A Transcultural Mosaic: Selections Form the Permanent Collection of Mingei International/Museum of World Folk Art

Excerpt from the book

Introduction by Martha W. Longenecker

"A picture is worth a thousand words," and this is a picture-book of arts created by people from many times and places throughout the world. It invites you to look and see, reading the visual language of line, form and color. The pictures acquaint you with selections from MINGEI INTERNATIONAL-Museum of World Folk Art's permanent collection - ninety pieces from over five thousand.

This book also invites you to come to MINGEI INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM and see the real objects - the seeing of which is worth countless words.

These are useful arts that are satisfying to the human spirit. Made by hand, they are created from common and readily available materials of our earth - clay, wood, fiber, metal, stone, bone, shell, pigment and other natural substances. Their value is not in the intrinsic worth of the material - as in the case of jewelry made of precious metals and stones - but in the unique, expressive way their creators transcend materials and techniques with honest expressions of enduring value.

The arts of the people are simple and unassuming. Easily understood, they do not burden us psychologically. Although they may inspire intellectual curiosity - fulfilled through reading and research - the joy in seeing and using these arts is not dependent on knowledge.

Mingei is a special transcultural word meaning "arts of the people" combining the Japanese words for people (min) and art (gei).