Mission Statement

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa has been established with the mission of generating new culture and revitalizing its community. Innovative city planning has become intensely important to our society, which faces a historical turning point in the 21st century. Through a spirit of cooperation, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa will seek to awaken Kanazawa’s creative energy and become a compelling regional cultural attraction.

The four goals of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa are:

・To be a museum that moves in step with contemporary society.

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa will allow visitors to experience and enjoy the world’s foremost contemporary art. The richly diverse art of our times cuts across genres and transcends barriers of time and space. By providing experiences of such art, the Museum will perform as a bridge between the region and the art of the future.

・To create a participation-oriented museum along with citizens and revitalize the community.

We hope that 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa will serve as a new “town square” for the city, where people can freely partake in education, creation, entertainment, and communication. Through its cooperative engagement with people and industries, the Museum will endeavor to explore and generate completely new activities as an art museum.

・To be an art museum open to the world, where regional traditional arts connect with the future.

The Museum will perform as a laboratory for exploring, from an inter-cultural perspective, ways of ensuring the viability of Kanazawa’s distinctive cultural traditions, dating from feudal times, amid the diversifying values of the 21st century.

・To grow in spirit along with children.

The museum will serve as an open classroom, providing the optimal environment for children to see, touch, and experience art. As children grow, so will the Museum grow and continue to evolve for generations to come.

Architecture Concept

Museum open to the city like a park

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is situated in the center of Kanazawa city. Anybody can drop in whenever they want. The Museum is designed as a park where people can gather and meet with one another. The glass-made circle results in an ambiguous spatial definition. a kind of reversible membrane, through which visitors can sense each other's presence. The museum pays careful attention to its openness and brightness from the courtyards with sky-lights. The Museum, in order to meet various needs of visitors, has also a shop and restaurant open to the night. The aim of the Museum is " casualness" , " enjoyment" , and " accessibility" .