Love for Japan (1)

It is heartbreaking to watch the disasters unfolding in Japan from afar, as well as hearing about the foreign populations scrambling to leave on the first plane for Hong Kong or wherever ... Still, if there is a "small good thing" to be found in this tragedy, it is the efforts of Japanese art lovers around the world to do something for the country.

I was in New York this weekend for the opening of David Elliott's BYE BYE KITTY!!! exhibition (more on that soon), and there are all kinds of charity efforts being organised to make a little difference.

Japan Society is organising one central drive, and can be relied on to make sure sure all the money goes direct to Japanese charity organisations. More "bottom up" is the drive being organised by Tokyo Art Beat co-founder, Kosuke Fujitaka, who I met on Monday, together with a group of Japanese art friends in New York.

"Love Art & Help Japan" is a simple charity box scheme, in which numerous galleries and art venues around New York will display a charity collection box, rapidly designed and produced by the independent New York based designer Hitoshi Sagaseki. The idea is simple: see some great art and donate for Japan. Just put the money in the box.

http://www.nyartbeat.com/nyablog/2011/03/love-art-help-japan-enjoy-great-art-in-ny-and-donate-for-japan/

The scholarly list serve organised by Reiko Tomii and Miwako Tezuka, PoNJA GenKen (Post 1945 Japanese Art Discussion Group) is also proving an invaluable source of information, advice and sympathy, particularly as it connects curators in the US with curators and artists in Japan struggling to come to terms with the human and material costs to museums, collections and the art world as a whole in the affected region. For more info, go to:

http://www.ponja-genkon.net/

ADRIAN FAVELL
http://www.adrianfavell.com