Mission & Vision

Mission

The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum is devoted to the preservation, documentation, presentation, and interpretation of the work of Isamu Noguchi. The Museum, the first in America established by a living artist of his own work, contains the world’s richest holdings of Noguchi’s art. 

The Museum seeks to honor and preserve the unique setting designed by Noguchi and to exhibit a core group of works for permanent viewing. Through changing exhibitions and educational programs the Museum aims to illuminate the interrelation of his sculpture, works on paper, architecture, and designs for furniture, lighting, landscapes, and theater, as well as the intellectual environment in which the works were shaped.

The Museum encourages and facilitates nationally and internationally organized exhibitions and projects related to Noguchi’s work. The Museum recognizes its responsibility as a vital resource for its immediate community and for New York City. 

These activities provide the general public—including artists, scholars, and students—with a greater appreciation of Noguchi’s significance in his own time and of his singular and diverse contributions to the art, design, and culture of our time.

Importantly, the Museum actively seeks to provide knowledge, inspiration, and stimulation for its current audiences, to attract new audiences and to provide an accessible resource for future generations. 

Vision

The broad scope of Isamu Noguchi’s artistic interests and his creation of a Museum devoted to encouraging the enjoyment and contemplation of these same interests provides us with the challenge to protect and further the legacy of his vision. Our efforts will continue to reflect this vision and will extend it into the future.

The intimacy of Noguchi’s design of the Museum is a fundamental and exceptional part of the visitor experience. The importance of maintaining the character of The Noguchi Museum, even as we grow in programming capacity and in public recognition, cannot be overemphasized.

The Museum will remain a place for the exploration of individual artistic endeavor and creative collaboration through exposure to Noguchi’s wide-ranging practice. To this end, through an active exhibition and public programming schedule, coupled with ongoing education and research projects, the Museum will continue to underscore the influence and impact of Noguchi, and will position his work in dialogue with contemporary culture.

The Museum will strengthen organizational structure and governance, will build upon the affection, engagement, and knowledge of its constituents, will identify and cultivate increased income sources, will upgrade the Museum's facilities and technology systems, and will sustain the high quality of its programming for current and future generations.