To commemorate the 10th edition of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, we are hosting a seminar in the form of a dialogue between an artist and Kitagawa Fram. For this event, we are pleased to welcome Chris Matthews, an artist who participated in the first “Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale” in 2000 and created “Nakasato Scarecrow Garden.”

Echigo-Tsumari is a mountainous and rural region where agriculture is the mainstay of the local economy. In this snow-covered land, why have these artworks continued to shine alongside the communities for 25 years? In a region facing depopulation and an aging population, how did community-building efforts that transcend region, generation, and genre come about?

One of the guiding principles of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field is the concept of “creating artworks on others’ land.” Rather than in museums or galleries, artists create their artworks in the very places where local people have lived—such as rice paddies, farm fields, and vacant houses. How did the artists interact with the local community and gain their understanding as they created their artworks?

Now, more than 25 years after the artworks were created, we look back on the artists’ interactions with the local community at that time and the stories behind the creation of the artworks. Through a dialogue with General Director Kitagawa Fram, we delve deeper into the collaborative efforts that took place in Echigo-Tsumari and the philosophy of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field.

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Event Overview

Date and Time: Saturday, November 14, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (Reception begins at 2:15 PM)
Venue: Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET
Admission: Adults: 2,000 yen; Students (Elementary through College): 1,000 yen
Capacity: 20 people
Reservations: Online booking (Peatix)

Important Notes:
◎ The admission fee does not include admission to the Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET. If you wish to visit the museum, please purchase a separate admission ticket.
◎ If the event is canceled or rescheduled due to weather or other unavoidable circumstances, we will announce the details on the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field website or via email.
◎ Refunds or reissuance of tickets are not available for reasons attributable to the customer.

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Official Tour Information

We are offering Official Tours that include a visit to the artwork with the artist, as well as participation in this seminar. If you have made a reservation for an Official Tour, you do not need to register for this seminar.

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Speakers

Chris Matthews

Born in the United Kingdom in 1966. After graduating from the Edinburgh College of Art in 1987, he worked in London and Tokyo. In 2001, he earned a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He is a landscape architect and artist. He explores the relationships between nature and the city, as well as art and community, and creates landscape designs that harness the power and expressive potential of nature. Together with his wife, Taco Iwashima Matthews, he creates artworks that explore the intersection of art, nature, and community. In addition to “Nakasato Scarecrow Garden,” he has been involved in large-scale landscape design projects both in Japan and abroad, including King Salman Park in Saudi Arabia and the Common Spaces Master Plan at Harvard University. He currently serves as Director of the Landscape Division at CBT Architects in Boston, USA.

Kitagawa Fram

Born in 1946 in Takada City, Niigata Prefecture (now Joetsu City). Graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts (History of Buddhist Sculpture).In 1982, he founded Art Front Gallery Co., Ltd. His major curatorial projects include the “Antoni Gaudí Exhibition,” the “No to Apartheid! International Art Exhibition,” and the “Fare Tachikawa Art Project.” As part of his efforts to foster community development through art, he has served as general director for events such as the “Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale” and the “Setouchi International Art Festival.”