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The Mingue International Museum in San Diego, California, reopened to the public in September 2021 after a three-year extensive renovation led by Luce et studio’s principal and architect Jennifer Luce. With its vibrant, warm space and modern vision, the museum showcases the beauty of craftsmanship and hand-made.

The Mingei International Museum is dedicated to the collection and display of "people's art" or mingei in Japanese. It is located in a 1915 landmark building (renovated in 1996) in the city’s historic Balboa Park, but it needs to be renovated in the 21st century. . The vision is to open the building to California's natural light and create spaces that welcome the community and better display their large number of handmade products from all over the world.

The new museum itself is a tribute to craftsmanship. The materials it chooses include wood, textiles, glass, and especially metals (steel, brass, aluminum and bronze), which are used throughout the building in a very unexpected way.

A basic feature of the building is its public level, where visitors, including non-museum audiences, can enter and enjoy the entrance of the park. Here, people immediately come into contact with the spirit of mind. The spacious open space features several large glass windows that showcase the highlights of the collection-in the first few months, this included painted carousel animals and exquisite ceramic bowls and brushes used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. Deputy Director Jessica York pointed out that since the reopening, “our public floor has truly become the living room of Balboa Park. People stopped to browse Shop Mingei, wander around the showcases, and meet and drink at CRAFT CAFE. For coffee, we even let people set up laptops to do some small work in ARTIFACT’s bars. In just a few months, we are very happy to see people come here and make the space here as vibrant as their homes." The restaurant’s bar counter is an impressive 9-meter-long piece of recycled California walnut wood, discovered and designed by local craftsman Tule Peak Timber. The design and details of the bar were partly inspired by George Nakashima, whose work was one of the first works in the museum's collection in the 1970s. The influence of Nakajima can be felt in the subtle details of the entire building, with his signature furniture placed in several rooms, including the library and meeting rooms. Other custom commissions for the public areas include a 10-meter long felted wool tapestry, designed by Dutch artist and activist Claudy Jongstra, and installed on the wall above the bar, titled "The Black Truth Yumei” and a 9-meter-long hanging tapestry above the main seating area of ​​the restaurant’s perforated metal ceiling, imitating the scrolling of the piano roll of the actual song performer. This piece was designed by Luce and manufactured by A. Zahner, a construction metal products company. He also collaborated with Luce to create a series of 64 twisted brass pickets for courtyard fences.

Luce and her team worked closely with the museum staff, and this connection is fully reflected in the refurbished museum, in its thoughtfulness, function and detail. After studying the history of the building, the team found a photo of a terrace that does not currently exist. In one of the more challenging parts of the renovation, they were able to bring the terrace back, adding an outdoor space with a view of the park. In the expanded exhibition space, the museum commissioned the artist, fashion designer and founder of dosa studios Christina Kim to create a curtain that can divide the exhibition space when needed while maintaining light and transparency. The hand-stitched curtain called sugi/kuruminoki is tailored by Dyneema, a technical fabric commonly used in tents. "Perfect and imperfect," the glittering layered patchwork curtains are an example of how her work seeks to "respect the human effort at every stage of production," Jin said.

A 120-seat theater newly added to the museum was transformed from an unused loading dock. Here, Dutch artist Petra Blaise was commissioned to create a soundproof curtain that is as long as a 12-meter-long retractable glass door that leads to the amphitheater. This piece, called Sessions, is inspired by the local Jacaranda tree that blooms with purple flowers in spring.

"In a very short period of time, the theater has become an important part of the museum," York said. "It has been used for film screenings, music and dance performances, lectures, and private events. In October this year, the museum launched a new program, Community Monday, to provide free access to local art and cultural non-profit organizations with limited resources. Opportunity for theater."

The BenQ International Museum feels like what a museum should do in the 21st century; provide opportunities to enter the community by inviting spaces and educational programs, and promote collections in a fascinating way, while paying attention to today’s talents.

When asked about a place in the museum that unexpectedly became a meeting place, York pointed out: "The Courtyard has become a surprisingly popular destination due to the recently installed mural "Golden Theme Variations." This enamel mural made by San Diego artists Ellamarie and Jackson Woolley is very large, 12'x36'. It is installed at eye level so people can walk up to see the different layers and shapes, as well as all the dents, nails and paint. Part of Mingei’s mission is to inspire people when they visit museums, and I think putting this amazing large-scale work of art in a very accessible place does do that."

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