It looks like the “Bologna Illustrators Exhibition,” held every year around this time at the Otani Memorial Art Museum, will be taking place again this year.
This year’s schedule is from Saturday, August 17 to Monday, September 23 (national holiday).
Since this is a popular annual exhibition, it should be something to look forward to again this year.
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What is the “Bologna Illustrators Exhibition”?
There is a city in Italy called Bologna, and every spring it hosts a children’s book trade fair called the “Bologna Children’s Book Fair.”
The “Bologna Illustrators Exhibition” is a picture book illustration competition organized by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
Both veteran and emerging artists can participate, even with unpublished work, so it is said to be a major opportunity for new creators.
The selected works are exhibited in Japan at four museums, and one of them is the Otani Memorial Art Museum in Nishinomiya.
By the way, this year’s exhibition schedule is as follows.
・Itabashi Art Museum (Tokyo) June 29–August 12, 2019
・Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya City (Hyogo) August 17–September 23
・Ishikawa Nanao Art Museum (Ishikawa) November 1–December 8
・Art Museum & Library, Ota (Gunma) December 14–January 19, 2020
Isn’t it amazing that an exhibition you can only see at these four locations in Japan is coming to Nishinomiya?
How to get to the Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya City
Since we’re here, I’d like to explain the route to the Otani Memorial Art Museum.
The nearest station is Hanshin Koroen Station.
Get off at the station and head to the south side.
There is an information board for the surrounding area, so you should be able to get a general idea of where it is.
This is what the area in front of the station on the south side looks like.
Turn right (west) here.
Then you’ll see a view like this.
Continue along the road for a while.
You’ll see a directional sign, so follow it and turn left (south).
You’ll see a tunnel like this.
Use this tunnel to pass under National Route 43.
There is also a directional sign after you pass through the tunnel.
It’s a little hard to see, but it says “Turn right in 50 m.”
Follow the sign and continue straight south for about another 50 meters.
Use “Aoyama Kasho” as your landmark and turn right (west).
There is a directional sign above here.
When you turn right, you’ll see a road like this.
From here, just keep going straight.
You’ll see signs like this along the way, but basically, just keep going straight.
As you continue, you’ll see a sign like this along the road.
This is already the Otani Memorial Art Museum.
Keep following the road and you’ll come to the museum entrance.
You can also see the sign for the special exhibition.
Continue a little farther and you’ll find the entrance.
There is a ticket counter next to the entrance, so buy your admission ticket there.
It takes about 15 to 20 minutes on foot from the station.
It’s not that far.
Event Information
It looks like some events are also planned during the exhibition period.
Yoshikazu Takai Autograph Session
Sunday, September 8, 14:00–
Limited to the first 70 people who purchase a picture book on the day (numbered tickets will be distributed)
Workshop “Becoming a Mountain”
This workshop will be led by Mucho Manaka, whose work was selected for the 2019 “Bologna Illustrators Exhibition.”
There will also be a reading by Manaka.
・Friday, August 30 ①10:15–11:45 ②15:00–16:30
・Venue: Otani Memorial Art Museum Auditorium
・Capacity: 10 people per session
・For: Elementary school students
・Materials fee: 500 yen
※Advance registration is required for the workshop.
※Admission to the museum is required for all events.
※For registration details and more information, please see the website below.
(Otani Memorial Art Museum website / Event Information)
http://otanimuseum.jp/exhibition_event.html
Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya City Facility Information
★Address: 4-38 Nakahama-cho, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture
★TEL: 0798-33-0164
★Opening hours: 10:00–17:00 (admission until 16:30)
★Closed: Wednesdays (if Wednesday is a national holiday, the museum opens and closes the following day) and during exhibition changeover periods
★Admission: Set each time depending on the scale of the exhibition.
・Group discounts are available for groups of 20 or more
・Nishinomiya residents aged 65 and older (ID required):
Special exhibitions: Half the general admission fee
Collection exhibitions: Free
・Visitors with physical or mental disabilities and one caregiver are admitted free (certificate required)
・Elementary and junior high school students who present a Cocoron Card or Nobinobi Passport are admitted free
★Please see the website for further details.
(Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya City website)
http://otanimuseum.jp/
