*Taoyuan Contemporary Art* Vol. 1

*Taoyuan Contemporary Art* Vol. 1 The Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts' publication, *Taoyuan Contemporary Art*, continues its long-standing commitment to art-themed research and the collection of related works. It endeavors to construct a narrative of art history rooted in Taoyuan and an interpretive perspective on local art. The journal's name not only signifies the intention to re-examine the developmental trajectory of art in Taoyuan and Taiwan from a Taoyuan-centric viewpoint but also emphasizes the museum's role as a hub for expanding its knowledge base through cross-disciplinary connections in curatorial practice, educational outreach, collection research, and inter-institutional collaborations. The inaugural issue, "Urban Museums," features experts and scholars such as Chien-Hui Kao and Li-Chiang Lien, who discuss how museums can serve as anchors through their collections and exhibitions. They explore how museums are redefining their functions in the post-pandemic era and in the context of a "post-museum" landscape, expanding into multi-dimensional projects. Additionally, Professor Chia-Chuan Hsieh and Ms. Chu-Chun Wei, drawing from their experience leading research projects at the Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts, separately discuss artistic actions, creations, and the art ecosystem within the Greater Taoyuan region. The "TMFA Focus" section highlights the museum's key initiatives for the year, including research for the 2023 Korean international exchange exhibition and the curatorial concept for the opening exhibition of the Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts Children's Art Museum, designed by Pritzker Prize laureate Architect Riichiro Okano. In the "Diverse Perspectives" section, Ms. Ming-Chun Tsai, through interviews and curatorial projects, vividly describes how Taiwanese artists overcome challenges to find creative resources. Professor Yu-Chuan Tseng introduces the preparatory process of the Taoyuan Tech Art Festival over the years, prompting a deeper understanding of the artistic energy embedded within Taoyuan's smart city development strategies. The regular column, "Collection Decoded," features art historian Ming-Chu Lai, who traces the creative journey of Hsu Shen-Chou's mountain landscapes from the museum's collection. Ms. Yu-Hsi Hung, head of the museum's department, provides a contextual analysis of the development of Taoyuan's gouache painting and the museum's significant collections, examining its lineage of inheritance. These multifaceted explorations, originating from a Taoyuan perspective, demonstrate the Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts' responsiveness to local and urban development patterns while simultaneously aspiring to open up local interpretive perspectives on global and regional art development issues. We anticipate this publication will inspire readers to engage in extensive discussions about the development of art in Taoyuan.