The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in Long Island City preserves the legacy of Isamu Noguchi while giving the community a place to go to enjoy a garden in the city.
Noguchi, a Japanese-American who lived from 1904 to 1988, first came to Long Island City to be near crafts people and materials. He bought the facilities that would later become the museum, first using it for a studio.
“Noguchi was very much about the borough and the community,” museum director Jenny Dixon said, adding that he worked with the Community Boards and Borough President.
Dixon explained that when Noguchi made works, he took the public to heart, rather than put his ego first, as other artists did. In creating The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, Dixon said that Noguchi wanted to create and oasis, including a private garden, for the community to enjoy and a place were people could go to “take a breath.”
Noguchi once said, according to Dixon, that he made the museum for Queens and that he hoped the community would enjoy it.
When the museum first opened, Dixon said that it had the distinction of being the first museum in the United States to be founded in an artist’s lifetime and dedicated to his work. She said that The Noguchi Museum also remains the only museum in the country to fit those criteria.
“That makes us really very unique,” she said.
In May, the museum will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Dixon said its mission is to protect and conserve the work of Noguchi, while also making it accessible to the public through exhibitions and programs.
Noguchi was a versatile artist who worked in many different areas, including landscape, sculpture, drawing and architecture. Because of this, Dixon said that one of the greatest impacts Noguchi made was being able to influence artists of different generations and different mediums.
The Noguchi Museum’s core collection has 320 pieces. It also has secondary works that the artist left to it. Dixon said that Noguchi is also well-represented in many other galleries.
The exhibition currently on display at the museum is “Noguchi ReINstalled,” which can be viewed through October 24.
As the museum approaches its 25th anniversary, Dixon said that “it feels like we still have a lot to do.” She said that one of her future goals for the museum is to bring in more designers and artists of today while continuing with its programming.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Friday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The cost of admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. It is free for New York City public school students and children 12 and under.
The Noguchi Museum is located at 9-01 33rd Road at Vernon Boulevard. For more information, visit www.noguchi.org or call 718-204-7088.
