Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum’s “G(ALL)ERY Day” initiative is designed to ensure that everyone can visit the museum with peace of mind. It includes two types of days: “Leisurely Art Appreciation Day,” and “Baby Hours.”
During Baby Hours, visitors are granted special access to the main building, which usually does not allow strollers, enabling them to enter with their babies and strollers. Similarly to the Leisurely Art Appreciation Day program, the museum also offers a pre-registration program called “Stroller Tours”(Museum Tours for Visitors with Babies),” where an art communicator accompanies each participating group, facilitating an interactive exploration of the exhibition while fostering conversation.

The G(ALL)ERY Day program is organized primarily by Iku Otani in charge of Learning and Public Programs and Marina Masuda responsible for Social Inclusion at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum. Participants of the “Stroller Tours” (Museum Tours for Visitors with Babies), held during Baby Hours, first check in at the Welcome Room on the first floor of the main building where the tour begins. Some of the gathered art communicators wore finger puppets or had dolls hanging from their satchels, demonstrating their readiness to engage with small children. Ms. Otani also assists with check-in and participates in the introductions between tour participants and art communicators.
“Art communicators” prepare for the tour with advance meetings. “For each exhibition, we share information online beforehand and hold sessions to confirm operational details. The curators responsible for the exhibition also provide lectures on the themes and highlights, answering any questions. Additionally, we set aside time for the art communicators to preview the exhibition,” Ms. Otani explains.

On the day of our visit, many guests with small children came to the museum. This was because the Baby Hours program, a day when visitors are allowed to use strollers in the main building, where they are usually not permitted.
Many visitors who attended the Baby Hours program shared how they learned about the initiative. Some said, “A mom friend told me about Baby Hours, and I decided to participate because it seemed like a welcoming place for visitors with babies.” Others noted, “I saw it on the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum’s Instagram and decided to visit with my child for the first time.”
When we asked participants about their impressions of the tour, one shared, “Touring with the art communicator encouraged me to focus on details, like the differences in design from room to room, such as the lamps and radiator covers. I’ve attended Baby Hours before, but this time, I was able to enjoy the museum from a more detailed and fresh perspective.”

Ms. Otani explains, “The monitoring and security staff are all very familiar with this museum. They position themselves near steps and corners, offering assistance and ensuring a safe environment for all visitors.” When we spoke to a staff member stationed near a step, they shared, “Some wheelchair users are quite experienced in handling their devices, but with strollers, this step can be a bit challenging. That’s why I guide visitors through here.”

However, operational challenges remain, particularly in ensuring that visitors are aware of the pre-registration requirement for G(ALL)ERY Day, which applies to the general public as well. It seems difficult to convey the need to purchase tickets in advance to gain entry. Staff members at the ticket counter sometimes need to explain this policy directly to visitors.
“We’ve realized that announcements via the web and social media don’t always reach elderly visitors, so we need to be mindful of the digital divide,” Ms. Masuda explains. “We’ll continue to explore and improve ways to communicate this information moving forward.”

Finally, we asked Ms. Masuda and Ms. Otani, who are responsible for the G(ALL)ERY Day program, about the direction they envision for the program in the future.

Ms. Masuda: “G(ALL)ERY Day is offered on regular opening days, creating an environment where we encounter a diverse range of visitors who we might not have met when the program was held on closed days in the past. I believe it’s significant that hosting G(ALL)ERY Day fosters an awareness among museum staff of creating a space where people from all walks of life can visit and coexist. I hope we can maintain this awareness as we move forward.”

Ms. Otani: “There are inevitably popular exhibitions that draw large crowds, making operations quite challenging at times. However, I want to strive to create a state where everyone can coexist at the museum at any time. For us, the staff who welcoming visitors—whether curators or those working on-site personnel—programs like this provide valuable opportunities to reflect on aspects we might not typically notice. In that sense, continuing G(ALL)ERY Day is not only meaningful for visitors but also helps us, as staff, to constantly refresh our perspectives.”

The successful implementation of the G(ALL)ERY Day program relies on the collaboration and shared awareness of all museum sections. Launched in earnest in 2023, this pioneering initiative aims to create a museum open to everyone. Its continuation and further development are highly anticipated.