Arts in the City. One of the best things about living in major metropolitan areas is the arts. The Taipei Fine Arts Museum is no exception. We’ve talked a bit about street art, and the MOCA off of the blue line. We are now getting a sense of how Taipei wants to embrace the arts, and show pride in Taiwanese artists. 
And they are very willing to share. Most museums have free days each month. The Taipei Fine Arts Museum has free evenings every Saturday, but if you don’t want to wait, adult tickets are just 30 NT, which is literally less than $1 US dollar. Access to the basement and galleries are always free too!
We came on a rainy Saturday afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Most of the exhibits at that time were based on photography. There was some film and sculpture and painting. 
Most of what impressed us was the way that the floor plan design made for some powerful moments with the exhibits. We easily could have spent more time here, as there were also some reading rooms and seating areas to soak in the works.
Besides the well designed installations, they also had areas that were more “hands-on.” There were interactive works in the basement that were intended for visitors to become part of ongoing artworks. Also, there were small areas on other floors that allowed people to experience being creators themselves. One area had clay for people to try their 
hand and sculpting. It also had a blind contour drawing lab to literally draw your hand and post it on the wall. They also had a stone stacking challenge. Pauline won out of our little group. There were also moments for me when the background became part of the artist’s installation. Moments like this are precious. The surrounding world becomes an active part in the art in front of you. The TFAM (Tapei Fine Arts Museam) does a great job of making that happen at random moments.
facts and how to get there.
The TAFM has a great english website that tells you all the basics for hours and ticket prices here. They are closed on Mondays, and are only open until 5:30 pm on weekdays. The weekend wasn’t too busy, despite the opening at one of the galleries for a new installation. However, I am sure that things get a little more crowded during free hours. Since this is just 10 minutes walking distance from the Yuanshan red line MRT station, you can expect that some days will be pretty popular. Since the Expo center and lots of other attractions are in the area, you can always take advantage of the surroundings if it looks like things are going to be busy.
We also didn’t try the food or coffee here, but since the basement is always free, we will be back to give it a try.