The Concept: “Houses for Art”
One of the most distinctive features of Towada Art Center is its architectural concept of creating “houses for art.” Instead of placing many artworks together in one large gallery, the museum consists of individual exhibition spaces, with each space designed as an independent building or “house” for a particular artwork.
These individual spaces are connected by transparent glass corridors. As visitors move from one gallery to another, the experience resembles walking through a small city rather than simply moving through a conventional museum.
This design encourages visitors to encounter each artwork as an individual experience. The architecture also creates changing views between indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing the museum and the surrounding city to become part of the overall artistic experience.
Art Open to the City
Some of the exhibition spaces feature large glass windows that allow artworks to appear connected to the street outside. From certain viewpoints, it can feel as though the artwork is being presented directly to the city rather than being isolated behind museum walls.
This open design reflects the fundamental philosophy of Arts Towada: art should be part of everyday urban life. The museum therefore functions not only as a place for displaying contemporary art but also as a space where art, architecture, public life, and community development come together.
Art and the Revitalization of Towada
Towada City has a population of approximately 66,000 people, and the opening of the museum had an immediate impact on the city. Within only four days of opening, the museum welcomed its 10,000th visitor.
Visitor numbers continued to grow, and in August 2014, cumulative attendance surpassed one million. The success of the museum attracted attention as an example of how contemporary art can contribute to the revitalization of a regional city.
Since April 2012, the museum has operated under Japan’s designated management system, allowing greater flexibility in museum administration and the development of exhibitions and cultural programs.
Towada Art Center is also one of the five museums that make up AOMORI GOKAN, a cultural initiative connecting major art museums across Aomori Prefecture. Through this network, the museum contributes to the development of cultural tourism throughout the region.
Contemporary Artworks by Internationally Acclaimed Artists
Towada Art Center’s collection includes 38 permanent artworks by 33 groups of artists from Japan and around the world. Many of these works are not simply existing artworks that were brought into the museum. Instead, they were specifically created for the museum as commissioned works.
Many are large-scale installations that make full use of the exhibition spaces and surrounding environment. This approach allows the artworks and architecture to function together as one experience.
Major Artists Represented at the Museum
The museum features works by internationally recognized artists, including:
Yoko Ono – A Japanese-born artist known for her conceptual and performance-based works.
Yayoi Kusama – One of Japan’s most internationally famous contemporary artists, known for her distinctive use of dots, repetition, and immersive installations.
Yoshitomo Nara – A Japanese artist whose distinctive paintings and sculptures often explore themes of childhood, solitude, and emotion.
Erwin Wurm – An Austrian artist known for humorous and unconventional sculptures that challenge traditional ideas about the human body and everyday objects.
Ron Mueck – An Australian sculptor famous for highly realistic sculptures of the human figure, often presented at dramatically unusual scales.
Jaume Plensa – A Spanish artist whose works often explore the human body, language, light, and the relationship between art and public space.
Do Ho Suh – A Korean artist whose work explores ideas of home, memory, identity, and architecture.
The diversity of these artists makes Towada Art Center particularly attractive to international visitors. The museum provides an opportunity to experience different approaches to contemporary art in one compact cultural destination.
The Opening Exhibition by Yoko Ono
The museum’s opening exhibition featured Yoko Ono in an exhibition titled “Yoko Ono: Entrance”. The choice of Ono for the opening helped establish the museum’s international contemporary-art identity from the very beginning.
A Landmark Designed by Ryue Nishizawa
The architecture of Towada Art Center was designed by internationally acclaimed Japanese architect Ryue Nishizawa. The museum emerged from a design competition in which five prominent young architectural practices participated, including Nishizawa, Atelier Bow-Wow, Kumiko Inui, Sou Fujimoto, and Makoto Yokomizo.
Nishizawa’s proposal, based on the idea of creating houses for individual works of art, was selected because of its innovative approach to integrating architecture, art, and the surrounding city.
Building Specifications
Site area: Approximately 4,358.46 square meters
Building area: Approximately 1,685.73 square meters
Total floor area: Approximately 2,078.38 square meters
Structure: Steel-frame construction
Construction period: June 2006 to March 2008
The complex includes not only exhibition spaces but also a courtyard, outdoor event spaces, temporary exhibition galleries, community activity areas, a café, and places to rest. These facilities make the museum approachable for both local residents and travelers.
More Than a Museum
One of Towada Art Center’s greatest strengths is that visitors do not have to remain inside a traditional gallery environment. The museum’s relationship with the surrounding streets allows contemporary art to extend naturally into the city.
The area around the museum contains public art and other artistic elements, making the experience of visiting Towada Art Center something closer to an art walk through the city.
This is particularly significant because Arts Towada was created with the goal of using art to transform the city’s central area. Instead of treating art as something experienced only inside a museum, the project seeks to make art part of the public landscape and everyday life of Towada.
How to Get to Towada Art Center
By Bus
Visitors can take a Towada Misawa Transportation bus service that enters the government district and get off at the Towada Art Center-mae bus stop.
Alternatively, passengers can use other Towada Misawa Transportation or Nanbu Bus services and get off at Towada-shi Chuo. The museum is approximately a five-minute walk from this bus stop.
From Hachinohe Station
From the west exit of JR East and Aoimori Railway Hachinohe Station, visitors can take the JR Bus Tohoku Oirase-go service toward Lake Towada and get off at the Towada Art Center stop.
From Shichinohe-Towada Station
Travelers arriving by the Tohoku Shinkansen can get off at Shichinohe-Towada Station. From the south exit, take a Towada Misawa Transportation bus and get off at the Towada Art Center stop.
A Unique Destination for Art and Travel
Towada Art Center is one of the most distinctive contemporary art destinations in northern Japan. Its appeal comes not only from its internationally recognized artists and large-scale installations but also from its innovative architecture and close relationship with the city around it.
The concept of creating individual “houses” for artworks gives visitors a different way of experiencing contemporary art. Moving between the separate galleries through transparent corridors creates a sense of exploration, while large windows and outdoor spaces blur the boundary between the museum and the city.
For international travelers, Towada Art Center is an excellent destination for discovering a different side of Japan’s cultural landscape. Visitors can encounter works by artists such as Yayoi Kusama, Yoko Ono, Yoshitomo Nara, Erwin Wurm, Ron Mueck, Jaume Plensa, and Do Ho Suh while also experiencing the distinctive architecture of Ryue Nishizawa.
More than a conventional art museum, Towada Art Center demonstrates how contemporary art can become part of a city’s identity and revitalization. When visiting Aomori Prefecture, travelers interested in modern art, architecture, photography, or innovative urban design should consider adding Towada Art Center to their itinerary.