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MULTIPLE IDENTITIES VIA SPIRITUALITY, HISTORIES AND CULTURAL RE-PRESENTATIONS 163modern and contemporary art collections from thewestern world. Building these unique art collections ineach museum required a huge investment, while artpieces created by Japanese artists were largely ignoredor disregarded by the museum. Moreover, Japanese artcollectors did not pay much attention to modern andcontemporary Japanese art. As a result, many of theseworks were purchased and possessed by foreign artcollectors and museums. Once these Japanese artistsbecame famous, their works’ value appreciatedconsiderably in the global market.But then in 1900s, Japan faced a tough financial crisis.After the bubble economy burst, the financialcapabilities of many Japanese art museums diminishedsuch that they could no longer afford to possess oracquire Japanese art pieces, whose prices were goingbeyond levels that the museum’s budgets allowed.In addition, unlike their contemporaries in thewestern world, Japanese art museums do not have largefunds that can support long-term activities. Moreover,the government does not give any special incentive todonors or art and cultural organizations – a schemeput in place in the US and the UK, where a donatedamount is tax-deductible or entitles the donor to havethe collection named after him or her. Westerncountries likewise hold various systematic fundraisingprograms and engage the private sector in the arts, topromote their organizations.This comparison clearly shows that Japan has notestablished systematic funding support, even ascapitalism and the art market are observed to havebecome inseparable in many parts of the world. It isevident, as well, that art galleries, artists, art collectors,and media in art museums have come to be regarded asbenefits that the government must provide its citizensas these are all funded by tax. But, in Japan, thegovernment has not established a system that cansustain the business of these art museums, an oversightthat has consequently crippled other sectors in theJapanese contemporary art industry. It has beenevident how some art museums have gone out ofbusiness because they did not have adequate funds tomanage and maintain their sites.Several Japanese art museums founded in the early 21 stcentury have started to engage the general public,curators, architects, and specialists from different areassomehow involved in the process—from planning,designing and constructing the museums, to sourcingart collections which resulted in outstandingarchitectural design and remarkable exhibitionprograms, aside from reflecting transparency in thework process. This was in keeping with the liberaldemocracy nature of Japan. Still, the funding used tomaintain the museums continues to be sourced fromlocal government bodies. The negative affect of thisarrangement will be palpable and inevitable once theeconomy falls.Many private art museums in Japan have established afund to help in the long-term sustainable managementof the sites. But the limitations of this set-up remainevident. For example, the museums housing them aresmall scale and lack collection variety. To build a goodcollection takes time and consistency, along with thevision to see which collections will be of greathistorical value in the future. To achieve this statusagain requires time and effort on the part of curators,historians, and critics who design and plan collectionsthat reveal powerful histories.Art museums are often connected to politics in manyways – through policy, the economy, society, andculture. It is therefore important to maintain a goodproportion of each element and fit them together withthe budget.Currently, Japanese art museums are facing difficultiesfrom a tight budget, while experiencing the need toreview their role in presenting contemporary art in avery competitive global arena, and to simultaneouslyprovide more knowledge to society. Theseresponsibilities add up to a huge burden in the face oflimited manpower. We have yet to see how these artmuseums will adjust themselves and survive the toughcurrent in the future.NOTES1 Yamauchi, Maiko (Curator of The Museum of Modern Art,Kamakura). 2011. Interview by author, July 21.234Murakami, Hiroya. 2010. Interview by author. Tokyo.October 12.Suzuki, Hiroyuki. 2010. Interview by author, October 29Nakata, Koichi. 2011. Interview by author, June 265 Watari, Koichi. 2010. Interview by author. August 296Akimoto, Yuji. 2011. Interview by author, June 7.The Work of the 2010/2011 API Fellows