A Museum Where Time, People, and Beauty Are Connected

We aim to be a museum where “time,” “people,” and “beauty” are connected and hope that the city of Kurume will develop further as a base where culture and art are shared and created.

Connecting “Time”

This means to retain the passion of Ishibashi Shojiro, honorary citizen of Kurume City, and the sixty-year-long history and tradition of our predecessor, Ishibashi Museum of Art, plus the artistic milieu of Kurume, where pioneers such as Aoki Shigeru and Sakamoto Hanjiro were brought up, and continue to hand them down beyond generations.

Connecting “People”

We hope that all age groups from children to the elderly will gather at the museum, enjoy encounters and exchanges through the museum, and foster richness of spirit and creativity.

Connecting “Beauty”

With our main focus on artists linked to Kurume, we shall collect and exhibit artworks turning our eyes towards the entire region of Kyushu and continue to convey the charm and pride of our hometown in the future, too.

1）To Build a Collection Reflective of the History of the Our Hometown

Kurume has turned out many a fine Western-style painter from modern times onwards. Focusing on this history and also the entire region of Kyushu, we shall form a systematic collection of Kyushu yoga (Western-style painting) by artists linked to Kurume at the core.

2）To Organize Stimulating Exhibitions and Educational Activities

In addition to the essential role of an art museum, which is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and survey artworks and materials, we plan to hold stimulating exhibitions making unprecedented approaches such as traveling exhibitions in conjunction with other art museums.

3）To Develop the Entirety of Ishibashi Cultural Center as a Museum

Utilizing our privileged location and environment, by regarding the entirety of Ishibashi Cultural Center as a single museum, we hope to coordinate joint projects involving the museum, events held in the gardens and other facilities, and other groups.

4）To Create and Foster a System Together with the Citizens

Along with efforts to attract more citizens to the museum, we shall endeavor to promote the cooperation and support of the citizens in various forms including volunteering and donations. Through such involvement, we hope to become a place referred to friendly by the citizens as “our museum.”

This studio originally stood in the city of Yame in Fukuoka and was relocated and reconstructed within Ishibashi Cultural Center in 1980. Most of Sakamoto Hanjiro’s representative works such as his series of horses and still lifes were produced in this studio. It is open to the public for limited periods in conjunction with events held within the Center.