An International Meeting Point that travels around the World

Immediately after the Bologna Fair closes, the Illustrators Exhibition will be setting off on its travels organized in collaboration with JBBY (Japanese Board on Books for Young People) for almost thirty years.
The exhibition travels to several art museums in various regions of Japan.
In occasion of its annual presence, the Exhibition has traditionally travelled by turns to four art museums in various regions of Japan where illustration for picture books has been re-evaluated as a form of art.
The exhibit has aroused the interest not only of illustrators and publishers but also of teachers, librarians, artists and graphic designers.
However the most important visitors of all are families and the children themselves. The children who visit the exhibition, often with their schools, are able to experience their first encounter with art through art works that have been created specially for children.

The 2012 Exhibition International Itinerary

Itabashi Museum, Tokyo, Japan
June 30th > August 12th

The city of Itabashi is a quiet residential town in northern Tokyo. The municipal art museum is situated within a historical park. Its collection consists of seventeenth-eighteenth century and contemporary Japanese art. The summer workshop held during the Exhibition has become very popular among professional and semi-professional illustrators.

Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya, Japan
August 18th > September 23rd

The Otani Memorial Art Museum, specializing in contemporary Japanese art, was the very first museum to host the Travelling Exhibition in Japan. Many visitors have continued to attend the Exhibition for more than thirty years. The museum, known for its tranquil Japanese garden and traditional-style tearoom, is specially frequented by children and young adults, as it offers an important first approach to fine art.

Yokkaichi Municipal Museum, Yokkaichi, Japan
September 29th > November 4th

Situated in Mie prefecture, which embodies a planetarium, the museum holds the illustrators Exhibition every two years. For the numerous young visitors a lot of workshops are held by reknowned japanese illustrators of children's books. The works are exhibited in a special way so that the visitors are able to enjoy the illustrations at their best.

Ishikawa Nanao Art Museum, Nanao, Japan
November 9th > December 16th

This museum is built in a quiet park. Its main activities consist of exhibitions on Tohaku Hasegawa, a famous painter born in Nanao City, and other art exhibitions on the works of local artists. The Bologna Exhibition is therefore a very special event. The number of young illustrators resident in the city that actually participate in the selection for the Exhibit is increasing each year.

Nagashima Art Museum, Nagashima, Japan
December 22nd > January 27th 2013

Situated in Kagoshima prefecture in Southern Japan, the museum holds the Illustrators Exhibition every two years. The Exhibition has become an event that accompanies the turn of the year festivities in the territory. Among the various activities organized during the Exhibition, book reading events, workshops on picture book making and the special guided tours are a great success.