Support from the Loewe Foundation will be used to support the museum operations, including the continuation of the museum’s exhibitions and cultural activities.
The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka is getting added support from the Loewe Foundation, which will sponsor the Tokuma Memorial Cultural Foundation for Animation.
This support will give three years of financial support to maintain cultural activities for the museum, which opened in October 2001 on the southwest side of Inokashira Park. Both a cultural space and relaxing recreational facility, it features a park and green areas that underline connection with nature as a main feature of Studio Ghibli.
The building itself symbolizes the world of the animation company’s works conceived by director Hayao Miyazaki and functions as a hub to maintain and share the excellence of animation work. The building’s colorful exterior and interior walls have been given a rounded plaster finish by the hands of many artisans, while the stained glass windows feature Ghibli characters.
There is a warmth to the ambiance that comes from a deep appreciation of the work of craftspeople. Miyazaki wanted to build a museum that would embrace people’s ability ‘to feel’ to the fullest extent: a warmth that is truly human. On permanent display are depictions of how animation films are made, as well as what the creators see and feel when they are creating a film.
The Loewe Foundation was established as a private cultural foundation in 1988 by Enrique Loewe, a fourth-generation member of Loewe’s founding family.
Today, under the direction of his daughter Sheila Loewe, the Foundation continues to promote creativity, organize educational programs and protect cultural heritage in the fields of poetry, dance, photography, design and craft. The Foundation was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts by the Spanish government in 2002.
Shared values
“We are very proud to support the Ghibli Museum, one of Japan’s most beloved creative institutions,” says Sheila Loewe. “Studio Ghibli and Loewe have many shared values, from a longstanding commitment to craft, to an enduring love of nature. We look forward to becoming a part of their story, helping to spread the unique charm of the Ghibli Museum around the world.”
Both the luxury Spanish label and the animation studio are committed to promoting the warmth created through handwork, be it a luxury leather object or animated films composed of tens of thousands of hand-drawn pictures. This shared value has led to an ongoing collaboration that is both natural and mutually enriching.
The funds from Loewe Foundation will be used to support the museum operations, including the continuation of the museum’s exhibitions and cultural activities.
Ghibli Museum’s managing director Kazuki Anzai says that they are “delighted to see Loewe, a maison with craftsmanship at the core of its identity, and Ghibli Museum, who communicates the warmth of handcraft through animating thousands of drawings, come together.’’
