DATA: THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Introduction

This chapter contains data collected at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the analysis of the data using ethnographic criticism strategies (Anderson, 2000). As in the last chapter, the research question to which this chapter refers is: How are viewers’ experiences of the Japanese collections shaped by the museum environments? This question was addressed using a phenomenological approach that primarily employed natural observation and interviews as research methods. Analysis of the Japanese Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Floor Plan The Japanese gallery of the Metropolitan Museum is located on the second floor in the north corner of the Sackler Wing. From the main lobby, visitors are directed to use the staircase in the middle entrance and go up the stairs and turn to the right towards a museum shop and right toward the Chinese exhibitions on the open corridor. Then, passing through the Chinese Gallery, visitors find the Japanese Art Gallery on the left in the Sackler Wing. The Japanese art gallery is located between the Chinese art gallery in the east side toward the main entrance and the

American wing in the west side (Figure 32). This second floor also has Korean art, Central Asian art, 19th to early 20th century European paintings and sculpture, and modern art galleries. Immersion and Response The Japanese collection in the Sackler Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art was renovated in December 2009. Following this renovation, many people visited; according to the staff counting visitors to the collection, there had been more than one hundred visitors every hour in the days after the renovation. I wondered whether people were visiting this newly renovated collection for the purpose of seeing the new exhibits or whether they happened to visit after 75

seeing the Chinese collection next to it.

Unlike the Morikami Museum, where most of the visitors were non-Asian, I found many

Asian people from Japan, Korea, and China in this room. I thought the interest of these visitors

might be traced to their familiarity with Japanese culture or the similarities of Japanese art and artifacts to those of other Asian cultures. The relatively greater number of Asian visitors might also stem from the status of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as one of the most famous museums in the world, one attracting visitors from everywhere in the world and in the United

States.

The average age of the visitors to the Japanese collection at the Metropolitan Museum of

Art seemed to be much younger than at the Morikami Museum. Because so many visitors were young students and tourists, it was difficult to find and focus on the 45 to 65 age group here.

I had expected that the environment of the Japanese collection in the Metropolitan

Museum of Art would be a Western cultural environment, that is, a common type of museum setting for contemporary exhibitions of all kinds of objects or artifacts. Though most of the rooms in the Japanese collection gallery had the same environment, several other interesting architectural styles could be found there.

For example, one room had a traditional Japanese structure and looked like a real Buddhist temple in Japan. It was interesting to see this traditional style of Japanese architecture in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art. It took some time to find information on the structure because the explanatory labels were located on the opposite wall and were hard to find. Unfortunately, this led most visitors to miss the information about the room’s unique traditional style, with its statues of the Buddha and guardian kings.

Many visitors were taking pictures in this room. Although this room was darker than most

of the other rooms in the collection, some visitors were able to find and carefully examine the

labels describing the wooden standing figurine sculptures. I believe that the reason some visitors were highly interested in these statutes may have involved the traditional interior design style of this room and the dramatic highlighting effects in this darker place.

I walked into a room where visitors could see the back of a sculpture called Water Stone by

Isamu Noguchi. I did not expect to see any contemporary sculpture here, so I found this to be exciting. The wooden screen above the water stone prevented visitors from seeing the sculpture from one side of the room, a feature that may have roused the visitors’ interest in the sculpture.

Actually, the screen blocked only half of the view, but people seemed to notice the sculpture more because of the sounds it made than the sight of it. I thought that Water Stone represented the idea of waterfalls in the Japanese garden, and gave visitors a sense of calm and relaxation. I loved hearing the sound of the water falling down this sculpture.

After passing through several rooms, visitors could see the front of the Water Stone sculpture. The museum displayed the sculpture in such a way that visitors could see the backside from a room located on the other side of the sculpture. The unique environment of this room offered a different feeling and experience of the Water Stone sculpture. For me, this room provided a more modern and contemporary setting from which to view the sculpture than the other room, which had lower lights and darker, khaki-colored walls.

On the opposite side of the contemporary room from which to view the sculpture were several porcelains and dishes. Few people looked at these objects, paying attention only to the

Water Stone sculpture, which they had already seen from another location. I surmised that the visitors’ inattention to the porcelains and dishes behind the bench was more a result of the location of these artifacts than the artifacts themselves. In order to see them, one had to actually take a detour around the bench. The lack of a direct path to the objects made it a little inconvenient to see them.

In another room of the Japanese collection, I saw two identical labels at either side of a display of folding screens. Because of the immense size of the folding screens, descriptive labels clearly were placed on either side for the visitors’ convenience. In addition, visitors could read the labels without blocking the view of others. I was pleased and impressed by the convenience

of reading the labels without any interruption, despite the large number of visitors in this area.

In the same gallery, there was a gate to the American Wing. I felt that this gate might

disturb the “flow” experience of visitors to this Japanese collection. In addition, this room had

only one explanatory wall text, which failed to provide a detailed explanation of the history and

background of Japanese art and culture. Further, the museum did not provide adequate

explanations about room itself, nor about the artworks they were displayed.

In another room, many visitors were highly interested in the handscrolls and the folding

screens that were displayed. The labels in this area contained good explanations, and the museum

also provided English translations of the poems. I thought that this environment would readily

provoke visitor interest in the artwork it contained.

At the end of the exhibition, there was a room that looked like a rest area. The environment

of this room was distinguished from the other rooms in this collection. There were a big wooden

table and several chairs at the center of this room, as well as two benches with tatami mats that

conveyed the sense of a real Japanese room to me. The room seemed to interest the Japanese

visitors, too. From my perspective, this room played both the roles of a resting place and an

exhibition room. Here, people could feel Japanese culture just by sitting and resting.

Again, just as in the Morikami Museum, no one paid attention to me or seemed concerned

about my presence, observations, or note-taking. This may have been due to the large number of

visitors, many of whom were students, in the Japanese collection of the Metropolitan Museum of

Art. I believe that my presence did not influence the audience I was observing.

Categories of Experience Based on my analysis of the observations and interviews I conducted in the Japanese collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I believe that visitors there engaged in meaning

making, creating meaningful personal experiences in the galleries of the Japanese collection. In

the course of this analysis, I identified categories of visitor experiences, which I have listed

below along with the frequency of occurrence:

Aesthetic pleasure. This category refers to expressions related to the experience of

personal aesthetic pleasure. In six cases, visitors made comments like, “I like it,” or “It’s

amazing.”

Closer look. In two cases, visitors expressed the desire to look at artifacts more closely.

Construction of meaning. This category refers to indications that visitors were

constructing their own meanings while looking at exhibits, such as talking with people

about exhibits and interacting with exhibits. This occurred in six cases.

Curiosity. In four cases, visitors asked questions of others, or sought to get

information about artifacts or Japanese culture. I labeled these phenomena as curiosity.

Educational purpose. In six cases, visitors noted that their reason for visiting the

Japanese collections was to educate themselves or their children, and I coded these phenomena as educational purpose.

Effective environment. In 13 cases, visitor behavior indicated that the museum environment was effective. For example, when explanatory labels, lights, or other physical elements of the gallery or the gardens effectively helped visitors to see and understand Japanese artifacts or the Japanese culture that the artifacts reflected, this was coded effective environment.

Lack of information. This category refers to the five instances in which visitors

found there was no information about the artworks, no historical context, or not enough description of artworks or artifacts.

Learning opportunity. This category refers to actual demonstrations of acquiring information about Japanese art, history, or culture from the exhibits. These were coded as learning opportunity. In three cases, visitors were observed participating in such learning opportunities that the museum provided to them.

Personal affection. When respondents made such comments as, “I like the design, pretty calm,” or “Love of Japanese art,” I coded it as personal affection. These occurred in three cases.

Personal connection. When visitors derived, through the exhibits or the environment, personal meanings or associations with works seen previously, it was coded as personal connection. This occurred in six cases.

Relaxing place. The museum created a relaxing place for its visitors. In eight instances, when visitors took a rest on a bench or chair in the middle of the gallery, it was coded as relaxing place.

Uncomfortable/Ineffective Environment. In two cases, the physical environment distracted visitors, or was not noticed by visitors. These phenomena were coded uncomfortable/ineffective environment.

Understanding other cultures. When respondents said, “Understanding other cultures is always important,” “We like learning about each other,” or “Understanding each other and peace in the world is important,” I coded this as understanding other culture. This occurred in two cases.

Description Observation. The theme of the recently renovated Japanese collection at the Metropolitan

Museum of Art was: “5,000 years of Japanese Art: Treasures from the Packard Collection.” The collection encompassed eight different rooms, not all of which were clearly divided by walls, but which could be divided according to periods, from the Jomon period (14,000 BC-400 BC) to the

Edo period (1603-1868). For my research purposes, then, I divided this collection into eight rooms and named each one according to its distinguishing features in order to better describe and explain the unique environment of each divided space. The content of the eight rooms concerned the following: 1) the Jomon period (14,000 BC-400 BC), with ancient Japanese artifacts, 2) the

Heian period (794-1185), 3) hanging scrolls and a statue of a Buddhist monk, 4) hanging scrolls, a pair of six-panel folding screens by Kano Eino, and a water stone, 5) a Shoin (literally, “study”) room, hanging scrolls, dishes, and folding screens from the Momoyama period (1573-1603), 6) scrolls, folding fans, an album of landscape paintings, the Water Stone sculpture (the same one that could be seen from room 4), dishes, and porcelains, 7) handscrolls, an overrobe, woodblock prints, figurines, porcelains, and hanging scrolls from the Edo period (1603-1868), and finally, 8) furniture and other items that designated this space as a rest area.

Room 1. At the entrance of this room, there were two explanatory wall texts mounted on the opposite walls of the room. One was an introduction to the Packard collection, and the other was an overall explanation of Japanese art (Figure 33). The shape of this room was rectangular, the wall color was khaki, and there were dark grey carpets on the floor. This room was somewhat dark, but the museum highlights several artifacts with soft white spotlights from the ceiling. Inside glass enclosures, the museum displayed clay figurines and pottery from the

Jomon period (14,000 BC-400 BC) on top of different-sized boxes. The museum covered the boxes and bottom of the enclosures with ivory-colored cloth.

Room 2. The shape of this room was rectangular, and it had a wooden lattice- patterned ceiling that made the room feel like the interior of a traditional Japanese house (Figure

34). The museum installed a wooden altar with an alcove in the room, and this represented the

Japanese-style Buddhist architecture of the Heian period (794-1185). There were hanging ornaments on the ceiling above the alcove. Lights were focused on the Buddha statue in the center of the altar and on two statues on either side of the Buddha statue. Light was also directed

on two ornaments hanging from the ceiling in front of the alcove, creating shadows on the back

wall. The explanatory label for this altar was located on the opposite wall. Besides the wooden altar with the Buddha statue, the room contained three standing wooden statues of a guardian king, a Kannon, and a Buddhist monk. A soft white light was used to highlight each sculpture.

Also in the room were hanging scrolls and porcelains. Although the walls were the same khaki color as in the other rooms, this room was the darkest of all.

Room 3. This room displayed handscrolls, hanging scrolls, lidded bowls, and a statue of a Buddhist monk (Figure 35). Some of the walls of this room were made of real chestnut-colored wood, creating a darker mood than in the khaki-colored walls of the previous rooms. The room also looked very dark because it had little light: only a few soft white lights were used in this room. The artworks behind a glass enclosure were given an ivory-colored background.

Room 4. This room exhibited hanging scrolls and plates from the Muromachi (1336-

1573) and the Edo periods (1603-1868). On entering the room, I first encountered Kano Tan’yu’s six-panel folding screens from the Edo period (Figure 36). Since there was no glass wall separating the folding screens, visitors could clearly see the folding screens and pictures on them without any hindrances, such as the reflection of light. The colors of the screens were more vivid without a glass wall protecting them. Indirect lighting using opaque glass was used to light the

screens and hanging scrolls in this room. The walls were the same khaki color as in most other rooms, and the carpets on the floor were dark grey.

Next to this room, there was a small resting place with a bench where visitors could see the back of the Water Stone sculpture by Isamu Noguchi (Figure 37). Water Stone had actual water coming up from the bottom and running into the basin below. Visitors could hear the sound of water falling from this room, even if the sculpture was half blocked by a wooden wall from the top, which it difficult to see when standing. Visitors could appreciate the sculpture fully from the sixth room because it was not blocked by the wooden wall and was installed in an open space.

This creative use of space allowed the visitors to see this sculpture twice.

Room 5. This room mainly contained a model of a shoin (study) room from the

Momoyama period (Figure 38). Unlike the other rooms and even the other parts of this room, the floor in front of the shoin room model was made of wood. The shoin room was a reading room in a Zen monastery (label), so there were bookshelves and an alcove near a window of this model.

Overall, the room was a bit dark because the soft white lights were dimmed to a very low level. Located two feet up from the wooden floor, the model had a tokonoma covered by gold leaf on the left side, and on the center wall, approximately six-foot- long wall shelves covered by four sliding side-by-side doors with Kano Sansetsu’s The Old Plum

Screens on them. Above the center doors of the model, the white wall was trimmed with light brown wood. The right wall contained four sliding gold-leaf doors. There were light brown tatami mats on the floor of the model, and the ceiling was made of wood in a lattice pattern. On the ceiling of the tokonoma, the museum executed light in indirect ways.

On the other side of the room that contained the model, there were hanging scrolls, folding screens, dishware, and cups from the Edo period (Figure 39). Since the hanging scrolls and folding screens were not enclosed by glass, visitors could look at the artworks more closely.

Folding screens that looked approximately thirty-feet-long were displayed in an indented space with soft white lights illuminating them and khaki and light plum walls surrounding them. The lights were hidden behind the front wall. In this somewhat dark room, these lights helped visitors

pay close attention to the screens. Next to the folding screens, three hanging scrolls were displayed in khaki and light plum color walls with soft white color lights shedding lights only on them directly from the above. In front of the folding screens there was a bench that enabled visitors to sit and appreciate the screens for a longer time, and to take a rest.

In this area, the room was very crowded with people who enjoyed taking a moment to chat.

This part of the room seemed to function as more of a social space because here most of the

visitors did not look seriously at the artifacts. In addition, this room had a gate to the American

Wing, and many people went in and out through this gate (Figure 40). The same explanatory wall

text used at the other entrance to introduce the Japanese collection was placed at this entrance.

Many people entered this room from the American Wing, and some discussed which direction to

go.

Room 6. In this room, visitors could see the front of the Water Stone sculpture the

backside of which visitors had already viewed from the fourth room (Figure 41). From this room,

however, visitors could enjoy the same sculpture from a different perspective. In this room, the

ceiling was about thirty percent higher than in the other rooms. While the walls were ivory, the

natural bright daylight coming through the opaque glass of the ceiling made the ivory-colored

wall color look white. The ceiling featured the same latticed-wood pattern as in the other rooms,

although it was composed of smaller squares rimmed in black.

A bench was placed in front of the Water Stone sculpture. Ceramics were displayed behind

the bench. On the wall next to the Water Stone, folding fans and an album of landscape paintings

were displayed (Figure 42). In this room, there were also hanging scrolls, dishes, handscrolls,

and porcelains from the Edo period. Two folding screens were displayed on the other side of this

room, and in front of which was another bench. Next to the opening to the sixth room, there was

a display of an actual overrobe with an explanatory label and a photograph behind it.

Room 7. This room displayed Ukiyo-e hanging scrolls in separate glass boxes,

illuminated by direct, soft white light from the ceiling (Figure 43). At the center of this room was

a handscroll in a glass box with two identical labels, one on the right and one on the left, and

with full translations of the poem on the scroll. On the other side, there were figurines and

porcelains from the Edo period (Figure 44). The wall color was khaki, and the carpet on the floor was dark grey.

Room 8. At the center of this room, there was a huge round table made of natural wood (Figure 45) with seven chairs around it. This room contained a big window from which visitors could see the Egyptian collection on the first floor hall. The wall in this room was

covered by chestnut-colored wood. The color of the carpet was grey, and the ceiling was ivory.

With several lights on the ceiling and a good deal of natural light coming in through the big

window, the room was brighter than any of the other Japanese collection exhibition rooms.

In the corner of this room, close to the entrance to this collection, was one light brown

desk with one chair. Along the walls, between the desk and the big window, were two long,

connected benches with tatami mats on them. A square-shaped paper lantern hung from the ceiling above these benches, and a ceramic with flowers was installed at the corner of benches.

The furniture and chestnut-colored walls created the impression of a Japanese house. Contextual Information Observation. The following section provides a contextual information of the observations made of the exhibitions of the Metropolitan Museum, including rooms 1 to room 8.

Room 1. The first visitor I noticed was a senior who ignored the explanatory wall

texts at the entrance and went directly to look at the artifacts in this room. Two middle-aged men

entered and read the text on the wall for at least three minutes before moving to looking at the artifacts associated with each label. In this first room, not many people looked carefully at the

descriptive labels next to the artifacts, or even at the artifacts themselves. Instead, they glanced at

the artifacts, then, passed from this room into the second room to look at the huge Buddha statue.

Created in the traditional Japanese style, this statue could be seen by visitors from the entrance.

One senior came by and read the explanatory wall text for about five minutes before taking

pictures of this room. Many visitors spoke languages other than English, so it was hard to

understand their conversations. Some people did not carefully looking at the exhibits, or just

passed them without seriously looking at them. Two seniors entered the room and carefully

looked at the artifacts. One middle-aged woman said, “Very Chinese.” Her companion responded,

saying, “No, no, it’s Japanese.” Five seniors in this room discussed Japanese history and culture

while viewing the artifacts. They talked very quietly, so I found it difficult to pick up much of

their conversation. I heard one say, “Probably a thousand years ago…” and “Japanese people are

pretty smart.”

Room 2. One senior was carefully reading the labels describing the hanging scrolls

and handscrolls. Two others said, “It’s kind of scary!” Then they did not look at explanations or

the artifacts again, and left the room. Although there were many visitors to this gallery, I was

unable to observe any who were taking the audio tour in this room. Two seniors were looking at

the wooden standing statues very carefully, but no one noticed or read the label describing

Japanese-style Buddhist architecture.

Room 3. One of the seniors who had left the previous room was very carefully

examining the hanging scrolls in this room. Two seniors commented on the hanging scrolls and

bowls, saying, “Nice and tiny,” and “Do you like it?” Another senior took a picture of a

handscroll, and then read the label next to it very carefully.

Room 4. A senior in this room read a label about a Buddhist monk statue, and afterwards read labels for the hanging scrolls in this room. After reading these labels, she spent at least five minutes looking at the hanging scrolls. In front of the Water Stone in this room, I found one senior sitting on the bench with her eyes closed, taking a rest. A few minutes later, senior man came up to her. She said, “Do you want to look at it more?” to which he replied, “I’m done.” After that, they left this room. Two other seniors in this room were carefully looking at the explanatory labels about Zen Buddhism and art. I could hear one senior say, “Close to

China…” The other senior read the label for the folding screens.

Room 5. When I entered this room, one senior and two middle-aged persons were carefully looking at the labels describing the folding screens. Two other seniors were sitting on a bench in front of the folding screens, and said, “Maybe it’s a hill. This artist is kind of eccentric.”

Then one senior woman read the associated label and said, “They mentioned rocky forms, mists… The branches are same size. Oh, look at the house” and then, “There is always something to look at! Two seniors were highly interested in the shoin room. One of them said,

“This room is compositionally beautiful!” A middle-aged man who brought his son said, “Which

one is more expensive? Guess.” Two seniors came into this room through the gate from the

American Wing, and said, “This way. This is supposed to tell stories.” One middle-aged man did

not look at this exhibit, and left the room through the exit.

Two middle-aged women were talking about the pictures on the folding screens and said,

“That is a standing figure.” They then moved to other screens, saying, “That’s just simplicity,”

“That’s pretty,” and “Stones… just have different textures.” They passed the other artifacts in this room and then left the room. Soon, two seniors entered, saying, “This is it” and then left the room through the exit to the American Wing. Two other seniors were taking pictures in this room,

and said, “I like that.” Others said, “Nice, isn’t it?” and “I like that.” Two seniors stood in front of the hanging scrolls in this room and said, “It’s interesting,” and then, “Okay, we can finish this.” Then, they left the room.

Room 6. In this room, a senior was taking a picture of the Water Stone, but she did

not look at porcelains and dishes. Many visitors passed this room without carefully looking at the

porcelains and dishes that were behind the bench. Most simply took pictures of the Water Stone

and left the room. Some people sat on the bench to take a rest. One senior woman, however, was highly interested in the porcelains and dishes in this room, and read the labels and looked at them very carefully. She exclaimed, “Gorgeous!” Two other seniors also examined the porcelains and dishes, but without reading the labels. One of these women said, “Oh, my God! This is so beautiful!” In front of one of the folding screens, on a bench, two middle-aged women chatted for almost an hour without looking at any of the artifacts.

Room 7. Many people entered this room second, on their way from the eighth furniture room to the rest of the Japanese collection. A ninety- degree sideways turn from the entrance leads visitors in this direction, causing many to appreciate the artworks and artifacts of the collection in reverse chronological order. None of the visitors who entered this room from the eighth room looked carefully at the artifacts. Two seniors here were highly interested, however, in three Ukiyo-e hanging scrolls on the wall. They spent a good deal of time examining them, and then returned twice to look at them again. They also took note of all the accompanying explanatory labels, and spent at least five minutes reading them. As they did, they said, “Quite nice,” and “Nice stuff. Two middle-aged men read the labels and translations for a poem on a handscroll. They seemed highly interested in the handscroll and looked at it very carefully.

Room 8. It was clear that visitors enjoyed sitting on the bench in this room, and

discussing the design of the furniture around them. One said, “Pretty simple units.” Many of the

people in this room were reading books or listening to museum guides. Visitors also seemed to

greatly enjoy looking down the hall through the big window of this room. A group of Japanese

middle-aged people liked this room. I overheard them saying, “Sugoi” (Great) and “Nande,

nande” (What, what?).

Interviews. I interviewed three male visitors, and I will use pseudonyms names to protect their privacy. Matt visited this gallery alone, and David and Josh visited this room together.

These interview respondents came here for the specific purpose of visiting the Japanese

collection. I asked, “What’s your purpose in visiting this museum?” In response, Matt said, “To visit the Japanese collection, only for this collection.” Similarly, David and Josh said, “Love of

Japanese art.”

They were all very familiar with this museum. When I asked, “How many times did you

visit this museum?” Matt said, “Between fifty and one hundred times,” and David and Josh

answered, “Many times.” Based on these responses, I assumed that they were very familiar with

Japanese art and culture, and would therefore have their own perspectives, criteria, and opinions

about the Japanese collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

All three of them read description labels and wall texts in order to understand and learn more about the artworks or pieces that were displayed. I asked, “Did you read the description labels or pick up the self-guide?” Matt replied, “I read description labels because I found them interesting, and they gave me an understanding of the piece I’m seeing.” David answered, “Yes, I read labels to educate myself further about what I see.” Josh similarly replied, “Yes, labels. To better know what I’m looking at.” They read the labels in the gallery, but none had the self-guide

because none existed specifically for the Japanese collection galleries. However, the museum did

provide a map and special exhibition catalogues.

The respondents had not previously visited the newly- renovated environment of the

Japanese collection, and they expected a meaningful experience. I asked, “What art collections

did you expect in this museum?” Matt answered, “I go to the museum often because I have lived in New York for many years. I expected to see this new collection. I knew about the new

Japanese collection.” David and Josh both said that they expected to see the “Japanese collection.”

The respondents were familiar with Japanese art and culture, and this familiarity certainly had some affect on their meaning making in this museum. I asked, “Are you familiar with

Japanese art or Japanese culture?” Matt answered,

Yes, I’ve known the Japanese collection since the museum acquired it, and I also saw this

collection before the museum acquired. I also took a Japanese art class when I was a

student, and I enjoyed it. I also visited Japan several times.

David said, “Yes, from classes taken, and a visit to Japan.” And Josh also said, “Yes, from visiting Japan many times. We visited Tokyo, Nara, Kyoto, and the seacoast of Japan.”

The Japanese collection affected the interviewees’ meaning making, then, because it connected them to their personal memories. I asked, “Did the Japanese artifacts and collections remind you of any personal memories?” Matt said, “Yes, of seeing the Japanese collection when

I was a student…seeing this collection when I was a student before the museum acquired it, and of some of my visit to Japan.” Josh replied, “Well, yes, of taking many trips to Japan and visiting many temples and museums. I had been to the country, and especially, the room with the paintings and trees, and those screens.” David replied, “The same. It was reminiscent of my travel to Japan and also reminiscent of prior educational classes I’ve taken about Japan when I was a student.”

Interestingly, the lighting in the museum proved to be one of the important physical features of the environment affecting the respondents’ meaning making. The excellent lighting in

the Japanese collection at the Met helped visitors to feel calm and to concentrate on watching and appreciating the artwork. I asked the respondents, “What did you observe or think about the interior design and lighting effects?” Matt said, “I think it’s very nice. I like the design, it’s pretty calm. I think it reaches its goals very well, and it illuminates the artworks very well, as if there is a consistency of the law.” David said, “[They] handsomely installed and thoughtfully laid out the artifacts.” Josh agreed with David.

Furthermore, they agreed that the interiors of the rooms played an important role in their understanding of the collection. When I asked, “What ways, if any, do you think the interiors play effective roles for your understanding of the Japanese collections?” Matt answered, “Maybe it helps us to focus on some of the images and remind us of some elements of art, and the lighting of some museums.” David said, “In replicating the philosophy, and put the design, echoing the philosophy of the Japanese arts.” Josh agreed with David.

The respondents also suggested changes related to the space and glass enclosures surrounding artifacts in the museum; these reflected features of the museum that inhibited to some extent the respondents’ meaning making process. Following up on the previous question, I asked, “What would you do differently?” Matt said, “More historical context. And maybe more space for you, because there is so much information on it. More chairs and more spaces between the artifacts.” Josh said,

Well, one thing for me, but it is going to be impossible. It would be nice to have no glass

between me and what I’m looking at because many times I’m looking at reflections. I try

to truly look at the images, but the reflections or lights come up … many times, it’s

impossible.

David answered, “I can’t think about anything I can change. I agree with him. It would be nice but I understand the need for protection. But otherwise, nothing I thought of. For me, it’s very well laid out.”

Because they specifically mentioned the space and size of the collection, I asked, “Are the size and space of the Japanese collection gallery enough for you to experience Japanese art and culture?” Matt replied, “I would like [it if it were] definitely bigger for me.” David said,

It’s the tip of the iceburg. More should be covered [in] the wing of a major museum like

this. The culture of Japan. It doesn’t do the culture; it doesn’t give enough of the culture.

There’s a lack of exposure.

Josh answered, “For me, it’s just a suggestion of Japanese culture with this small exhibit, really.

It give[s] you a feeling of where the Japanese culture [are].”

Soft lighting, the simplicity of the environment, and chronological signs all helped to enhance the respondents’ meaning making. I asked them, “How do the environments of these rooms help you to understand the Japanese art and culture?” Matt said, “I think the lower lighting. For example, a number of modern museums in New York show artwork using modern bright lightening, but there are more spiritual elements here; more calm, and the dark environment.” David answered, “The environment is one of simplicity… It echoes a lot of

Japanese aesthetics, but not all…some Japanese historical arts are very complex, not minimal… but then the Buddhist aspects of culture definitely echo the minimal ways. That works.” Josh replied, “More chronological information would be helpful. They divided it chronologically if you read the description of it, but they did not have enough information about the Japanese culture in each period.”

Further questions revealed that the respondents’ meaning making was not affected by the environment of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, such as the overall building structure, which

did not reflect the Japanese style. For example, I asked, “Did the building structures remind you of any personal memories?” Matt, David, and Josh all said, “No.”

Overall, the respondents seemed to have had a meaningful experience in the Japanese collection of this museum. I asked, “What do you think you gained from your visit?” Matt replied, “I think I got some of the scrolls and some of the sculptures, some of the movement of the technique of the sculptures, and lots of scrolls.” David said, “Appreciation of a new artist that

I didn’t know about.” Josh agreed with David.

Further, they were positive about the role of the Japanese collection in U.S. society in general and in their community. When I asked, “Do you think the Japanese collection is essential for this museum and for the community in the United States?” Matt replied,

Yes, because the museum is the museum of art from all humans, and I like the diversity

of European, American, African American, Asian and Egyptian art. You can visit them all

in one place. I think it’s great, and I just think it’s valuable for people to be able to

experience other cultures. For me, the Japanese culture is beautiful. I like it. So, it’s great

to have that thing in the United States.

David said, “Of course, because of the contribution of the Japanese culture to the arts, and the significance of that contribution is domain.” Josh agreed and said, “Yes. All cultures deserve to have space in the museum.”

I also asked, “What do you think is the role of the Japanese museum or Japanese collections in this community or society?” David said,

Sure, to educate the community in the United States [by] exposing people to the culture

and arts of Japan. Not everyone in this area can have the opportunity to go to Japan. It [is]

very far away, and many people can’t afford to travel that far, so it’s wonderful

opportunity, especially for young people, to get a chance to [be] exposed to another world.

Josh replied,

Not a large group of Japanese people live in the city, and I think it’s probably good for

their own culture to have this display in this museum. They can learn about their own

culture from this museum and also bring their children, [who] may [have] grown up here,

to show what their ancestors, what their country, and their parents produced.

When I asked, “Do you want to know more about the Japanese culture, art, and history?”

Matt said, “I would enjoy that.” David answered, “Definitely.” Josh said, “Oh, yes.”

The respondents had a meaningful experience here, but suggested improvements to the

collection that would help provide an even more meaningful experience. In response to my

question, “Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for the exhibitions of the Japanese

collection, including interiors and other physical factors (light, labels, size, and location)?,” Matt

answered, “I think having more historical contexts, and maybe more explanations with some of

the cultural artifacts, would be useful .” David said,

Besides the ancient and more historical parts of culture, I think the modern and

contemporary aspects of Japanese culture could be displayed in this museum. You really

need some exposure here from the 20th century up to today. You know, [there are] a

minimal number of exhibitions about contemporary Japan, including living artists.

Josh added, “The Japanese society… although it’s very small here, they are better at showing

modern Japanese art and culture. But if a great museum such as this makes the effort to

incorporate all of this, [it is a good thing].” Interpretation Through my observations and interviews, I determined that the physical environments of

the Japanese collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art had an impact on meaning making by

visitors, especially in terms of light, wall texts, labels, and layout. It was interesting that all of the

respondents visited this museum with the specific purpose of visiting the Japanese collection, and that they frequently visited this museum. It indicates that this museum effectively provides positive museum experiences to visitors (Henry, 2010). All were familiar with Japanese art and culture to some degree, and were highly interested in Japanese art, history, and culture.

In reflecting on the comments of the respondents and other visitors, I realized that most

had begun to develop their interest in and appreciation for the Japanese collection prior to their

visit, based on their personal experiences, past memories, personal affection, and familiarity. As

there was no special guide for the Japanese collection, visitors heavily relied on the explanatory wall texts and descriptive labels to extend this understanding. Thus, the visitors came to the collection with some level of understanding and appreciation of Japanese art and culture, and the

information provided by the museum helped enlarge and enrich their understanding of the artifacts and their historical background. In this way, visitors created their own meanings and enhanced the meaningfulness of their experience through the information that the museum

provided.

Yet, the museum could further enhance the visitors’ meaning making by providing more

benches, chairs, and space around objects, enabling visitors to rest and talk and consolidate the

substantial amount of information provided. I noticed that visitors also wanted chronological

labels for each room in order to more easily comprehend the historical and cultural contexts of

the objects. They felt that the descriptive labels and explanatory wall texts did not have enough

information on Japanese art and culture in different periods. Such chronological labels could help

to orient the visitors as they moved from room to room.

In addition to the information provided on the labels and wall texts, the traditional

Japanese-style interior design and lighting effects also helped visitors to understand Japanese art

and aesthetics and to have a meaningful experience. Although the respondents failed to find any

meaning and to get any help to understand other exhibits in the Collection through the building

structure, the environment of the Japanese collection, including its interiors, soft lighting, and

highlighting effects, helped them to focus effectively on the artifacts and absorb Japanese aesthetics as well as the philosophy inherent in Japanese culture.

The reflection of light on the glass enclosures surrounding objects, however, often interrupted the visitors’ ability to fully apprehend the artworks. The visitors wanted to see clear images and accurate colors, and since lighting plays an essential role in perception, the need to

protect the artifacts sometimes interfered with their appreciation. At the same time, many

artifacts in this museum were not surrounded by glass, so visitors had the chance to see these

objects without any reflective light and take in their actual colors and texture more fully. Overall,

I thought the museum made a great effort to provide a rich and expressive environment for

visitors.

The sizes of the galleries allotted to the Japanese collection were not really large enough

for visitors to fully experience Japanese culture, however. All of the respondents I interviewed

wanted the galleries to be more spacious. They believed that this exhibition did not fully

represent Japanese art and culture. They wanted to see more Japanese artifacts, including both

modern and contemporary cultural artworks, with more explanations. In spite of their positive

experiences, these visitors felt something lacking in the cultural experience of the Japanese

collection. Summary of Findings

My analysis of meaning-making in the environment of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

yielded the following findings.

Visitors did not construct any meanings related to the museum building itself. Visitors did

not utilize the self guide because there was no special catalogue for the Japanese collection.

Descriptive labels and wall texts, however, enhanced the visitors’ understanding of artifacts and

overall museum experience. The labels placed for the convenience of visitors were effective, such as identical labels placed on either side of the folding screen exhibit. The effective

explanations and descriptions of artifacts intrigued visitors and enhanced their interest in the

artifacts.

Visitors experienced the soft lighting in the galleries as a reflection of Japanese aesthetics,

such as the simplicity of Zen Buddhism. The dimmed lights evoked “more spiritual elements”

and helped visitors focus on some of the images and elements of Japanese art. The environment

in which the collection was presented effectively represented simplicity, a major quality in

Japanese aesthetics.

Visitors felt that the sizes of the galleries were too small to contain an adequate

representation of Japanese culture. They also wanted to experience both modern and contemporary aspects of Japanese culture. They wanted to look at the artworks more closely and

clearly. Glass enclosures protecting objects sometimes created an undesirable distance or

reflected light that impeded their viewing, negatively impacting their museum experience.

Visitors felt that more places to sit and rest, as well as more space between artifacts, could enhance their museum experience.

The location of the artifacts affected the frequency with which they were viewed by visitors. The gate to the American Wing also distracted the flow of the Japanese collection experience to some extent.

Visitors thought the experience of another culture was valuable. They wanted to know more about the historical context of artworks and artifacts to increase their knowledge about

Japanese culture in each period. The collection provided an opportunity for people who could not go to Japan to learn about Japanese art and culture.

In the rich environment of the Japanese collection at this museum, visitors constructed their own meanings. The museum’s physical environments greatly influenced and, in many cases, enhanced the visitor meaning making at this museum. Conclusion

This chapter used the critical categories of immersion, response, description, and interpretation to analyze data on visitor meaning-making collected at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In the following chapter, I explore the similarities and differences between the two museums and the experiences of their visitors in order to analyze and draw conclusions about the influence of museum environments on visitor meaning making.

CHAPTER 6

EVALUATION, DISCUSSION, AND CONCLUSIONS

Introduction

This chapter contains an evaluation of environmental features of the Japanese collections that I found most affected visitors’ experiences at the Morikami Museum and the Metropolitan

Museum of Art. Included is a discussion of the similarities and differences of the two different environments, and the impact of relevant features on the personal experience of visitors. Finally, the chapter offers conclusions based on an examination of the data, as well implications of this study for further research. Evaluation The Morikami Museum I selected the Morikami Museum as one of my two research sites since, as a Japanese museum in the United States with unique Japanese indoor and outdoor environments, it provided an excellent opportunity to study the extent to which distinct physical elements of the museum affect visitor meaning making. The analysis of visitor responses indicated that most of the visitors I observed to the Morikami Museum were highly interested in the exhibitions, and very much enjoyed both the galleries and gardens. In addition, my analysis of the observations and interviews I conducted at the Morikami Museum revealed that visitors were greatly affected by the various physical environments, and created their own meaningful experiences there, such as enjoying the Japanese artworks, interacting with the exhibitions, reading the signage, labels, and self guide, and appreciating the interiors and exteriors of the buildings as well as the overall environment of the gardens.

Most visitors to the Morikami were satisfied with their experience of Japanese art and culture at the museum. Overall, based on my analysis of field observations, interviews, and

documents, I concluded that in accordance with the Morikami Museum’s mission, this museum

was successful in providing visitors with an effective environment that helped them engage with the artwork and artifacts and construct their own meanings. Environmental features and viewers’ experiences at the Morikami Museum.

The research question guiding this portion of the investigation was: How are viewers’ experiences of the Japanese collections shaped by the museum environments? The following environmental features were those that I found most affected visitors’ experiences at the

Morikami Museum.

Appropriateness of information. First, the appropriateness of the information provided by the museum had a significant influence on meaning making by visitors. Visitors constructed their own meanings and gained insights into Japanese culture mainly as a result of the information provided through such sources as wall texts, signage, descriptive labels, and self guides. Visitors were clearly very interested in Japanese art and culture and wanted to learn more. On the other hand, where there was a perceived lack of information, it distracted visitors’ attention and hindered their museum experience. Thus, while the information provided by the museum through wall texts, signage, descriptive labels, and self guides proved to be the highly appropriate tools for directly educating visitors on Japanese art and culture, in some cases visitors desired more of it.

Building interiors and exteriors. The interiors and exteriors of the buildings of the

Morikami Museum also enhanced visitors’ meaning-making and cultural experiences.

Opportunities to directly interact with artifacts inside buildings, such as in the Yamato-kan museum, were very helpful in enabling visitors to gain a deeper understanding of Japanese culture. In a less direct but equally important way, the building structures of the museum, which are built in a traditional Japanese architectural style, provided visitors with a broader experience

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of Japanese culture, thus facilitating meaning making.

The gardens. The gardens of the Morikami Museum played a big part in creating meaningful experiences for visitors, as well as conveying a sense of peace and Japanese

aesthetics. The Japanese gardens in this museum provided a peaceful environment and allowed visitors a unique experience of the character of Japanese culture. Visitors found themselves

inspired by the Japanese gardens at the Morikami; their experiences in the gardens created

personal connections that enhanced meaning making.

Cultural programming. The cultural programs and events offered by the Morikami also

enhanced the visitors’ experience of Japanese culture. Visitors were highly interested in the

cultural connection between Florida and Japan, and wanted to learn more about this relationship.

Through the various cultural programs and events offered by the museum, visitors were able to

become more familiar with Japanese culture and more aware of the connections, similarities, and

differences between the Japanese culture and their own culture.

Comfort level. A comfortable museum environment greatly facilitates a positive

experience for the visitor and the opposite is true: an uncomfortable environment negatively

impacts the visitor’s experience and leaves them with an unpleasant impression. Where the

environment of the gallery was too cold for comfort, it ruined visitors’ enjoyment of exhibitions,

since they could not stay as long as they wanted. At the same time, the benches in the gardens

served to make the visitors more comfortable, since they enabled them to enjoy views and rest

comfortably.

Lighting. Appropriate lighting increased visitors’ meaning-making and their flow

experiences. By highlighting the artifacts with soft spotlights and other effects, the museum not

only clarified colors and shapes, but also added aesthetic pleasures for visitors. Indirect lights

illuminating texts created a comfortable environment in which visitors could pay attention to and

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read wall texts and labels. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Many of the visitors to the Japanese collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art were

familiar with Japanese art and culture. Before visiting this museum, I had expected that the

Japanese collection would be mounted in the environment of the museum. Instead I found that

they had included several Japanese-style wooden structures in the museum as well as a Japanese-

style water stone sculpture. Because the larger environment of this museum could be considered

Western cultural environment, it was interesting to observe the visitors’ behaviors and responses

in the galleries of the Japanese collection.

Through my analysis of field observations, interviews, and museum documents, I determined that this museum was successful in providing effective interiors, lighting effects, and

descriptive labels for the Japanese collection. Some visitors however, felt that this exhibition was

not substantial enough to fully experience Japanese culture, and they wished to see a greater

quantity and variety of Japanese cultural artifacts, including modern and contemporary Japanese

artworks. From my perspective, the museum would have done well to provide more information

about the historical and cultural context of the Japanese artifacts, as well as more of the artifacts

themselves. Environmental features and viewers’ experience at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The research question guiding this portion of the investigation was: How are viewers’

experiences of the Japanese collections shaped by the museum environments? The following

environmental features were those that I found most affected visitor meaning making at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Convenient descriptions. Descriptive labels and wall texts enhanced the visitors’

understanding of artifacts, and accordingly, their personal meaning making. Because such labels

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and texts were intentionally placed for the convenience of visitors to the Japanese collection, visitors could take their time reading the information provided, without interruption by other visitors. For example, the museum provided two identical labels on either side of the folding screens to improve access to the information and avoid crowding.

Lighting. The lighting of the galleries and artifacts of the Japanese collections affected the way visitors engaged with Japanese aesthetics, understood Japanese philosophy, and experienced the spiritual elements of the Japanese artifacts. My research indicated that lighting effects, both for interior rooms and structures and for individual objects, sometimes enhanced and sometimes hindered the meaning making experiences of visitors. For example, while soft spotlighting helped visitors focus on artifacts, the reflection of light on glass that enclosed and protected artifacts sometimes distracted from their museum experience. Most often, however, visitors felt that the lighting reflected Japanese aesthetics.

Physical comfort. My observations and interviews indicated that opportunities for physical comfort helped visitors to construct meaning. Visitors wanted more places to sit and rest and talk, as well as more spaces between artifacts in order to have a more comfortable experience. Visitors who used chairs and benches stayed longer and observed the exhibits for a longer time.

Extensiveness of the collection. The extensiveness of the collection also affected the meaning making of the visitors, many of whom expressed dissatisfaction with the size and scope of the exhibits in the Japanese gallery. They felt that the Japanese collection was too small to convey an adequate experience of Japanese culture, and expressed a desire for more historical information about Japanese culture in different periods. In addition, visitors wished to experience contemporary and modern aspects of Japanese culture. Comparison of the Two Museum Environments

Both museums are accredited by the American Association of Museums (American

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Association of Museums, About Museums: Accredited Museums). The Morikami Museum is

listed as a specialized museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is listed as an art museum.

The type of each museum is different, and each has its own mission and purpose. The mission of the Morikami Museum is listed as: serving as a bridge of appreciation and understanding between Japan and all other cultures

represented by visitors and outreach participants of all ages; presenting, improving and

maintaining exhibits including the garden and future developments; providing high

quality presentations and educational and customer services; ensuring financial security

and stability; resulting in a satisfying and unforgettably positive experience (The

Morikami Museum, About Us: Mission).

The mission of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is:

to collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge

of works of art that collectively represent the broadest spectrum of human achievement at

the highest level of quality, all in the service of the public and in accordance with the

highest professional standards (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, About the Met).

Although the mission and purpose of each of the museums are different, I found some similarities and differences between visitors’ experiences through field observations and interviews conducted at each of the museums. Similarities At both the Morikami Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, most of the visitors to the Japanese collections were aged 45 to 65, had an evident interest in Japanese art and culture, and were clearly engaged by the exhibitions. At both museums, visitors constructed meaningful experiences by enjoying the Japanese art, reading signage and labels, and appreciating the environment of the interiors and exteriors of the buildings. The physical environments of the

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Japanese collections at both museums, including the lights, wall texts, labels, signage, and

layouts, all played important roles in the construction of meaningful experiences by visitors.

Informational features. At both of the museums studied, the informational features, including the descriptive labels, signage, and explanatory wall texts, also played an important role in visitor meaning making. Visitors incorporated previous knowledge with new information to create personal connections with Japanese art and culture. When visitors felt information was inadequate or missing, it hindered their appreciation and obstructed meaning making. For example, in the gardens of the Morikami Museum, labels with numbers were posted for the audio tour, but visitors who did not get the audio tour, wanted access to the same explanatory information in written form. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, visitors wanted to know more about the historical contexts of the artworks in order to learn more about Japanese culture in different historical periods. Thus, in both museums, visitors desired more information that would

have helped them better enjoy and appreciate the artworks and artifacts.

Comfort level. The extent of sensory comfort of the museum environment greatly affected the visitors’ experience of the exhibitions at both of the museums. In the Morikami Museum, the temperature actually disturbed visitors’ appreciation of the arts and collections, because it was perceived by visitors as uncomfortably cold. Thus, the temperature of the exhibition galleries was an important factor; keeping the temperature more moderate would have made visitors stay longer in the galleries. Visitors also mentioned that the benches in the gardens of the Morikami

were important because they allowed visitors to comfortably enjoy the views and tranquility of

the place. In the Metropolitan Museum of Art, visitors wanted more seating and more space

between the artifacts because there were so much information for them to read while standing.

Visitors wanted a more comfortable environment in order to enjoy their visitation without

hurrying to read information in a crowded area or having to move on because they were tired and

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needed to rest for a moment.

Lighting. In addition, the reflection of light off the glass enclosures protecting some of the artifacts could be regarded as uncomfortable sensory input for the visitors’ eyes. The unpleasant reflections made it difficult for visitors to see clear images and accurate colors. Thus, such reflections interrupted the ability of visitors to fully appreciate the artworks.

In both museums, where good lighting was in place it increased visitor meaning making by providing a comfortable environment in which to view artworks and read descriptive labels.

Traditional Japanese-style interior designs, descriptive labels, wall texts, and highlighting effects were helpful for understanding Japanese art and aesthetics as well. In all, both museums were successful in stimulating the curiosity of visitors and their desire to see more exhibitions of cultural artifacts.

Visitors in both museums recognized that understanding other cultures was important, and that the personal experience of other cultures, even in a museum setting, was invaluable. Because of the history of the Morikami Museum, visitors there were highly interested in the cultural connections between Florida and Japan, and wanted to learn more about this relationship.

Visitors to the Japanese collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art also believed that the collection provided a good opportunity for them to learn about Japanese art and culture. Differences Settings and interactive elements. The most obvious difference between the two museums involved their settings. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Japanese collection was housed in the environment of the museum, which could be considered Western style even if some spaces had unique settings. In none of the galleries of the Japanese collection there were interactive elements that allowed visitors to engage in hands-on activities. The settings of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art, however, provided the highest quality of the Japanese collections

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to be appreciated effectively.

While the Morikami Museum had some Western style spaces, such as the art gallery and

library, most of the various environments of the Morikami Museum provided Japanese-style

settings and interactive elements with hands-on activities. Many visitors felt a sense of Japanese

aesthetics and culture through their engagement with the interactive settings in the Yamato-kan

museum and in the gardens.

A major difference in the two museums involved the element of interactivity. At the

Morikami Museum, visitors had the opportunity to experience both traditional and modern

features of Japanese culture in an interactive setting. In the Yamato-kan museum of the Morikami, visitors greatly enjoyed the interactive labels and activities. In creating this natural learning environment, the museum provided hands-on activities that allowed visitors to engage with

Japanese culture in a uniquely experiential manner. Such interactive cultural experiences made visitors more curious about Japanese art and culture, and stimulated visitor meaning making.

Thus, the interactive elements of the Morikami simultaneously increased visitors’ familiarity

with and curiosity about Japanese culture.

On the other hand, the Japanese collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art had no

contemporary exhibits or interactive elements like the hands-on activities at the Morikami. The

respondents at the Metropolitan, however, felt this exhibition represents the aesthetics of

Japanese art and culture, and expressed the desire to experience some of the modern aspects of

Japanese culture. Although they felt a lack of engaged cultural experience in the Japanese collection galleries and wished to see more cultural artifacts with more explanations, the

Japanese collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art presented the highest quality of

Japanese art and great learning opportunities for visitors.

Prior experiences of visitors. Another difference between the two museums was the

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frequency with which visitors spent time at the museums, the levels of their affection toward the

museums, and their familiarity and knowledge of Japanese art and culture. As Falk & Dierking

(2000) suggested, people come to museums with motivations and expectations, and also with

previously acquired knowledge, interests, skills, beliefs, attitudes, and experiences. And according to Newman (1991a), the experiences of most first-time visitors to a museum exceed their expectations, and they are willing to revisit in the future. Those who I interviewed at the

Morikami Museum were visiting this museum for the first or second time, and they had not come

to the museum with much knowledge about Japanese culture and artworks. On the other hand,

the interview respondents at the Metropolitan Museum of Art were very familiar with the

Japanese culture and artworks. They had frequently visited the museum, traveled several times to

Japan, and loved Japanese art and culture. The high frequency of revisits indicates that the

Metropolitan Museum of Art provides a positive museum experience to visitors. Henry (2010)

supports this assertion by stating that “the positive museum experiences are key to repeat visits”

(p.30). Accordingly, their responses to my questions very likely differed in part because of their

different expectations, experiences, knowledge, and familiarity of Japanese art and culture

generally, as well as in the different museum contexts.

At the same time, these differences did not seem to result in unequal levels of meaning

making by visitors. The interview respondents at the Morikami Museum were willing to visit

again, greatly enjoyed the Japanese collections and gardens at the Morikami Museum, and

looked forward to learning more. Their experiences far exceeded their expectations. At the

Metropolitan Museum of Art, the respondents also wanted to revisit the Japanese collections and

also were eager to learn more about the Japanese art and culture. Their experiences at the

Metropolitan Museum also exceeded their expectations. One reason for the similar responses of

these respondents may be that although the visitors to the Metropolitan had more experience at

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the museum, the Japanese exhibition there had been renovated just prior to my visit. Thus, even though the respondents there visited frequently, because the Japanese collection was essentially new their level of familiarity with the Japanese collection was similar to that of the visitors to the

Morikami Museum. In other words, although the frequencies of museum visits, expectations, educational backgrounds, and knowledge of Japanese art and culture were different in the two groups, all the respondents both enjoyed the Japanese collections and were left wanting to know more about Japanese art and culture. Despite their differences, their same curiosity led them to visit the museums, and their experiences at the museums exceeded their expectations.

Informational features. At the Morikami Museum, the self-guide was also an important tool for orienting and guiding visitors and helping them to learn more about the museum and its exhibitions. Because there was no special guide specifically designed for the Japanese collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, visitors heavily relied on wall texts and descriptive labels.

This may be because of the difficulty of making guides and brochures for the huge collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, the Museum made special guides and brochures only for special exhibitions. These labels were conveniently located for visitors, and sometimes were replicated in different locations, such as on either side of the big folding screen exhibit. The effective explanations and translations of the names of artifacts intrigued visitors and stimulated their interest in the artifacts. The visitors, however, wanted chronological descriptive labels for each room, with more historical and cultural information. Overall, the descriptive labels and wall texts provided enough detailed information about Japanese culture in each period.

Exterior setting. Finally, the exterior setting of the Morikami Museum greatly contributed to the visitors’ experience of Japanese culture. Visitors indirectly understood Japanese culture through the Japanese-style buildings as well as the environments of the gardens, all of which reflected a Japanese sense of serenity and peace. Visitors enjoyed these peaceful environments,

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which allowed them to make personal connections to the aesthetic pleasures of Japanese art and

culture. Similarly, the Yamato-kan museum structure and outdoor garden let visitors engage in a

personal experience of contemporary Japanese culture. My observations and interviews revealed

that visitors gained more experience and knowledge of Japanese culture and gardens after

visiting the museum than they had before visiting the museum.

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, however, visitors did not gain any meaning about

Japanese art and culture from the exterior building structure. Instead, it was the features of the other environments of the Japanese collection, including its interiors, lightening, and highlighting effects, that effectively engaged the focus of visitors on the artifacts and helped them to appreciate the philosophy and aesthetics of Japanese art and culture. When the artifacts in this museum were not enclosed by glass (and there were many such artifacts) visitors could appreciate the actual colors and texture more closely and without a reflection. Overall, within the limited space, the Metropolitan Museum of Art provided a great environment for its visitors. Conclusions

The results of this study indicate that the environment of a museum functions as an important factor in the viewers’ experience as it communicates particular messages and meanings to viewers and affects their meaning making process. Newman (1991a) suggested that the museum building itself is important because it influences the way viewers experience the objects

inside; as such, it might be considered as a work of art itself. In this study, the Japanese-style

buildings and gardens of the Morikami Museum were important to visitor meaning making,

providing a context for an aesthetic experience that helped visitors engage with the presentations

of the art and culture of Japan. The Japanese collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art,

including its interiors, lighting, and highlighting effects, effectively engaged the focus of visitors

on the artifacts and helped them to appreciate the philosophy and aesthetics of Japanese art and

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culture. Thus, visitors to the two museums readily made personal connections to Japanese art and culture and gained an aesthetic appreciation within the environments of the museums. They simultaneously gained experience and knowledge of Japanese art, culture, and history while in different settings of the two museums.

The study results also indicate that comfortable environments greatly influence the visitors’ experience of the exhibits. In order to create a comfortable environment, such features as temperature, seating, lighting and space between artifacts ought to be considered. This finding supports Newman’s (1991a) contention that proper lighting is beneficial and insufficient lighting interrupts the pleasure visitors experience at exhibitions.

In addition, the informational environments of museums, including description labels, signage, and explanatory wall texts are essential to creating a meaningful experience. Lack of information interrupts visitors’ personal meaning making. Newman (1991a) has noted that when visitors perceive a lack of information, it detracts from their museum experience. Conversely, visitors experience immediate access to information as very satisfying (Gurian, 1991). Size and layout are also important for visitors’ flow experience in a museum. Newman (1991a) found that visitors noticed the details of installations, as they talked about the architecture, size of rooms, color of walls, juxtaposition and choice of objects, and frames of paintings. Accordingly, changes to the size, location, and lighting of descriptive labels improved visitors’ readability and accessibility, especially for older people. Interactive settings are also essential to enhancing the museum experience, as such features help visitors to create meanings and learn more comprehensively about other cultures. In summary, physical environments play an important role in visitors’ meaning making, and comfortable, well-designed environments with abundant access to exhibit-related information facilitate meaningful experiences for visitors.

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Implications for Practice The findings of this study suggest that museum educators, curators, and designers ought to carefully consider the interiors and exteriors of museum exhibitions in order to create informative, interactive, comfortable environments that help visitors accomplish and enhance their personal meaning makings. The challenge, then, is to find the most effective ways to present the contents of museum exhibitions to visitors. Creating intellectual curiosity, arousing personal connections, and providing cultural experiences are the tasks museums must seek to accomplish in order to optimize meaningful experiences for visitors. In order to enhance the visitation of people in local communities, changing exhibitions frequently and providing interactive spaces are good ways to attract more visitors by making them more curious about the exhibitions and by providing new and exciting learning opportunities. Further Research The conclusions discussed above suggest avenues for further research. Four questions that provide heuristic opportunities are:

1) How can visitors more comfortably access and enjoy cross-cultural exhibitions of artworks, culture, and history?

2) What other features of the museum’s physical environment can enhance meaning making for visitors to collections from other cultures?

3) What educational programs, brochures, and other informational resources can help museum visitors experience collections from other cultures?

4) Who should have the power to decide which cultural artifacts should be exhibited and how they should be exhibited?

I believe that this study will contribute to the understanding of the relationship between the museum environment and the meaningful experiences of museum visitors. In addition, this study

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has provided information on visitor perceptions of the museum environments of the two selected

Japanese collections, and provides a model for the phenomenological examination of personal meaning making in museums. Further, it establishes a foundation that U.S. art museum educators and art teachers can use to introduce and integrate environmental aspects of museums in their educational programs. Finally, it is hoped that this study will encourage museum educators, curators, designers, and directors to reconsider museum exhibitions and physical environments in order to facilitate the process of making meaning among visitors to museums.

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APPENDIX A

FIELD NOTES: OBSERVATION AT THE MORIKAMI MUSEUM

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Contents Reflections & Insights 1. Seishin-an In the Morikami museum, there is a gallery where a model This house with a tea Japanese house, Seishin-an, which contains a traditional Japanese room effectively tatami tea room, is built. White color walls around the house were reflected the decorated with several lights, which were shedding soft lights on architectural style of a the model house, giving comfortable daylight effects with traditional Japanese shadows under the roof. The traditional model house and the room house. It reminded me inside were realistically built in a traditional Japanese way by light of the Ukiyo-e museum brown wood with lattice patterns and with lights on the ceilings. in Tokyo. The sloping ceiling was made of various thickness of bamboo, and The several wall texts gave a rhythmical view. At the center of tatami mat, there was a for the Seishin-an were fire pit with a tea pot, which alluded to the tea ceremony and the succinct, descriptive, way Japanese people enjoy tea room. The house was composed of and explanatory with three separate spaces of a tea room in the center, tokonoma additional drawings, (decorative alcove), and an inner garden space. which made me easily The interiors and exteriors of the house were decorated or understand the specific painted with light green, turquoise, and light brown colors in Japanese terms, history, addition to the white color on the window panes in the left and a and each different door in the middle. The lights shed from the ceilings were functions of the parts of providing an additional variety to the colorful harmony of the the Japanese house. house. The center of the room was bright, and the peripheral of the floor became darker from the center with ripples of shadows. The tea room in the house had a three-dimensional realistic form. The tea house was geometrically shaped with a balanced triangular roof and rectangular bottom with rooms. The house also showed openness with three wooden doors with lattice pattern back by white paper including Kyuji-guchi, nijiri-guchi (crawl- opening) and Sadoguchi, and two wooden windows in the left side of the house.

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Contents Reflections & Insights The house looked very natural, added with a small inner rock garden, which was paralleled with the traditional form of the Japanese house with a tea room. The inner garden next to the house was composed of white, ivory, yellow, orange, brown, and grey pebbles, a small tree, and several rocks. The house and the tea room was symmetrical in that dominant focal points were balanced in terms of color, furniture, windows and doors, and the size of decorative objects. The room was also reaching a harmony with light green and blue colors and neutral wooden colors. The harmony of this house is also observed and well executed with shapes, texture, patterns, material, style, and size. Not many people entered this Seishin-an gallery. Most A tea ceremony was people entered and stopped at the entrance of this gallery and left performed in the immediately after glancing at the house. Some people read the Seishin-an gallery, so I wall texts of this room, but they also did not stay this gallery long. could not access this 2. Art Gallery room for two days. (1) Special Exhibition-Elegance in Iron: The Art of the Japanese Tetsubin and Plum Blossom Dreams (September 29, 2009 through December 6, 2009) Next to the Seishin-an gallery, there is a contemporary Japanese art gallery. The gallery is divided by two main different spaces: One is the entrance room with the huge sculpture at center of the room and some art works, and the other is a main exhibition room with most of art works. The entrance doors of the gallery were traditional Japanese-style wooden doors with lattice pattern back by white paper. At the entrance room of the gallery, there lied a big blue sculpture, titled Head by Jun Kaneko. At the exhibition room next to the entrance room, a special exhibition of “Elegance in Iron: The Art of the Japanese Tetsubin” is held. Iron tea pots, woodblock prints (Ukiyo-e), hanging scrolls, handscrolls, and photographs were displayed.

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Contents Reflections & Insights At the entrance of this exhibition, the gallery guide The gallery guide pamphlet was placed. The overall shape of this room is square. pamphlet is handy and Interior walls are painted with khaki and olive colors. Floor is built provides overall in natural wood, giving a cozy comfort with wall colors and information of artworks halogen lights. Lights on the ceiling shed warm light directly onto in the gallery. I think it the artworks. is really helpful for Ceiling was designed by black lattice frames back with overviewing the gallery white wall colors. Some art works were surrounded by huge glass and artworks before covers with white opaque glass ceilings and wooden frames, but entering. The guide hanging halogen lights made light pass through the opaque glass introduces each artwork ceilings, giving cozy dim light effects and making audience look at with a color picture. real colors of art works. Inside the glass covers, iron tea pots and Japanese style furniture were displayed on the wooden floors. Because there were lights only for artworks, overall environments are dark. Instead of showing only tea pots and furniture, the exhibition showed the Japanese tea ceremony culture as well. At The visitors’ comments one corner of the room lied a special exhibition catalogue for were very helpful to references. And at the other corner, a replica of an iron tea pot and understand other sencha were prepared as samples with descriptive texts and visitors’ personal pictures, giving patrons an opportunity to touch them freely and experiences in the enabling them to imagine how Japanese people actually used the museum. So, I took iron tea pot. notes their comments. I Besides the iron tea pot, I noticed several woodblock will use the notes as prints. The Japanese artworks were giving a sense of manga or important data for my Ukiyo-e in the artworks in terms of subject matters, flat quality, research. and very bright bold colors. But there were no explanatory texts for prints. At the last of the gallery, the museum placed notes for the visitors’ comments, and many people already wrote their thoughts and feelings about the exhibition and the garden.

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Contents Reflections & Insights In this gallery, there were two seniors, and they were looking iron tea pots very carefully. One senior said, “Look at this form, the form of rats… Did you see?” They also read labels very carefully. They kept saying, “This is incredible,” and “Oh, my God!” But the other three young people passed the artworks without looking at them carefully. The other seniors looked at the replica of Reflections & Insights an iron tea pot and looked at the pictures of sencha and matcha with texts. They actually touched the tea pot and showed great interests about it. They moved to the other tea pots, and said, “See this one, the geometric pattern!” “Oh, my God!” There are several seniors in front of the woodblock prints. They said, “Oh, look at this one. Cute! Incredible!” There was a wooden bench in front of the woodblock prints, so some people sat on the bench, while looking at the artworks.

(2) Jun Kaneko: Ceramic sculptures, paintings, and drawings (December 22, 2009 through March 7, 2010)

Because the physical environment of this art gallery was almost same with previous exhibitions, I focused my attention more on people than physical environments. The Museum still kept the photography exhibition, too. This exhibition was about contemporary paintings and sculptures of Jun Kaneko, a contemporary Japanese artist. Two middle-aged people were passing the exhibitions without looking at them carefully.

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Contents Reflections & Insights And there was no person in front of the television, which I think the major was showing the artist’s history and perspectives. Other visitors differences of the discussed their dinner appointments and left this exhibition environments between room. the previous exhibition Several minutes later, two seniors sat on the bench in and the present front of the television and start watching the video. Two other exhibition were visitors were looking at drawings, but there were no explanatory followings: (1) The texts and titles for the drawings. So, one senior went back to the museum installed a general explanatory wall texts hung on the wall near to the television with a video entrance, saying, “I have to look at it again.” Then, she watched tape playing in order to the video and moved to the artworks. And she said, “I love this show the idea and the stuff,” “I love this shape,” “You can make it whatever you want,” process of Jun and “This shape is wonderful.” She also said, “It looks like a Kaneko’s artworks; and chair,” and “Nicely shaped together.” (2) In contrast with the Later, two other seniors came into this room. And one previous iron tea pot senior was looking at the video first, and the other senior was exhibition, most labels looking at drawings. Then, both watched the video together. next to artworks did not After watching the video for about 5 minutes, they moved provide any toward and looked at the artworks carefully. One senior said, “I explanations about Jun like this painting,” and “It looks like Andy Warhol!” Kaneko’s artworks, and After seeing this exhibition, one senior found the visitors most titles were comment section and said, “Look at those things.” She looked at “Untitled.” It made me other visitors’ opinions carefully, and started to write her a little confused to opinion. understand the Two middle-aged people were carefully looking at the meanings of the photography next to the visitors comment section. And there was artworks. an empty glass box next to the photography, and she said, “I The comment on the think over here is conceptual.” empty glass box was a joke, but I found that some people were noticing the empty space as well.

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Contents Reflections & Insights Several minutes later, three seniors showed up and I think the were looking at the main explanatory wall text near the entrance installation and and moved to watch artworks. One said, “In my kindergarten, I contents of the video drew it,” and “Oh, my Gosh… still untitled.” She also said, are very important to “Don’t you want a title?” and “Tell me what you have in mind.” attract people. But here, Then, another senior said, “Give me the clue.” Then, the other even if the video said, “They might explain the unexplainable!” She also said, succeeded in getting “The ceiling is very nice.” They were also watching the video attention from visitors, very carefully. Then, they were looking at the sculptures very in this video, there are carefully. Also, they were looking at the photography very only a few narrations carefully and left this gallery. with background music, and the scenes were too 3. Garden slow to attract people. From the outside of the museum, visitors can see the Most people left soon whole buildings of the Morikami Museum. The architectural before the end. style of the Morikami Museum follows the traditional Japanese architectural style with lattice pattern windows. The color of the roof is dark navy, which seems almost black. And the wall is white. There is also outdoor museum café, where visitors can sit outside the museum and enjoy the lake view of the museum. The Gardens of the Morikami Museum reflect six major historical periods of Japanese garden design from the ninth century to the twentieth century, and play as outdoor extensions of the museum (Morikami Museum, Visitor’s Guide). Roji-en includes Shinden Garden (9th-12th century), Paradise Garden (13th- 14th century), Early Rock Garden (14th century), Late Rock garden (15th century), Flat Garden (17th-18th century), and Modern Romantic Garden (19th-20th century). Since I cannot describe and observe all natural environments of Lanterns at the the Morikami Museum, I focus on six major historical garden Morikami Museum designs. represent memorials There are no explanations about the Wisdom Ring, a stone and symbols of giving lantern at the beginning of the gardens, so most people passed it life to the gardens. without looking carefully.

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Contents Reflections & Insights At the entrance of Roji-en, there was Wisdom Ring, a stone I saw a video clip in the lantern next to a lake. The shape of the Wisdom jRing was round theater, and the Museum with a hole, like a ring, so people could look at the lake through it. provides the general The color of Wisdom Ring is light grey. information about the gardens. They (1) Shinden Garden (Heian period, 9th-12th century) mentioned the sense of “Japanese nobles adapted Chinese garden design concepts that space and the rhythm featured lakes and islands, often viewed from a boat” (signage) for the design of the This garden was located at the beginning of a mile-long gardens. They white pebbled path along which visitors were strolling. The design deliberately designed concept of this garden was “more than one path,” and this garden the gardens, letting was purposefully created in order to give a variety of scenes, new gardens speak to visitors experiences, sounds at each road (Audio guide). This garden was individually. The goal of created based on nature in the opposite direction of human- the gardens was to make centered Western cultures. And they were trying to give the idea of “the garden individually the Japanese culture, providing visitors with a calm and peaceful inspired to visitors.” place to walk and to feel the nature itself. This museum builds At this garden, visitors could enjoy different scenes of lake bridges between two views, and a side-by-side bridge and a zig-zag bridge led visitors different cultures of the to other parts of the garden. The bridges were dark red and bright United States and Japan. brown colors and made with wooden and iron materials. In the garden, there According to the audio guide, the bridges are important elements was no specific in both forms and functions in the Roji-en. The bridges have explanation on the symbolic meanings that bridge among people, culture and time, labels. There were only and bridge to the understanding between Japanese people and several numbers for the American people. So, here, the act of crossing bridge means audio tour. At the first “leaving one world to another and cross the big gap.” time, I did not take audio tour, so I could not know what each object and design meant and its historical backgrounds. So, I decided to take an audio tour.

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Contents Reflections & Insights There was Kodai-mon (Ancient style gate), which This gate gave a sense represented the principle of formal and informal design of the of moving from the old Japanese sense of beauty (Audio guide). In ancient Japan, there to the new period. were three basic beauties which were formal, semi-formal, and one close to nature and peace. The roof of this gate was patched, not tiled, and were supported by the round columns, which represent semi-formal beauty. After passing this gate, visitors could see a grove of bamboos. And many visitors took a picture and enjoyed the lake view behind the bamboo grove. And three people touched the bamboo.

(2) Paradise Garden (Kamakura and early Muromachi periods, 13th- 14th century) “An earthly representation of the Pure Land, or Buddhist heaven. Most people did not Such gardens exhibited the first step toward abstraction in notice that that was a Japanese garden design by incorporating the same elements as paradise garden. When shinden gardens, but on a smaller scale.” (signage) This garden I visited here before, I is for the newly raised Samurai class, not for Heian nobility also did not notice that (Audio guide). was an artificial garden There were two different ways to approach this garden: a because the pond and short way or a long detour around a small pond. There was a trees were designed in a small pond with a small three-story stone pagoda, surrounded by very natural way. various trees. Turtles also lived here. The pond was artificially designed, considering harmony with surroundings, balance, and beauty.

(3) Early Rock Garden (early Muromachi period, 14th century) “A landscape design which expresses nature in a more abstract manner by eliminating water but suggesting its presence. Such gardens were inspired by the newly imported sect of Zen Buddhism, and were in imitation, not of nature directly, but of early Chinese landscape ink paintings.” (signage)

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Contents Reflections & Insights This garden had no water element and consists of rocks, There was no bench in moss, and gravel. This garden was based on minimal materials front of this garden and such as surrounding trees, gravel, and rocks. The early rock no border line between garden was located in open space without walls and artificial the path and the garden. patterns on the gravel. The colors of rocks are dark brown, dark So, it was hard to notice grey, and dark ivory mainly because of the moss. The gravel that it is an artificial were composed of white, yellow, brown, and grey colors. There garden. was no decorative element. So, it looked more natural than other later rock gardens.

(4) Late Rock garden (Muromachi Period, 15th century) “A completely abstract garden space enclosed by walls and composed principally of rock arrangements and coarse gravel as It was hard to find an aid to meditation as a Zen Buddhist discipline (signage).” anyone who was The shape of this garden was rectangular, and the garden actually talking in this was surrounded by walls with tilted roofs. At the center of this garden, which might be garden, there were three irregular rocks with plants. The colors because of the wall of center rock were white and grey with dark green moss. There enclosed nature of the were two small brown rocks in the upper right corner. On the garden, which made left, there were several rocks with brown and grey colors with visitors felt that they moss located along the wall and created the scene of emptiness. were being inside the The color of gravel was light grey. At the peripheral of this garden. garden, there were tiles with dark navy color pebbles. This garden was separated from outside space by the walls. And over the walls, this garden was also surrounded by various trees including pines, giving visitors a quiet, calm moment. The surrounding tall pine trees also were helping to create a separate space for this garden, and visitors could listen to the sounds of water falling in this garden. Unlike other earlier gardens, this garden allowed visitors to sit on the bench, and to listen to the sounds of water, enjoying a calm moment.

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Contents Reflections & Insights I also noticed that one middle-aged woman was having a meditation in this garden with her eyes closed. People here were enjoying their moment in various ways without any sounds.

(5) Flat Garden (Edo Period, 17th-18th century) “Evolving out of late rock gardens, flat gardens make liberal use of plant material and often incorporate open space by relying on the design technique called “borrowed scenery (shakkei)”.” (signage) Unlike the late rock garden, the entrance of this garden had bamboos and wooden walls. And inside the garden, there was an open space with small trees, tall pine trees, one stone pagoda, and one stone lantern. This garden provides widen views and great open scenery, compared with the late garden. While the wall of the late garden prohibited viewers from seeing beyond the walls, the flat garden created open scenery by removing walls in the front and made viewed look beyond this garden even though bamboo walls were still standing behind, which seemed to block viewers from the society. So, the viewers could enjoy a calm separate space and wide scenery at the same time. This garden also employed the same gravel with a light grey color, but the patterns of the gravel were different, compared with the late garden. This flat garden created a more vivid and rhythmical space with various wave patterns of the gravel. At the center of this garden, there were a light grey stone lantern with moss and a tall pine tree. As a background, there was a thirteen-story stone pagoda with rocks and trees. There were three people in this garden. One middle- aged woman had a meditation, and a senior woman was reading a book. One senior man was drawing a picture in his sketch book. Most visitors in this garden took pictures and enjoyed the moment without saying anything. It was a very calm place.

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Contents Reflections & Insights (6) Modern Romantic Garden (Meiji Period, late 19th- early 20th century) “Often reflecting Western influence, a garden of this type also breaks from the earlier tendency toward abstraction in garden designed by returning to direct observation for inspiration.” This garden had a small pond, and there were several Bonsai and trees around the pond. There was a small stone lantern surrounded by trees in the upper centerof the pond. This garden also had a small stone bridge in order to make visitors feel water and nature in a closer look. They also created a small This garden had several waterfall with a tiny scale lantern. There were two different ways water falls and created to enjoy this garden. The one was walking around the pond and clear sounds of water. feeling the nature directly. The other was following the upper These water falls path. In this way, visitors could meet a small pavilion and looked very natural, not benches, and they could enjoy the whole view of this garden. At artificial at all, so I felt this garden, people could hear the sounds of water falls and like I was in a enjoy the scene from the mountain by looking down from the mountain. pavilion. 4. Yamato-Kan The Yamato-Kan museum is a residential scale house, located on a small island in the big lake. The museum had a small dry rock garden at the center of this house, and the exhibition rooms were surrounding the garden. The house had a dark brown color roof and white color walls. Doors were designed with dark brown lattice pattern. The garden at the center of this house was a dry rock garden. The shape of this garden was square, and there were two groups of rocks with plants and light grey gravel. Walking along the exterior corridors outside the exhibition rooms, visitors could see this garden. Here, I focused on observing the major six exhibition rooms here: Yamato colony room, Kitchen/ Dining room, Tatami room, Shops, Classroom, and Shinkansen.

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Contents Reflections & Insights (1) Yamato colony room People were carefully This place represents Japanese American history and looking at explanations immigrant experience. There were many pictures with signage on Florida history, too. and labels about the Yamato colony. They also provide a fun kit I think it was because consisting of several postcards in order to help the understanding they found common of Yamato colony for children. The shape of this room was historical facts between rectangular with white walls. The signage was black, and the exhibits on the Yamato labels with black texts a white background. The tables along the colony and them. wall had wooden colors, covered with black cloth. Lights in this room were shedding white color lights, and the Museum was Very well organized using also natural daylights by opening a small black window. explanatory texts, I saw nine visitors in this room, and they looked highly photos, and old interested in the exhibits on the Yamato colony. They said, “It newspaper exhibits has a purpose,” “It’s the information,” “You should read this,” were very helpful in and “It’s important. understanding the (2) Kitchen/ Dining room exhibits. This kitchen room had a rectangular shape. Three doors with lattice pattern allowed visitors to come in and go out, and one sliding door was connected with the next tatami room. The color of the sliding door was very light skyblue with turquoise. There was no special light effect. Instead, the museum used It was really amazing natural daylights from the outside. Three big opened doors that the museum were helped this. actually showing real At the center of this room, there was a rectangular dining Japanese drinks and table with small chairs, and they had all natural wooden colors. foods models here. On the table, there were samples of fake noodles, dishes, and When I visited Japan, I chopsticks with explanations on the usage. bought the same drinks There was a refrigerator with “Open Me” stickers on the and foods. And I think right corner of this room. When people opened this refrigerator, this museum enhanced there were models which imitated real Japanese soft drinks, teas, visitors’ learning foods. Next to the refrigerator, there were also a real sink, a rice experience by making cooker, a mini oven, and shelves with the “Open Me” signs. them interact with the They also had real Japanese snacks, cookies, wrap, cereals, Japanese culture. pancakes, and teas.

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Contents Reflections & Insights There was a group of people who brought their daughters and sons. They were highly interested in the Japanese foods in the refrigerator and shelves. They said, “What’s in there?” and “Look at eggs!” They also read the signage, “Open me” and “What do you see inside?” and kept opening them. The museum also displayed various posters from the fast food shops in Japan such as Mcdonald’s, Krispy Kreme, Hagen It was interesting to see Daz, Subway, pizza shops, and Starbucks. There was also a real posters and photograph of a Japanese family eating together in their kitchen. photographs from Japan Visitors were actually looking at them very carefully. here. One family was talking about the kitchen supplies. They said, “See little gloves,” “Strange,” “More practical,” “Isn’t it really cool?,” “Yes,” “It is interesting,” “Look at the stack,” “It’s People seemed to really interesting,” “It’s interesting to write those things this way,” “It’s like this kind of fascinating!,” “They have pizza,” “What’s in there?”, “Look, it’s interactive place. parmesan and eggs,” “Let’s see, open me… pizza,” “That’s vegetables,” “This must be noodles,” “Oh, look at these, there are more! Cleaners!”, “Oh, my god, I’m getting hungry,” “Give me Oreo, Japanese Oreo, frozen cereals,” and “Here is chopsticks and pork, interesting, very nice.” Two seniors also opened them and read signage, and said, “Is this cool sign?”, “It’s nice,” “This is gas,” and “This is a nice cooker, I guess.”

(3) Tatami room They decorated a tatami room with green wall colors. There The tatami room also was tokonoma (decorative alcove) in the left and two-story fixed enabled and encouraged closet for storing futons in the right. They also displayed real visitors interact the futons with a signage of explaining how to use them. The light exhibits, which helped on the ceiling of tokonoma was sheding a strong warm light and them understand the was brighter than other parts of this room. At the center of this Japanese culture better. room, there was a chestnut colored table with three sitting cushions on the tatami mat. The cushions were red, grey, and green with white strips.

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Contents Reflections & Insights There was a signage, saying “Remove shoes before stepping on the tatami mat.” So, some people actually removed The labels are very their shoes and walked into the tatami room and sat on the table. interactive and And they also read the labels of tokonoma and other explanatory interesting. Many labels there. people actually read labels carefully. (4) Shops There were displays of Bento shop, Kimono shop, Japanese folk toys, and school supplies. At the bento shop section, the museum provided five samples of the Japanese bentos, instant noodle soup, and several drinks. And Japanese menus with a photograph of a Japanese chef were displayed. They put a label saying, “What might you eat for lunch in Japan?” At the Kimono shop, they displayed three kimonos with socks and shoes. The wall color was turquoise, and the sign of kimono shop was a wooden color. Next to the Kimono shop, there was a shop for school supplies. They displayed Japanese school supplies, bentos, forks, spoons, and chopsticks designed with Hello kitty, Doraemon, Poketmon, and other Japanese animation characters. The museum also provided a label, “What school supplies do Japanese children use?” People actually enjoyed them, and some said, “Those are really cute,” and “Kid size!” And two women with their kids came to this display and said, “That’s so cute,” “Did you see that?”, “The little things,” “I want to take that,” and said, “That’s the original museum!” And the display of Japanese folk toys showed their traditional toys and their unique characters with their province map.

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Contents Reflections & Insights (5) Classroom The labels also were At this room, there were school uniforms for middle and very interesting; for high schools. And the room also had a chalkboard with small example, the questions wooden desks. The room had a rectangular shape and was on the labels were “Do surrounded by white walls. The floor had a grey carpet. The Japanese classrooms museum lighted this room very bright. The museum also looks like those in the displayed elementary school supplies such as textbooks, United State?” or “Do backpacks, indoor shoes, hats, and hiragana, katagana, and kanji students wear special charts for elementary Japanese students. shoes for school?” It On the desk, the museum posted some labels and gave was very interactive. information about the Japanese schools and events.

People actually read the labels and saw the charts, and said, “That looks awesome,” and “Watch this.” They also took pictures and saw the elementary Japanese text book.

(6) Shinkansen room They also made and displayed the inside of Shinkansen, and there were three sits with three lows, where visitors could sit and feel. In the left, there was a real size picture of the inside of Shinkansen. It was a small space and used natural light coming from the front and backdoors. And the rectangular shape of this room was actually designed as a miniature Shinkansen. The color of the train was white with blue stripes, and marked as “Shinkansen- Bullet Train.” Outside the Shinkansen, there was a space with a red Japanese vending machine with a red trash box, and blue chairs. As a background, a scene of the Shinkansen station was pictured on the wall. On the next wall, they put the Japanese maps and introduced the scene and characters of each province. In this room, people said, “This is Shinkansen,” and then, passed it. Nothing really happened in this room.

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APPENDIX B

FIELD NOTES: OBSERVATION AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

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Contents Reflections & Insights The theme of recently renovated Japanese collection in the The Japanese collection Metropolitan Museum of Art was “5,000 years of Japanese Art: in the Sackler Wing of Treasures From the Packard Collection.” There were eight the Metropolitan different rooms, which were not clearly divided by walls, but Museum of Art was could be periodically divided from the Jomon period to the Edo renovated last period. So, for my research purpose, I could divide this collection December. After the into eight rooms and named each room according to each room’s renovation of the distinguishable periodical characters in order to better describe collection, many people and explain the unique environments of each divided space. (1) visited. I wondered The first room was the section for the Jomon period and whether people were displayed ancient Japanese artifacts; (2) the second room was the visiting this newly section for the Heian period; (3) the third room was for Hanging renovated collection for scrolls and a statue of a Buddhist monk; (4) the fourth room the purpose of seeing displayed hanging scrolls, a pair of six panel folding screens by new exhibitions or Kano Eino, and a water stone; (5) the fifth room has a Shoin happened to visit after room, hanging scrolls, dishes, and folding screens from the seeing the Chinese Momoyama period; (6) the Sixth room displayed scrolls, folding collection next to it. fans, album of landscape paintings, a water stone—the same one I expected that the from the room four, which could be seen from both rooms, environment of the dishes, and porcelains; (7) the Seventh room displayed Japanese collection in handscrolls, overrobe, woodblock prints, figurines, porcelains, the Metropolitan and hanging scrolls from the Edo period; and (8) the Eighth room Museum of Art would displayed furniture and played a role as a rest area. be a neutral environment. Most At the entrance of this room, there were two explanatory rooms in the Japanese wall texts on each side of walls: one was an introduction of the collection gallery had a Packard collection, and another was an overall explanation of neutral environment, Japanese art. The shape of this room was rectangular, and the but there were also wall color was Khaki. There were dark grey carpets on the floor. several interesting architectural styles.

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Contents Reflections & Insights This room was slightly dark, but the museum added several highlights to the artifacts by soft white lights on the ceiling. Inside glass walls, the museum displayed clay figurines and potteries from the Jomon period on top of different sized boxes. The museum covered boxes and bottom with ivory color cloth inside the glass walls. One senior ignored the explanatory wall texts at the entrance and started looking at the artifacts in this room. Two middle aged men noticed and read the wall texts for at least three minutes before looking at the artifacts for each labels. I found many Asian people who came from Japan, Korea, and China in this room. Also, there were many European people, I thought It could be too. In this room, not many people were carefully looking at the because Asian people labels next to the artifacts, or artifacts. Instead, glancing through are familiar with the artifacts, they passed this room to the second room to look at the Japanese culture or huge Buddha statue Japanese style architecture, which visitors found similarity with could see from the entrance. their culture. However, there were two seniors, who were carefully looking at the artifacts. One middle aged woman said, “Very Chinese”; then, her company said, “No, no, it’s Japanese.” I think the seniors were Five seniors in this room discussed Japanese history and highly interested in the cultures, looking at the artifacts. They talked very quiet, so I Japanese culture and couldn’t listen to their conversations except some of them. They history. said, “Probably thousand years ago…” and “Japanese people are pretty smart” One senior read the explanatory wall texts for about five minutes and took pictures of this room. Many visitors were using various languages, so it was hard to understand their conversations. Some people did not carefully looking at the exhibits, or just passed them without seriously looking.

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Contents Reflections & Insights This room looked like a The shape of this room was rectangular with the wooden real Buddhist temple in lattice pattern ceiling, giving a feeling of the inside of a Japan. traditional Japanese house. They installed a wooden altar with an alcove, and it represented a Japanese style Buddhist architecture The explanatory labels in the Heian period. There were hanging ornaments on the for this structure with the ceiling above the alcove. Lights were shedding lights on the Buddha statue, and Buddha statue in the center, two other statues on each side of the Guardian kings were hard Buddha statue, and two ornaments hanging on the front ceilings to find, so most visitors of the alcove, which created shadows on the back wall. The did not notice them. explanatory label of this altar was located on the opposite wall. Besides the wooden altar with the Buddha statue, there were The reason that some three wooden standing statues: Guardian king, Kannon, and a people were highly Buddhist monk. One soft white light was used for highlighting interested in the statutes each sculpture. and were carefully There were also hanging scrolls and porcelains, too. looking at the labels may Although the wall color was the same Khaki color as all the be that the traditional other rooms, this room was the darkest room of all rooms. style interior design in Many visitors were taking pictures in this room. Although this room and this room was darker than other rooms, some visitors found and highlighting effects of carefully looked at the labels for wooden standing figurine lights in a darker place. sculptures. One senior were carefully reading the labels for hanging scrolls and handscrolls. The average age of Two people said, “It’s kind of scared!” And they did not visitors for the Japanese look at them again, and left this room. collection in the Although there were many visitors in this gallery, it was Metropolitan Museum of hard to find people who were taking the audio tour in this room. Art seemed to be much Two seniors were looking at the wooden standing statues very younger than that of the carefully. No one actually did not notice and found the label for Morikami Museum; many the Japanese style Buddhist architecture. visitors were young students and tourists. So, it was hard to find and focus on the age group from 45 to 65 here.

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Contents Reflections & Insights This room displayed handscrolls, hanging scrolls, lidded bowls, and a statue of a Buddhist monk. Some walls of this room were made of chestnut colored woods giving a darker mood than the khaki color walls from the previous rooms. The rest of walls were also looking very dark because of the lack of lights. Only several soft white lights were used for this room. But the artworks behind the glass wall were lying in the ivory color background. One senior in the previous room were very carefully looking at the hanging scrolls in this room. Two seniors also were looking at the hanging scrolls and bowls, and said, “Nice and tiny…” and “Do you like it?” Another senior was taking a picture of the handscroll and read the label next to it very carefully. This room exhibited hanging scrolls and plates from the Muromachi and the Edo period. In the beginning, there was Kano Tan’yu’s six panel folding screens from the Edo period. Since there was no glass wall between the folding screens and visitors, visitors could clearly see the folding screens and pictures in them without any interruptions such as reflections of lights. The colors of the screens were more vivid without a glass wall. For the screens and hanging scrolls in this room, they were using indirect light effects by adding opaque glasses on the lights. The wall colors were the same Khaki, and carpets on the floor were dark grey. Next to this room, there was a small resting place with a bench, where visitors could see the back of a sculpture called I thought the Water Water Stone by Isamu Noguchi on the bed of white rocks. The Stone represented the Water Stone has actual water coming from the bottom, and it goes idea of waterfalls in down to the basin below. Visitors could hear the sounds of water the Japanese garden, falling from this room, even if the sculpture was half blocked by and gave a sense of the wooden wall from the top, which made people standing calmness and relax for difficult to see it. visitors.

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Contents Reflections & Insights Visitors also could appreciate the sculpture fully from the The wooden screen sixth room because it was not blocked by the wooden wall in an preventing visitors open space. This creative application of space for a sculpture watching the sculpture made visitors see this sculpture twice. from this room side In front of the Water Stone in this room, I could find one could have effects that senior woman sitting on the bench with here eyes closed and took roused the visitors’ a rest. A few minutes later, one senior man came to her. She said, interests in the “Do you want to look at it more?”; then, he said, “I’m done.” sculpture. Actually, After that, they left this room. the screen was Two seniors in this room were carefully looking at the blocking only half of explanatory label on Zen Buddhism and art. And one senior said, the sight, making “close to China…” And the other senior read the label for the people recognize the folding screens. sculpture anyway but One senior read a label for a Buddhist monk statue, and more by sounds. after that, she also read labels for the hanging scrolls in this room. After reading labels, she spent at least five minites looking at the hanging scrolls. This room had a shoin (literally, “study”) room model from the Momoyama period. Unlike other room and the other parts of this room, there was a wooden floor in front of the shoin room model. The shoin room was a reading room in a Zen monastery, Many people visited and there were shelves and an alcove near a window in this room New York from other (label). The room was little bit dark because the soft white lights states and countries. In were dimmed to the lower level. Located two feet high from the this room, most wooden floor, this room had a tokonoma covered by golden leaf in visitors looked like the left side, and in the center wall, approximately six feet wall tourists. So, not many shelves were covered by four slidfing doors side-by-side with people were really Kano Sansetsu’s The old plum screens on them. Above the center engaged in the doors, there were white walls rimmed with light brown wood. The Japanese collection. right wall also had four sliding gold-leafed doors. There were light brown color tatami mats on the floor. The ceiling of this model room was made of wood with lattice pattern. On the ceiling of tokonoma, the museum executed lights in indirect ways.

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Contents Reflections & Insights On the other side of this room next to the model room, there were hanging scrolls, folding screens, dish wares, and cups from the Edo period. Since there was no glass wall for hanging scrolls and folding screens, visitors could look at the artworks more closely and precisely. About thirty feet long folding screens were displayed in There were two same two feet high indented space surrounded by khaki and light plum labels at each side of color walls with soft white lights shedding lights on them. These the folding screens. lights were hidden behind the front wall blocking only about Because of the huge three feet from the top. In a little bit dark room, these lights were size of the folding helping visitors pay close attention to the screens. In front of the screens, it was for the folding screens, there was a bench, which allowed visitors to visitors’ convenience in appreciate the screens for a longer time and to take a rest. order to make them This room had an exit to the American Wing, and many read the labels from the people went in and out through the gate. In front of the exit gate, end of right side and there was the same explanatory wall text introducing the from the end of the left Japanese arts as in the other entrance. side. In this way, people Here, I found two seniors saying, “This is it,” and leaving reading the labels also this room through the exit to the American Wing. Two other would not block the seniors were taking pictures in this room, and said, “I like that.” others’ sights. Some other people also said, “Nice, isn’t it?” and “I like that.” Many people entered this room from the American Wing. And some people discussed which direction they should go. Here, the room was Next to the folding screens, three hanging scrolls were really crowed with displayed in khaki and light plum color walls with soft white many people who color lights directly from the above shedding lights only on enjoyed chatting at this them. In front of the hanging scrolls in this room, two seniors room. Sometimes, this were talking about them, and said, “It’s interesting,” and then, room seemed to be one said, “Okay, we can finish this.” Then, they left this room. working as a social One senior was carefully looking at the labels of the folding space because most screens. And two middle aged woman and man also read the visitors here did not labels very carefully. seriously looking at the artifacts.

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Contents Reflections & Insights Two other seniors were sitting on the bench in front of the This entrance or exit to folding screens, and said, “Maybe it’s a hill. This artist is kind of the American Wing eccentric.” Then one senior woman read label, and said, “They could disturb the flow mentioned Rocky forms, mists… The branches are same size. experience of this Oh, look at the house” and then, “There is always something to Japanese collection. look at!” There was just one There were two seniors who were highly interested in shoin explanatory wall text, room: one of them said, “This room is compositionally and did not provide beautiful!” enough explanations There was a middle aged man who brought his son, and about where they were said, “Which one is more expensive? Guess.” standing and what Two seniors came into this room through the entrance artworks they are from the American Wing, and said, “This way… this is supposed looking at in addition to to tell stories.” One middle aged man did not see this exhibit, and the lack of explanations left this room through the exit. on the history and the Two middle aged women were talking about the pictures culture of Japanese arts. in the folding screens, and said, “That is a standing figure.” And they moved to other screens, and said, “That’s just simplicity,” “That’s pretty,” “And stones… have just different textures.” Then, they passed other artifacts in this room and left this room. The different environment of this room offered another In this room, visitors could see the front of the Water Stone experience and feeling sculpture which visitors already looked at the backside of from of the Water Stone. For the fourth room. But from this room, visitors could enjoy the me, the view from this same sculpture with a different feeling. The height of ceiling was room provided more about thirty percent higher than the other rooms. While the wall modern and color was ivory, natural bright day lights coming through opaque contemporary looking glasses on the ceilings were changing the ivory wall color into than the view from the white. The ceiling was still keeping the same lattice pattern as fourth room that had other rooms although it has smaller squares rimmed by black dark lights which made colors. Khaki color wall look darker.

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Contents Reflections & Insights There was a bench in front of the water stone. And the People’s ignoring back of the bench, they displayed ceramics. And On the wall porcelains and dishes next to the water stone, folding fans and album of landscape behind the bench could paintings were displayed. In this room, there were also hanging be because of the scrolls, dishes, handscrolls, and porcelains from the Edo period. location of the artifacts Two folding screens were also displayed on the other side of this rather than the artifacts room, and there was a bench in front of the folding screens. themselves. In order to One senior was taking a picture of the Water Stone, but see them, one should did not look at porcelains and dishes. Many visitors passed this actually detour the room without carefully looking at porcelains and dishes behind bench. It was a little the bench. And they were taking pictures of the Water Stone and inconvenient to see left this room. Some people sat on the bench and were taking a them. rest. For them, museum One senior woman, however, was highly interested in the place is social place. porcelains and dishes in this room, and read the labels and looked at them very carefully. And she said, “Gorgeous!” Two seniors were also looking at dishes without reading the labels, and one senior woman said, “Oh, my God! This is so beautiful!” In front of the folding screens, there was a bench, and two middle aged women were chatting almost for one hour without looking at other artifacts. There was an overrobe with an explanatory label and a photograph of the back of the overrobe at the front of the room Many visitors were next to room 6. At the center of this room, there was a handscroll highly interested in the in a glass box with two same labels at the right and the left side, handscroll in this room. and the several labels also offer full translations of the poem in I think the labels the scroll. contained a good This room displayed Ukiyo-e hanging scrolls in each explanation, and the separate glass box, and lights on the ceiling directly shedding museum also provided soft white lights on the hanging scrolls. On the other side, there English translations of were figurines and porcelains from the Edo period. The wall the poem. color was Khaki, and the carpet on the floor was dark grey.

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Contents Reflections & Insights In this room, many people entered this room first from the eighth furniture room because a side way leads visitors to this direction and making them appreciate art works reverse chronologically. The visitors from the eighth room did not look at the artifacts carefully. One said, “I want to see Kimono here.” Then, she passed this room. Two seniors were highly interested in three Ukiyo-e hanging scrolls on the wall. They were looking at them very carefully, and returned and saw them twice. They also read all explanatory labels, and they spent at least five minutes to see them. And they said, “Quiet nice,” and “Nice stuff.” Two middle aged man read the labels and translations of the poem in the handscroll. They seemed highly interested in the handscroll and looked very carefully.

At the center of this room, there was a huge round table made by natural wood. And there were seven chairs around the The environment of this table. This room had a big window, and visitors could see the room was distinguished view of the first floor hall which has the Egyptian collection. from the other rooms in And the wall was covered by chestnut colored wood. The color this collection. The of the carpet on the floor was grey, and the ceiling had an ivory room seemed to bring color. With several lights on the ceiling and natural lights which interest to Japanese were coming through the big window, the room was bright people, too. compared with other exhibition rooms. There were also one light brown desk with one chair at the corner of this room close to the entrance of this collection, and This room definitely along the walls between the desk and the big window, there were played both roles as a two connected long benches with tatami mats on them. I resting place and an interviewed people on these benches. Also, a spiral square- exhibition room. People shaped paper lantern above the benches was hanging from the could feel the Japanese ceiling, and an art work with flowers lied on the corner of culture by sitting and benches. Furniture with chestnut color walls created a sense of a resting. Japanese house.

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Contents Reflections & Insights Sitting on the chair, people enjoyed this room, and discussed the design of the furniture in this room. One said, “Pretty simple units.” And people were reading books or museum guides in this room. Visitors were also enjoying looking down the hall through the big window in this room. A group of Japanese middle aged people liked this room, and they said, “Sugoi (Great)” and “Nande, nande (What, what?)”.

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APPENDIX C

INTERVIEWS AT THE MORIKAMI MUSEUM

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Before interview

- Did you visit Japanese collection galleries?

Diane: Yes.

Joan: Yes.

- Did you take a docent tour?

Diane: No.

Joan: No.

- Is your age between 45 and 65?

Diane: Yes, sixty five.

Joan: Yes, somewhere in sixty.

- Are you willing to participate in my research study? It should take around 30 minutes.

Diane: Yes.

Joan: Yes. That’s why we are here. Part I. Demographic questions

1. Where do you live?

Diane: I live in Coconut Creek in Florida. It’s about half an hour from here.

Joan: Boynton Beach, Florida.

2. What is your educational background?

Diane: I have a Master’s in Education.

Joan: I have a Bachelor’s in Science.

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Part II. Museum experience

3. What’s your purpose of visiting this museum?

Diane: Umm. To experience and beautiful gardens. To visit and explore.

Joan: To get a feeling of the Japanese culture.

4. How much time did you spend viewing the exhibitions of this museum?

Diane: Two hours, or maybe more.

Joan: Two and half hours.

4-1. Have you ever visited this museum previously?

Diane: I have.

Joan: First time.

4-2. If yes, how many times did you visit this museum?

Diane: Maybe Four.

5. Did you read the description labels or pick up the self-guide? (please choose one)

Why or why not?

Diane: Yes, because I want to know what each garden has, and to get more information.

Joan: Yes, I was looking at hers. So, we both looked at the guide. Well, she has the guide, but

I also wanted to know which are the highlights of the garden we should see.

6. What art collections did you expect in this museum?

Diane: I did not have any expectation. I was just experiencing it.

Joan: Well, I expected something, Japanese art, Japanese woodcuts which they have.

7. Are you familiar with the Japanese arts or Japanese culture?

Diane: My father worked in Japan for a few years, so he brought to me the Kimono, and I can say Ohaiogozaimas.

Joan: The only familiarity was [from] the home we lived before; we saw some Japanese

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entertainments there, and I went to tea ceremony. I’ve seen the Japanese museum, I loved that. I mean superficial. I don’t know about Japanese. Part III. Personal Experience of the Japanese collections

Interiors

8. Did you read the labels and signage of the Japanese collections?

Why or why not?

Diane: All of them, yes. To get more information.

Joan: Some of them. Want to know about the Japanese art and additional description of the stories of the Japanese art. I liked to read that. But unfortunately, it was very cold, and we couldn’t stay as long as we would like. We were freezing. Very cold in there.

9. What did you observe or think about the interior design and lighting effects?

Diane: I thought it was very nice. Good. I don’t remember it’s too dark for me. I felt comfortable.

Joan: Arranged very nicely. Displayed well. I felt the lighting is just right. It’s alright.

10. What ways, if any, do you think the interiors play effective roles for your understanding

of the Japanese collections? What would you do differently?

Diane: The air conditioning really made me difference. It was so cold. It was ridiculously cold. The biggest problem was how cold it was.

Joan: It was a lovely room which I would like to stay in which had a Japanese tea house. I loved it. I would like to stay longer, but the air conditioning made me run out of the room so quickly, and it made me really feel bad. I love the Japanese tea house. I would like to stay longer and see more. I also would like to see the Japanese dancing at the other room. I liked the way they dance.

11. Did the Japanese artifact and collections remind you of any personal memories?

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Why and why not?

Diane: The movie. I don’t know what the name of the movie, but it reminds me of the

Japanese movie that I’ve seen.

Joan: Well, It was interesting because the house that I bought has the furnishing as the

Japanese style. And so, this is nice to see because I see the similarity. Outdoors and building structure 12. Did you visit the gardens and outdoor sculptures?

Why and why not?

12-1. If yes, how did they help you understand the Japanese culture?

Diane: Yes, because we love nature, and we want to experience the peace of serenity of the

Japanese culture and the Japanese gardens. It was really beautiful and peaceful.

Joan: Yes. I love to see the Japanese garden. I really liked it very much. The another thing that I was really interested in was the garden with just sand and rock without water. I looked at it, and I felt the same feeling that it has really water and same kinds of calming and feeling that you get from the water. That was interesting. In fact, one in the Maryland, they have a book size garden, and we went and got tour. I wanted to request how to decorate your own backyard in garden, and it was man that told the different styles, and one was the Japanese style. And he was saying that you don’t have to have water to make a beautiful decoration, and you just need sand and rocks. And he drew a design, and when I came here, I saw that.

And that was so nice. I just saw the design, and it was actually true. It is beautiful and relaxing, and that was very nice. You just think of water and the movement.

13. Did the Japanese gardens and outdoor sculpture remind you of any personal memories?

Why or why not?

Diane: Yes, the Japanese movie.

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Joan: Yes, we already said that.

14. Did the building structures remind you of any personal memories?

Why or why not?

Diane: Same things, movies.

Joan: Yes, it’s my new house that I have wall paper on that. Just kind of that. But it really reminds me of paintings and woodblocks that I’ve seen in other museums. It was an Asian

Museum in Washington, D.C. And you see the paintings and sculptures and buildings like these. Personal experience 15. What are your favorite things in the Japanese collection room, if any and why?

Diane: Woodblocks, and hanging rolls. There is a whole theme there. And I don’t know. It was too cold.

Joan: I liked the display of the tea house.

16. Are the size and space of the Japanese collection gallery enough for you to experience the

Japanese art and culture?

Why and why not?

Diane: Maybe not. I want to know more. Again, it was cold, but I think I probably want to see more.

Joan: Yes, I mean, I want to see more exhibitions, and it could be bigger.

17. How the environments of this room help your understanding of the Japanese art and

culture?

Diane: The whole environment is very peaceful. And I am meditating. We actually did. And I showed to Joan some meditations. And I’m always meditating. So, it was very peaceful here.

Whole thing was very peaceful. So, maybe Japanese people are very peaceful, but I know

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Tokyo is very chaotic. Even the restaurant here; the food is very delicious and very peaceful.

Very peaceful about everything here. And they show rooms, dining rooms, and tatami room.

Joan: Well, you know, I’m happy to visit this nice place here. We can experience the Japanese

garden. I especially like the labels that are helpful, and the themes are very interesting. The

Japanese environment, it is very peaceful, serene, and very lovely. I really enjoyed that, the

houses they showed. And when you go to the Japanese restaurant, it would be nice to eat on

the mat like these. But what they explained is that they do not like these anymore. The small

size of bathroom was so interesting, too.

18. What do you think you gained from your visit?

Diane: Peace and serenity.

Joan: Well, peace and serenity but also more of knowledge of the Japanese culture and

gardens. Part IV. Closing questions

19. Do you think the Japanese collection is essential for this museum and for the community

in the United States?

Why or why not?

Diane: I don’t think it’s essential, but it enhances the community. Let me go to Italy for a

second. Okay, yeah, everything in Italy is museum actually. And anyways it’s such a new

young country here, and the other countries are much older, and museums and churches are

everywhere in other countries. For here, we need to have physically actual museums here.

Joan: I think that it’s important to show various cultures, and I think it enriches every body

and give more understanding of other culture and their nationality. And it’s essential.

19-1 . What do you think the role of the Japanese museum or collections in this community or

society?

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Diane: Same things, to increase the information, to get a resources and libraries there, you know, to get more information.

Joan: Well, understanding of the other culture is always important. We learn Florida culture from here, too. The Yamato road, see, this is fascinating. The Yamato road is actually named after the Japanese person, Yamato. I thought it was very interesting. We are learning about each other.

Diane: Understanding each other and peace of this world is important; otherwise, the crazy wars are every where.

Joan: It’s true.

20. Do you want to know more about the Japanese culture, art, and history?

Why or why not?

Diane: Sure.

Joan: Of course.

21. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for the exhibitions of the Japanese

collection, including interiors and other physical factors (light, labels, size, and location)?

Diane: No, I can’t. That’s fine.

Joan: Yeah, well, I really want to take classes and workshop, but I really think that the garden is beautiful. They need to keep the temperature that we could enjoy it. Before interview

- Did you visit Japanese collection galleries?

Carrie: Yes

- Did you take a docent tour?

Carrie: No, I didn’t take a docent tour.

- Is your age between 45 and 65?

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Carrie: Yes, about sixty.

- Are you willing to participate in my research study? It should take around 30 minutes.

Carrie: Yes. Part I. Demographic questions

1. Where do you live?

Carrie: I live here at Highland Beach and also in Westport, Connecticut, near New York.

2. What is your educational background?

Carrie: I have a master’s degree in education and have been working and teaching in the

Business education in my entire life. Part II. Museum experience

3. What’s your purpose of visiting this museum?

Carrie: Because I heard about it so long. And she is an artist, and she read about it. And said, let’s go there, and we said yes. We heard about it, and we also wanted to go there because we hadn’t been here yet. So, here we are.

4. How much time did you spend viewing the exhibitions of this museum?

Carrie: Only an hour and half because we didn’t have much time today.

4-1. Have you ever visited this museum previously?

Carrie: No, this was our first time. We just walked it through.

4-2. If yes, how many times did you visit this museum?

5. Did you read the description labels or pick up the self-guide? (please choose one)

Why or why not?

Carrie: Yes, but as much as I want. I always like to find the ways to read about something first. Then, return to learn more based on what I read. It was wonderful to have all the

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descriptions of the labels. I also picked up the guide. This is my guide. Very important.

Because with this, I knew the gardens [and] what I saw. Yes, very important and helpful.

6. What art collections did you expect in this museum?

Carrie: I didn’t know about the Morikami Museum and the Japanese garden, and even little

things to say. When I saw waterfalls here, I thought it would be nice to have one at home.

Now we realize the bookstore, the museum shop, and we can actually buy it. It gave ideas

now of bringing these things into the home.

7. Are you familiar with the Japanese arts or Japanese culture?

Carrie: Not very familiar. No. But more familiar now. Part III. Personal Experience of the Japanese collections

Interiors

8. Did you read the labels and signage of the Japanese collections?

Why or why not?

Carrie: Yes, I answered that.

9. What did you observe or think about the interior design and lighting effects? ‘

Carrie: I think it’s very nice. The lightening is very nice. Easy to read. Nothing’s too big.

Would you have any questions, saying, would you change anything? Because I have

something I would change. For example, as long as I go through this book, and I walked into

the garden, so I was walking along, and I saw numbers, saying, oh, what the number is?

There is a number, but that’s corresponded with the audio. So, different. What they need to

do is the same number on the audio in this book. That thing has on the plot. Then, you can

say, oh, this is 117. So, you really need that coordination. This is very important.

10. What ways, if any, do you think the interiors play effective roles for your understanding

of the Japanese collections? What would you do differently?

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Carrie: I think I wouldn’t do anything differently, but for example, you wanted to do sit over there, and I want to sit here, then I can continue to look at the beautiful garden, sculptures, and waters. And there are benches. They have benches here for people to enjoy in quite spot.

They are all very important for museums.

11. Did the Japanese artifact and collections remind you of any personal memories?

Why and why not?

Carrie: Yes, because I grew up at the farm in Indiana, and so what we have is a little path around growing barn. And [as] you can see, the rock, things concentrated, and little path ways remind me of little my path yard and stones, and the waterfall reminds me of the little garden I created at home. So, yes. Those are examples. Outdoors and building structure 12. Did you visit the gardens and outdoor sculptures?

Why and why not?

Carrie: First, we visited the garden first. Then, we came into room. I love the house, the museum out there. The example of the Japanese house. That’s wonderful. And children education center.

12-1. If yes, how did they help you understand the Japanese culture?

Carrie: Well, I understood. I loved the room that you had the entrance, dining, bed, all in one place. And they had a wonderful example. Also they had a kitchen. Did you notice? Find open, open, and inviting, inviting in the museum. We can try everything. Yes. My daughter is eighteen today. It’s her birthday. I’m thinking to take her here, and she will love that little center for children. That would be great.

13. Did the Japanese gardens and outdoor sculpture remind you of any personal memories?

Why or why not?

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Carrie: The same thing. The farm.

14. Did the building structures remind you of any personal memories?

Why or why not?

Carrie: No, I gave the example about the personal memories before. I think that question is

similar. Personal experience 15. What are your favorite things in the Japanese collection room, if any and why?

Carrie: Well, I love the exhibit that ends up today, the teapots. And I love the room with the

Japanese woodblock paintings. I didn’t go into the library, but I think it’s wonderful to have

library here. Next time, when I come, I will sit there and study something.

16. Are the size and space of the Japanese collection gallery enough for you to experience the

Japanese art and culture?

Why and why not?

Carrie: Yes, although it’s always nice to have bigger, so maybe someday. That would be good.

They have a beautiful outdoor spaces here, and I would not expect that there would be indoor museum, too. So, this is nice to have it, indoor museum. I’m sure they one day would be expanded. It’s always nice to have more.

17. How the environments of this room help your understanding of the Japanese art and

culture?

Carrie: I think it’s a peace. Peace, you feel. When you stroll the art, then, you can experience the sculptures and trees in the way they create the stones. And you realize it’s all artistic artifacts. It’s all wonderfully peaceful, and I want to go home now and incorporate some of these things. And we just put the screens on the doors. That happens to be from IKEA. Do

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you know IKEA? They have a beautiful white Japanese bamboo looking screen. So, I just

installed at our home. And now, I feel part of peaceful white sort of beauty.

18. What do you think you gained from your visit?

Carrie: Peace, appreciation of Japan, art of Japan, and beauty of the sounds of water. I have

forgotten how beautiful just trickle, trickle of the water and the bamboo is. How can be. Do you remember that out of the garden? The big one, filled and empty. Part IV. Closing questions

19. Do you think the Japanese collection is essential for this museum and for the community

in the United States?

Why or why not?

Carrie: Vey important. People understand the Japanese culture. More than one hundred years ago, the Japanese people were removed from their lands by our military. That’s wrong.

People can appreciate the other ways of life. Turning the corner, then, you can find something

new. You will appreciate all of the life more. With the Japanese, for me especially, is the

simplicity of the life. For example, the western garden, waters and flowers and flowers. But

here, it’s the simplicity of single nature. It’s time to the breath and enjoy.

19-2 . What do you think the role of the Japanese museum or collections in this community or

society?

Carrie: Yes. I would think, recommend my friends who live in Hollywood and Sarasota in

Florida. Do they know about this? This is worth to travel cross state to see. I can say to my

friends in Connecticut, you can come here down to see beautiful museum. I think it crosses

boundaries. And I’m wondering do we have the Japanese museum in New York? I don’t

know. So, it makes me curious. That the museum should do. Don’t you think? Make one

curious.

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20. Do you want to know more about the Japanese culture, art, and history?

Why or why not?

Carrie: Yes, I want to take tea course. They offer tea course. I want to do that.

21. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for the exhibitions of the Japanese

collection, including interiors and other physical factors (light, labels, size, and location)?

Carrie: I would like to learn more about the Kimonos in the shop. It would be beautiful, and they maybe have or they maybe will do Kimono exhibitions, and you know, tell you about it.

Or, Style show. I don’t know. You can have fund raiser or something. They don’t have to expand, but it would be fun, the Japanese style show [that] maybe supported for the scholarship or foundation back in Japan.

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APPENDIX D

INTERVIEWS AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

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Before interview

- Did you visit Japanese collection galleries?

Matt: Yes

- Did you take a docent tour?

Matt: No

- Is your age between 45 and 65?

Matt: Yes

- Are you willing to participate in my research study? It should take around 30 minutes.

Matt: Yes Part I. Demographic questions

1. Where do you live?

Matt: San Francisco, California

2. What is your educational background?

Matt: Degree? Oh, Law degree. I graduated under Law degree. Part II. Museum experience

3. What’s your purpose of visiting this museum?

Matt: To visit the Japanese collection, only for this collection.

4. How much time did you spend viewing the exhibitions of this museum?

Matt: One hour

4-1. Have you ever visited this museum previously?

Matt: Yes

4-2. If yes, how many times did you visit this museum?

Matt: Between fifty and hundred.

5. Did you read the description labels or pick up the self-guide? (please choose one)

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Why or why not?

Matt: I read description labels because I found them interesting, and they taught me understanding of the piece I’m doing.

6. What art collections did you expect in this museum?

Matt: I go to museum very well because I lived in New York for many years, but I expected

to see this new collection. I knew about the new Japanese collection.

7. Are you familiar with the Japanese arts or Japanese culture?

Matt: Yes, I’ve known the Japanese collection since the museum acquired, and I also saw this

collection before the museum acquired. I also took the Japanese art class when I was a

student, and I was enjoying it in. I also visited Japan several times. Part III. Personal Experience of the Japanese collections

Interiors

8. Did you read the labels and signage of the Japanese collections?

Why or why not?

Matt: Yes, the same as before.

9. What did you observe or think about the interior design and lighting effects?

Matt: I think it’s very. I like the design, pretty calm. I think it reaches goals very well, and it

illuminates art works very well, and a consistency of the law.

10. What ways, if any, do you think the interiors play effective roles for your understanding

of the Japanese collections?

Matt: Maybe it helps to focus on some of the images and think of reminding some elements

of art, and the lightening of some museums.

10-1. What would you do differently?

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Matt: More historical contexts. And maybe need more space for you because there are so much information on it. More chairs and more spaces between the artifacts.

11. Did the Japanese artifact and collections remind you of any personal memories?

Why and why not?

Matt: Yes, of seeing the Japanese collection when I was a student, seeing this collection when

I was a student before become a museum acquirement, and of some of my visit in Japan. Special collection and building structure 12. Did you visit the special collection, Art of Samurai?

Why and why not?

Matt: Not today. Maybe Monday I will visit.

12-1. If yes, how did they help you understand the Japanese culture? N/A

13. Did the special collections remind you of any personal memories? N/A

Why or why not?

14. Did the building structures remind you of any personal memories?N/A

Matt: No. Personal experience 15. What are your favorite things in the Japanese collection room, if any and why?

Matt: In this room? I like the statues of Zizou, very engaging and very dramatic. And I

thought they had a number of small pieces on it, I liked that. I liked the old tree and the room

with screens.

16. Are the size and space of the Japanese collection gallery enough for you to experience the

Japanese art and culture?

Why and why not?

Matt: I would like [it if it were] definitely bigger for me.

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17. How the environments of this room help your understanding of the Japanese art and

culture?

Matt: I think the lower lightening. For example, a number of modern museums in New York

artwork involve modern bright lightening, but it’s little more spiritual elements on it; more

calm and the dark environment.

18. What do you think you gained from your visit?

Matt: I think I got some of the scrolls and some of the sculptures, some of the movement of

the technique of the sculptures, and lots of strolls. Part IV. Closing questions

19. Do you think the Japanese collection is essential for this museum and for the community

in the United States?

Why or why not?

Matt: Yes, because the museum is the museum of art collection from all humans, and I like the diversity of European American, African American, Asian and Egyptian. You can visit them all in one palace. I think it’s great, and I just think it’s valuable for people to be able to experience other culture. For me, the Japanese culture is beautiful. I like it. So, it’s great to have that thing in the United States.

19-3 . What do you think the role of the Japanese museum or collections in this community or

society?

Matt: That, I have no idea.

20. Do you want to know more about the Japanese culture, art, and history?

Why or why not?

Matt: That was enjoying about that.

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21. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for the exhibitions of the Japanese

collection, including interiors and other physical factors (light, labels, size, and location)?

Matt: I think having more historical contexts, and maybe some of the cultural artifacts will be

useful with more explanations. Before interview

- Did you visit Japanese collection galleries?

David: Yes.

Josh: Yes.

- Did you take a Guide tour?

David: No.

Josh: No.

- Is your age between 45 and 65?

David: Yes.

Josh: Yes.

- Are you willing to participate in my research study? It should take around 30 minutes.

David: Yes.

Josh: Yes. Part I. Demographic questions

1. Where do you live?

David: In upstate New York.

Josh: As well.

2. What is your educational background?

David: Master’s of Fine Arts.

Josh: I have no degree. High school

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Part II. Museum experience

3. What’s your purpose of visiting this museum?

David: Love of Japanese art

Josh: As well.

4. How much time did you spend viewing the exhibitions of this museum?

David: About an hour

Josh: Yes.

4-1. Have you ever visited this museum previously?

David: Yes.

Josh: Yes, many times.

5. Did you read the description labels or pick up the self-guide? (please choose one)

Why or why not?

David: Yes, I read labels. To educate myself further of what I see.

Josh: Yes, labels. To better know what I’m looking at.

6. What art collections did you expect in this museum?

David: Japanese collection.

Josh: As well.

7. Are you familiar with the Japanese arts or Japanese culture?

David: Yes, from classes taken, and the visit to the Japan.

Josh: Yes, from visiting Japan many times. We visited Tokyo, Nara, Kyoto, and the coast sea of Japan. Part III. Personal Experience of the Japanese collections

Interiors

8. Did you read the labels and signage of the Japanese collections?

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Why or why not?

David: Yes, to further knowledge.

Josh: Yes, as well.

9. What did you observe or think about the interior design and lighting effects?

David: handsomely installed and thoughtfully layout artifacts.

Josh: the same, I agree.

10. What ways, if any, do you think the interiors play effective roles for your understanding

of the Japanese collections?

David: In replicating the philosophy, and put the design, echoing the philosophy of the

Japanese arts.

Josh: I agree.

10-1. What would you do differently?

Josh: Well, one thing for me, but it is gonna be impossible. It will be nice to have no glasses

between me and what I’m looking at because many times I’m looking at reflections. I try to

truly look at the images, but the reflections or lights coming … But many times, it’s

impossible.

David: I can’t think about anything I can change. I agree with him. It would be nice but I

understand the protection. But otherwise, nothing I thought of. For me, it’s very well laid out.

11. Did the Japanese artifact and collections remind you of any personal memories?

Why and why not?

Josh: Well, yes, of taking many travels to Japan and many temples and museums. I had been

to the country and specially, the room with the painting and trees, and that screens.

David: And the same. It was reminiscent of the travel to Japan and also reminiscent of prior

educational classes I’ve taken about Japan when I was a student.

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Special collection and building structure 12. Did you visit the special collection, Art of Samurai?

Why and why not?

David: No, not today. Maybe another day we will probably to do.

Josh: No. We will go back some other day.

12-1. If yes, how did they help you understand the Japanese culture?

13. Did the special collections remind you of any personal memories?

Why or why not?

14. Did the building structures remind you of any personal memories?

David: No.

Josh: No. Personal experience 15. What are your favorite things in the Japanese collection room, if any and why?

David: The stand up pieces with the Asian palm tree and screen picture, I forgot the name though.

Josh: Beautiful water jar, too small, from Edo period, 19th century, but it looks like so modern.

16. Are the size and space of the Japanese collection gallery enough for you to experience the

Japanese art and culture?

Why and why not?

David: A tip of ice burg. It could more be covered [in] the wing of major museum like this.

The culture of Japan. It doesn’t do the culture; doesn’t give the culture enough. Lack of

exposure.

Josh: For me, it’s the suggestion of the Japanese culture with this small exhibit really. It

give[s] you a feeling of many where the Japanese culture [are].

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17. How the environments of this room help your understanding of the Japanese art and

culture?

David: Environment present[s] one of the simplicity… It echoes a lot of Japanese aesthetics, not all, but some Japanese historical arts are very complex not minimal but then the Buddhist aspects of culture definitely echo the minimal ways… That works.

Josh: Work with more chronologically will be helpful. They divided in it chronologically if you read the description of it, but they did not have enough information about the Japanese culture in each period.

18. What do you think you gained from your visit?

David: Appreciation of the new artist that I wasn’t knew it.

Josh: Yeah, I agree. Part IV. Closing questions

19. Do you think the Japanese collection is essential for this museum and for the community

in the United States?

Why or why not?

David: Of course, because of the contribution of the Japanese culture [that] may to the arts, and the significance of that contribution is domain.

Josh: Yes. It deserves to have space for all culture in the museum.

19-4 . What do you think the role of the Japanese museum or collections in this community or

society?

David: Sure, to educate the community [by] largely exposure to the culture and arts of Japan in the United States. Not everyone in this area can’t have opportunity to go to Japan. It [is] very far and far away, and many people can’t afford to travel that part, so it’s wonderful opportunity for, especially for young people to get a chance to [be] exposed to another world.

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Josh: Not large group of Japanese people live in the city, and I think it’s probably good for

their own culture to display in this museum. They can learn their own culture from this

museum and also present their culture and bring their children, [who] may [have] grown up here, to show what their ancestors, what their country and their parents produced.

20. Do you want to know more about the Japanese culture, art, and history?

Why or why not?

David: Definitely.

Josh: Oh, yes.

21. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for the exhibitions of the Japanese

collection, including interiors and other physical factors (light, labels, size, and location)?

David: Besides the ancient and more historical parts of culture, I think as well the modern and contemporary aspects of Japanese culture yet be displayed in this museum. You really need some exposure here from twentieth century up to today. You know, [there are] very minimal the work of exhibition of the contemporary of Japan, including living artist.

Josh: The Japanese society… although it’s very small here, but they are more able to better at showing modern Japanese art and culture. But if the great museum such as this may gives efforts and incorporates such of this.

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APPENDIX E

FIGURES

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Figure 1. The Interactive Experience Model (Falk & Dierking, 1992, p.5)

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Museum environment of Japanese collection

Physical context Personal context

Building Design Garden Signage, Usage Antici Prior Connection Structure Label pation Experience

Ethnographic Criticism Strategies

Personal Meaning making

Conceptual framework

Constructivism Cultural landscape Interactive Experience Model

Figure 2. Data Collection Model Note: This model indicates that the visual relationship between museum environment of Japanese collection and individual perceptions, using Falk & Dierking (1992)’s concept of physical content and personal content. The categories show their interactions between the visitors’ experience and the museum environments, and how that applies to the conceptual framework.

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Figure 3. Site map, The Morikami Museum

Figure 4. Seishin-an, The Morikami Museum

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Figure 5. Wall texts for Seishin-an, The Morikami Museum

Figure 6. Art Gallery, The Morikami Museum

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Figure 7. View from outdoor, The Morikami Museum

Figure 8. Wisdom Ring, The Morikami Museum

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Figure 9. Shinden Garden (Heian period, 9th-12th century), The Morikami Museum

Figure 10. Kodai-mon, The Morikami Museum

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Figure 11. Paradise Garden (Kamakura and early Muromachi periods, 13th- 14th century), The Morikami Museum

Figure 12. Early Rock Garden (early Muromachi period, 14th century), The Morikami Museum

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Figure 13. Late Rock garden (Muromachi Period, 15th century), The Morikami Museum

Figure 14. Flat Garden (Edo Period, 17th-18th century), The Morikami Museum

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Figure 15. Modern Romantic Garden (Meiji Period, late 19th-early 20th century), The Morikami Museum

Figure 16. Small dry rock garden, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

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Figure 17. Yamato colony room, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

Figure 18. Doors and posters of Kitchen/ Dining room, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

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Figure 19. Dining table of Kitchen/ Dining room, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

Figure 20. Kitchen/ Dining room, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

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Figure 21. Tatami room, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

Figure 22. Bento shop, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

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Figure 23. Label for the Bento shop, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

Figure 24. Kimono shop, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

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Figure 25. Shop for school supplies, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

Figure 26. School uniforms, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

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Figure 27. Classroom, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

Figure 28. Label for the Classroom, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

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Figure 29. Shinkansen room, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

Figure 30. Outside the Shinkansen room, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

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Figure 31. Outside the Shinkansen room, The Yamato-Kan, The Morikami Museum

Figure 32. Floor Plan, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Figure 33. Room 1, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Figure 34. Room 2, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Figure 35. Room 3, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Figure 36. Room 4, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Figure 37. Water stone, View from Room 4, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Figure 38. Shoin room, Room 5, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Figure 39. Room 5, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Figure 40. Gate to the American Wing, Room 5, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Figure 41. Water stone, Room 6, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Figure 42. Room 6, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Figure 43. Room 7, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Figure 44. Room 7, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Figure 45. Room 8, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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APPENDIX F

IRB APPROVAL AND CONSENT FORMS

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Office of the Vice President For Research Human Subjects Committee Tallahassee, Florida 32306-2742 (850) 644-8673 · FAX (850) 644-4392

APPROVAL MEMORANDUM

Date: 1/20/2010 To: Jungwon Lee Address: 2350 Phillips Road, Apt 10203, Tallahassee, FL 32308 Dept.: ART EDUCATION

From: Thomas L. Jacobson, Chair

Re: Use of Human Subjects in Research Meaning making in the museum environments of Japanese collections: A look at the Morikami Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The application that you submitted to this office in regard to the use of human subjects in the proposal referenced above have been reviewed by the Secretary, the Chair, and two members of the Human Subjects Committee. Your project is determined to be Expedited per 45 CFR § 46.110(7) and has been approved by an expedited review process.

The Human Subjects Committee has not evaluated your proposal for scientific merit, except to weigh the risk to the human participants and the aspects of the proposal related to potential risk and benefit. This approval does not replace any departmental or other approvals, which may be required.

If you submitted a proposed consent form with your application, the approved stamped consent form is attached to this approval notice. Only the stamped version of the consent form may be used in recruiting research subjects.

If the project has not been completed by 1/14/2011 you must request a renewal of approval for continuation of the project. As a courtesy, a renewal notice will be sent to you prior to your expiration date; however, it is your responsibility as the Principal Investigator to timely request renewal of your approval from the Committee.

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You are advised that any change in protocol for this project must be reviewed and approved by the Committee prior to implementation of the proposed change in the protocol. A protocol change/amendment form is required to be submitted for approval by the Committee. In addition, federal regulations require that the Principal Investigator promptly report, in writing any unanticipated problems or adverse events involving risks to research subjects or others.

By copy of this memorandum, the Chair of your department and/or your major professor is reminded that he/she is responsible for being informed concerning research projects involving human subjects in the department, and should review protocols as often as needed to insure that the project is being conducted in compliance with our institution and with DHHS regulations.

This institution has an Assurance on file with the Office for Human Research Protection. The Assurance Number is IRB00000446.

Cc: Pat Villeneuve, Advisor HSC No. 2009.3669

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Personal Statement

I have studied history, art history, art education, art criticism, and museum education. I also recognize the importance of interdisciplinary connections among the fields that I have studied. I believe that my study background will provide a solid foundation for the art museum education field that I am currently focusing on. It is my belief that an art museum is a place for everyone, and anything in the museum can be an education tool.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, 2002 Sogang University, Seoul, Korea Major: History

Master of Arts, 2004 Sogang University, Seoul, Korea Major: History

Master of Arts, 2007 Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL Major: History and Criticism of Art

Doctor of Philosophy, 2010 Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL Major: Art Education Concentration: Museum Education Certificate: Art Museum Education Certificate

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