Playing with Art | Visiting Museums with 'Web Writer Lab' Members ①

“It would be wonderful if art could become a part of our daily landscape, just like enjoying music casually.”
I had been vaguely harboring this ideal ever since I was studying at art school.

However, a long time passed without me coming up with any good ideas on how to get closer to that landscape.

But then, someone reached out to me, and the opportunity to finally take action arrived!

That person is a connector of people, Otsu (Yuko Tomita).
She is the event manager for a community called “Web Writer Lab”.

One of the charms of the “Web Writer Lab” is that many events are held every month, and interaction among members is very active.
Since I am also a member of the lab, I had been thinking that I would like to host an event someday.

When I was struggling with what I could plan, Otsu-san reached out to me and suggested, “I want to plan an event where we go to a museum with Natsumi-san.”

Otsu-san said that after reading Kotaro Kondo's book, “Work is Life: The Most Carefree Work Philosophy in the Universe”, she felt it was important to incorporate “play” into daily life.

She then thought, “If we are going to ‘play,’ it might make the Web Writer Lab members happy if it also helps refine their sensibilities and improve their writing,” and reached out to me, as I work as an art and culture writer.

After that, I worked out the plan with Otsu-san, and we formed the “Lab Art Club”!
We realized an event where we visit a museum with members and share our impressions together.
(I provided some tips on how to enjoy the exhibition and gave brief explanations.)

Otsu-san has written about the background of the project and how the event went on her note!

The event was a great success, and we have received happy feedback from members saying, “Please definitely hold a second one.”

And there was a big change for me personally as well.
Until now, I had only been vaguely thinking, “I want to create a space where people can enjoy art casually.”
But thanks to Otsu-san, I was able to hold the event, and realizing that there were many people who were happy about it gave me the courage to move toward my goal.
I have gained hope that steadily creating spaces where everyone can enjoy themselves might eventually lead to the world I envision.

I want to make this an activity where not only those who love art but everyone can feel free to participate and find many discoveries.

I will introduce the details of our visit to the museum with the members in the next article!