 Mingei International Museum | |
  Location within San Diego Show map of San Diego Mingei International Museum (California) Show map of California Mingei International Museum (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Established | 1978 (1978) |
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| Location | House of Charm Balboa Park,San Diego,California |
| Coordinates | 32°43′52″N117°9′4″W / 32.73111°N 117.15111°W /32.73111; -117.15111 |
| Type | Art museum |
| Director | Jessica Hanson York |
| Website | mingei.org |
TheMingei International Museum is a non-profit public institution inBalboa Park inSan Diego, California, that collects, conserves and exhibits folk art, craft and design. The museum was founded in 1974, and its building opened in 1978.[1] The wordmingei, meaning 'art of the people,' was coined by the Japanese scholar Dr.Sōetsu Yanagi by combining the Japanese words for all people (min 民) and art (gei 芸).
Mingei International Museum was founded byMartha Longenecker, Professor of Art Emerita,San Diego State University. As an artist craftsman who studied pottery-making in Japan, she became acquainted with and learned from the founders and leaders of the Mingei Association of Japan. Under her guidance, the museum was established and developed over more than 27 years.
In May 1978, Mingei International Museum of World Folk Art opened atUniversity Towne Centre in San Diego with the exhibition, Dolls and Folk Toys of the World.
In August 1996, Mingei International was relocated to the historicHouse of Charm on thePlaza de Panama inBalboa Park. It shares the central square with theSan Diego Museum of Art and theTimken Museum of Art.
In 2003, Mingei International opened a second museum in downtownEscondido, in North San Diego County. The premiere exhibition,Niki de Saint Phalle Remembered featuredNiki de Saint Phalle's work from the museum's permanent collection and loans from the Niki Charitable Art Foundation.
In its 30-year history, Mingei International has presented 140 exhibitions, accompanied by related lectures, films, demonstrations, workshops, music, theater and dance.
Mingei International Museum closed its Escondido museum galleries to the public on June 26, 2010.
The museum's collections comprise 17,500 objects from 141 countries. The collections contain artifacts from the 3rd century BCE to the present day and include objects as diverse as ancient clay vessels and 21st-century Venetian glass.[2]
Several regions of the world are represented.
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