Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts Introduction
The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (hereafter referred to as the KMFA) was established in 1994 and is located within the Neiweipi Cultural Park in the northwest of Kaohsiung City, which was originally the area of the "Neiweipi" wetland. The region is surrounded by landscapes formed by the convergence of the Love River and the mountains, including Guishan and Banping Mountain to the north and Shoushan to the west. In 2017, the KMFA was restructured into an administrative corporation under the management of professional cultural institutions in Kaohsiung City, continuing to promote local culture and collect works by Taiwanese artists. Each year, it fosters new artistic talents through initiatives like the "Kaohsiung Award" and "KS Kaohsiung Experimental Field," in addition to organizing thematic exhibitions and artist research exhibitions. It is also dedicated to collaborating with world-class museums to introduce various large international exhibitions, providing the public with a broader and more diverse viewing choice of contemporary art. In recent years, the KMFA has actively developed online interactive resources, such as 360-degree exhibition views, online guided tours, an online art database (including visual image databases, the Austronesian Contemporary Memory Project database, and the "Hundred Nights of Silent Reading" collection), and a YouTube channel with content updated periodically according to exhibitions, making the museum not only a place for cultural and artistic visits but also a platform for knowledge sharing. The main building of the KMFA consists of four above-ground floors and two basement levels. The first floor features international special exhibitions and a high-ceilinged contemporary art gallery; the second floor focuses on thematic exhibitions or artist research exhibitions; the third floor houses the Southern Multicultural Special Collection Room; and the fourth floor serves as an exhibition space for contemporary experimental works. The basement includes a lecture hall with 352 seats, an art resource classroom for group art education, and an art research room that holds over 46,000 volumes of art books and materials available for public reading and research. In 2005, the KMFA transformed the "Visitor Service Center" located on the west side of the park into a Children's Art Museum, the first public museum in Taiwan specifically dedicated to children. It comprises a three-story main building and an outdoor landscape garden, creating an ecological environment that integrates culture, art, education, relaxation, and play. Unlike traditional school art and humanities education, the Children's Art Museum combines museum education with children's art education, incorporating interactive displays and art education promotion activities. Through thematic planning, it offers rich, interesting, and dynamic educational display designs that allow children to learn about art through games, creation, exploration, observation, experience, and imagination. In recent years, the Children's Art Museum has united with the landscape ecology of the Neiweipi Cultural Park and the resources of the KMFA, aiming to deeply cultivate children's art education by integrating community and school resources toward the goal of "ecology, environmental protection, culture, and art." Surrounded by lush greenery, the sandy area in front serves as a playground for parents and children alike. The vast 43-hectare museum park is home to over 40 pieces of art sculptures and public art scattered among the park's lakeside forests and grasslands, showcasing diverse visual effects and making the natural environment an integral part of the museum's exhibition space and education. With its various visiting mechanisms, the establishment of the KMFA Bookstore, the introduction of quality restaurants, and the recent development of ecological guided courses, cultural markets, and numerous outdoor activities, the core spirit is to create an experience of a "one-day artistic ecological living circle at the museum," realizing the goal of the museum as a platform for artistic living and aesthetic experience. The museum park encompasses the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, the Children's Art Museum, and the Neiweipi Art Center, creating a cultural hub that integrates ecology, art, and leisure. In the melodious environment filled with the sounds of nature, art is like fresh green shoots, taking root, flourishing, and thriving under the bright sun of southern Taiwan.
