Isamu Noguchi was born in Los Angeles in 1904 to a Japanese father and an American mother. His childhood was split between America and Japan, but in 1922 he moved to New York City with the intention of attending Columbia medical school. Yet by 1924 his attention shifted to art; and later that year he held his first exhibit of plaster and terracotta works. Just two years on, he would be awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship.

In the ensuing years he traveled to London, Paris, Beijing and Mexico City, collaborating with some of the most venerable artists of the Pre-WWII era. Yet he would forever after consider New York as his home, where he remained until his passing in 1988, at the age of 84. Three years earlier, he'd founded his namesake museum in Long Island City, Queens - and to this day it welcomes visitors to experience the singular act of communing with his inimitable sculptures and other works.

Notably, the museum regularly hosts kid-friendly events, like the upcoming Art For Tots sessions, Gallery Kit workshops, and Open Studio: Cut and Fold, where little ones can design their own folded sculpture. Which all makes perfect sense, when you consider that Isamu was such a great believer in maintaining a playful approach to concepting and creating art, even as an adult - and was even quoted as saying, "When an artist stops being a child, he would stop being an artist."

On February 4, the fittingly titled 'Noguchi's New York' opened to the public. It is a rare opportunity to gain such a depth of understanding about how the place that an artist calls home can so profoundly shape their creative output.

Among the highlights of the exhibit is a series of five contemplative short films, animated by Eastend Western studio's Jack Cunningham and Nicolas Ménard. For it, the 1800 individual frames were each hand-painted, and are intended to bring new life to Noguchi's unrealized proposals for 'Play Mountain' (1933) and 'United Nations Playground' (1952) - which speak to his obsession with creating unique play spaces for children in NYC.

"Like a lot of New Yorkers," he once revealed of the city he loved, "I was one of those bitten by some kind of idealism. New Yorkers, after all, feel a special relationship to the world. They are on this island looking out on the whole world, which they [felt they] had to do something about. My way was the way of making something; so that instead of going to the moon, you could bring the moon to you."

To better understand just how Isamu managed to reach all the way to the moon without ever leaving this earth, tigernoodles engaged in a spirited discussion with Noguchi Museum curator Kate Wiener.

What does this exhibition reveal about Isamu’s relationship with New York City?

"New York wasn’t just where Noguchi lived; it was the place that shaped him. He arrived here as a young person trying to figure out what kind of artist he wanted to be, and he stayed for more than sixty years. What’s striking is how deeply he believed in the city. He didn’t just want to make sculptures in New York: he wanted to shape New York itself. He imagined playgrounds, plazas, gardens and gathering spaces all over the city. Even the projects that were never built show how much he cared about making New York a place for connection and creativity."

Of the more than 50 works included in the exhibit, which do you think most uniquely capture something about the soul of the city and his view of it?

"I love his proposal for 'Play Mountain'. It was an idea to turn an entire city block into a giant sculpted mountain where children could climb, slide and explore. It was bold and imaginative and very New York in its ambition. The city can sometimes feel crowded and serious, and here he was saying: what if this space were joyful? What if art was something you could run on and play with? Even though it was never built, it captures his belief that cities should make room for wonder."

Isamu was adamant that artists must never lose their sense of childlike wonder. What do you think children can take away from viewing this exhibition?

"I hope children see that their imagination is powerful. Noguchi took play very seriously. He believed curiosity was something you protect rather than grow out of. When children look at his work, I hope they feel invited to ask questions: How would I play in the spaces Noguchi imagined? What is my ideal playground? How could I redesign my city?"

Why do you think he had such a fascination specifically with playgrounds?

"For Noguchi, playgrounds were a perfect example of what sculpture could be. They were spaces you could move through and experience with your whole body. They inspired joy, wonder, connection, and discovery. Noguchi conceived of playgrounds as mini-universes, where children could explore their surroundings as if they were the first humans on earth." (This engaging Play: Perspectives video gives greater insight into his lifelong fascination with children's playgrounds.)

The animated films by Jack Cunningham and Nicolas Ménard have a kind of meditative quality. Is there a chance that Isamu’s visions represented in those films might ever be actually physically realized?

"I think that Jack and Nicolas did a beautiful job bringing the spirit of Noguchi’s playground designs to life - and helping us imagine what it may be like to play in these imaginary spaces. One of the wonderful things about Noguchi’s ideas is that they still feel fresh and exciting, even though they were designed decades ago. Although it would be difficult to create one of his playgrounds now, his ideas have inspired new generations of artists and designers; so in a way, they are still very much alive."

How can children use his inspiration to more compellingly explore their own creative vision?

"Noguchi kept dreaming up new projects and proposals for New York, even when people said no to his ideas. I think that’s something children can learn from. That creativity takes courage and perseverance. Also, that you don’t have to accept a space exactly as it is, you can imagine it differently. You can draw it, build it, reshape it. Noguchi believed the world isn’t fixed, it’s something we help shape. That’s a powerful idea for any young person."

All images courtesy of The Noguchi Museum