You would think that New York City had it all. Besides, the city is home to some of the largest named museums in the world, endless art galleries, and art collections… but what it doesn’t have, is a collection of Isamu Noguchi’s sculptures.
Hidden in the depths of Long Island City, lies The Noguchi Museum. Located on 9-01 33rd Road, Long Island City, NY 11106, the museum is established on a relatively small triangular block, the closest train station is about ten blocks away, and is hidden behind a Costco and large park. I spoke to a fellow visitor, Alexandra Rubiano, a 21-year-old student attending NYU, who also had a similar trip as I did trying to locate the Noguchi Museum.
“You better have your phone out and on Google Maps. This museum isn’t easy to find, and there weren’t many people walking by to ask around.”
However, as inconvenient as it may be, the Noguchi Museum is worth visiting if you are a fan of sculpture art. The museum mission itself, is devoted to display and showcase the life of Noguchi and his passion for art.
Holly, a staff member of the museum, gives tours around the museum, explaining the story of Noguchi and his journey towards the creation of this museum and the pieces it displays.
“My favorite individual in Noguchi’s story, is his mother, Léonie Gilmour. After Noguchi’s father had left her to return to Japan, she was tough enough to bear her bi-racial son, with no job, and no husband. Can you imagine how tough that was in the early 1900s? She even didn’t name her child, hoping to respect the Japanese tradition of the father naming the child. Even after traveling to Japan with her son, and never reuniting with Noguchi’s father, she made it by teaching English to wealthy Japanese families. She was truly an incredible woman, and the source that encouraged Noguchi to chase his love for art.”
One of the main features of the museum, is its outdoor sculpture garden. An open spaced area where many visitors find themselves sitting down to observe the ambiance of the garden, and absorb the sculptures and luscious trees that surround them.
Ms. Rubiano tells me about her views on the museum.
“I love the space of this museum. There is plenty of light, and air throughout the entire museum, and it just feels really relaxing to walk around and enjoy the art. They have this corner of the museum that is a mix of indoor and outdoor, with an opening at the top, that’s my favorite area. After that is the garden of course.”
When asked about how the museum is doing, and how its location impacts its number of visitors, Holly explained:
“Well, Noguchi chose this area to build his museum because of the space, and the availability of all the materials he needed. He actually lived and had his studio across the block from this building, and bought it because of its triangular figure. This museum has been through three renovations, and we’ve done our best to keep it in the same form as Noguchi had admired.”
The Noguchi Museum continues to strive to achieve its mission of honoring the life and work of Isamu Noguchi. They are currently part of the Long Island City Cultural Alliance, a program that is devoted to safekeeping and preserving art and culture in this city. If you are ever in the neighborhood, or is simply curious to visit the museum, I would highly recommend giving this museum a visit.