Federal taxpayers to pay for exhibit on Japanese artist

(The Center Square) - American taxpayers are footing the bill for an exhibit highlighting Japanese artwork.

The Portland Art Museum received $250,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services that it will spend to create an exhibition dedicated to the late Chizuko Yoshida, a modernist artist and printmaker who never lived in the United States.

The exhibit will highlight "the artist's contributions as an advocate for women artists in the 1950s and 1960s," according to a press release from U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon.

"For some time, we have been overdue for an exploration of the creative, luminous work of Yoshida Chizuko across the long arc of her six-decade career," Jeannie Kenmotsu, Ph.D., the Portland Art Museum’s Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Asian Art, said. "I am excited for people to be introduced to this important twentieth-century artist and learn her story, which invites us to think more broadly about the history of international printmaking, modern art, and the challenges of pursuing a career as a woman artist in the 1950s and 1960s. We are grateful for the support of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which provides crucial backing for groundbreaking research and programs that open new doors to our understanding of art and culture.”

The exhibit for the Japanese artist is one of three that received federal funding totaling nearly $750,000.

Wyden and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, praised the feds for offering this taxpayer funding.

“These iconic Oregon museums have been sharing our local history, culture, and science for decades to the benefit of Oregonians and visitors alike,” Wyden said in the release. “They are creating programming that people from around the world come to experience while spending money throughout Oregon. Education, entertainment, and economic impact is a winning trifecta for Oregonians.”

Merkley expressed a similar sentiment.

“Oregon’s museums help us connect to one another and expand our understanding of the world around us,” Merkley said in the release. “These projects at the High Desert Museum, OMSI, and the Portland Art Museum will help to provide high-quality education and cultural experiences for students, families, and visitors.”

Another recipient of this taxpayer money, the High Desert Museum in Bend, will spend the $238,840 it got on a learning hub for K-12 students, teachers, families, and community groups. The learning hub aims to "evoke new understandings of the region, build community connections, and inspire creativity," the release said.

“Our community continues to grow, and the Museum is planning an expansion to grow alongside it,” High Desert Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw said. “The new learning center will allow for new and expanded innovative programming, as well as provide vital additional space for school year and summer programs. We’re so grateful to the Institute for Museum and Library Services for this incredible opportunity and to Oregon’s senators for supporting the important work of the High Desert Museum.”

Plus, the Portland-based Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) will use the $249,469 it got to partner with Project LEDO to, "improve the museum's labs and learning spaces for youth educational programming," the release said.

Project LEDO is an organization in Portland that promotes "equity" in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM).

"OMSI is incredibly grateful for this award from IMLS, whose ongoing support of museums has been instrumental in helping advance educational opportunities,” Alexis Baghdadi, Director of Campus and Museum Engagement, said. "This grant will empower our educators to better reach and serve diverse communities, while also centering those communities in shaping our STEAM experiences, a collaboration process OMSI values and finds key to learners' success."