Contemporary Art Center
Since the foundation of ATM, the Contemporary Art Center, its art department, has focused on the introduction of contemporary art. Different from usual museums that give priority to collections, the Center has concentrated efforts on introducing contemporary art through exhibitions and workshops realized by the participation of artists. Accordingly, a number of site-specific exhibitions in which artists produce and install specifically for the gallery of Art Tower Mito were held. Besides large-scale solo exhibitions, the Center arranges its own projects at a pace of three-times-a-year, including group exhibitions that go along with the times and thematic exhibitions with a critical eye. In addition, “criterium,” in which young artists introduce their works in a form of small-scale solo exhibition, has been regularly held simultaneously with feature exhibitions. In short, every exhibition held at the Center is the result of the collaboration between artists and the curators who try hard to balance works with the display space, making the whole gallery complete as an expression of contemporary art. Furthermore, in recent years, networking with people in different genres has been conducted in closer cooperation with local communities to broaden chances for exhibitions outside the gallery around the city.
The features of the Center also include its unique educational programs. Since 1992, a gallery talk has been conducted with volunteers to introduce contemporary artworks from visitors’ viewpoints, as people tend to have preconceptions that contemporary art is difficult to understand. The project includes programs of different kinds such as artists’ workshops and lectures, “Gallery Tour for Parents with Babies,” and projects in cooperation with schools. In this way, the Center aims to offer as many people as possible with opportunities to enjoy contemporary art through a variety of thoughtful programs, and to convey, in a multi-faceted way, expressions and ideas of this complicated age we live in.