Online Database of Artist-in-Residence Programs in Japan
AIR and I, 03: The Silent Dedication of Aomori
Sanghee Song (Artist)
Currently I work and live in Amsterdam. Here in Amsterdam, when cold air and the distant cries of crows surround me, my thoughts go towards the woods of Aomori – to the deep wood scent, the sound of dry leaves crumbling as I walked through the woods behind my residency studio in Aomori Contemporary Art Centre. During my three month stay at the residency program of ACAC these woods and skies were where I found peace and relief.
Living as an artist means that there is something uncomfortable inside oneself. It is an abrasive situation. The ground that one is standing on feels slant and trembling, it is a constant feeling of anxiety, uneasiness and awkwardness. Even how, as I go through these moments, my eyes witness many things. And what my eye witnessed is left as a rupture in my heart. As Barbara Kruger once noted in her work ‘Your body is a battleground ‘, as an artist my body is a battleground. And the ruptures left in me inflame. They are answerless, suffocating hours. The only answer is just dive into the artwork (shut up and just make your artwork :）), or to go to places where you could work. For me it was ‘Aomori’.
Installation by Sanghee Song at ACAC
Photo courtesy of Tadasu Yamamoto
AIR and I, 02：Learning and creating at the Akiyoshidai International Art Village
Heini Nukari（Performer）
In 2007 I was invited to participate in the trans_2006-2007 Residence Support Program at the Akiyoshidai International Art Village. It was my first time visiting Japan and I was thrilled to spend 70 days in a new place. In 2007 we were altogether three artists from different countries, each realising our own project. Since that first long residency, I have returned to AIAV as a fellow artist in 2008, 2010 and 2011. Due to all those residencies Japanese culture, nature and its people have become a precious and continuous source of inspiration for me.
I work with movement, voice and sound design. I also write songs, make choreographies and play instruments. I consider myself as an explorer of the possibilities of the body and its relation to the world, nature and people. Therefore, traveling to foreign countries and spending time in different cultures is a crucial part of my work. Even as I explore the possibilities of expression in the human body, I also explore geographic and cultural landscapes. I am interested in how the interaction between people and environment influences our creative ways of expression. I believe that experiencing and making art can add to the general well-being of the world.
Artist-in-Residence NOW 12
AIR 3331： Japan→Asia→Global→Local Network
Ema 0ta （3331 Arts Chiyoda)
Towards a New Model of Arts Engagement
3331 Arts Chiyoda, based in Akihabara, Tokyo, is an independent initiative, opened in 2010, with the aim to support a new model of arts engagement beyond the existing gallery and museum system, connecting the general public and communities, in a new way, to the possibilities of artistic expression. 3331 offers a unique approach to creative practice, based on the site of an old school the centre provides over 4 floors of exhibition space, workshop facilities, meeting rooms, office space for arts organizations, independent galleries, café, lounge, roof top allotments and sports amenities. It is a unique model which invites people of all generations, backgrounds and interests to participate in its open approach to all disciplines of art 3331 offers various programs which encompass people with disabilities, children, local residents, students, experts and those with a curiosity for the arts.
Exterior view of 3331 Arts Chiyoda
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Artist-in-Residence NOW 11
Report of the 12th General Meeting of “Res Artis” Worldwide Network of Artist Residencies
Tatsuhiko Murata (Co-Director, Youkobo Art Space)
The 12th General Meeting of Res Artis (*1), a worldwide network of artist residencies, was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for five days from October 6 (Wed.) to 10 (Sun.) in 2010. Under the theme of “The Americas: Independent Artistic Practices in the Era of Globalization,” a wide variety of AIR (artist-in-residence) programs were introduced and discussed, and topics focusing on the American continent including Latin America were highlighted.
The Res Artis general meeting was hosted by RCAAQ (Regroupement des centres d’artistes autogeres du Quebec), a Quebec-based organization that provides support to artist-led art-space activities across Canada. Canada has abundant artist-run organizations known for their very active programs, of which RCAAQ is a model.
The host city, Montreal, is Canada’s second largest city after Toronto. It has a population of about 3.7 million, and two thirds of its citizens speak French as their first language. Renowned as Canada’s leading cultural city, it is also home to Cirque du Soleil, which is currently touring Japan and other parts of the world.
The meeting took place across several venues. The main venue—a very interesting choice I must say—was Le Musée Juste pour Rire (The Just for Laughs Museum), which is, as its name suggests, the world’s only museum dedicated to comedies and humor.
So much for the introduction. The general meeting, led by Res Artis president, Mario Caro and the meeting’s executive committee chairperson, Bastien Gilbert (RCAAQ director) provided participants with the opportunity for mutual understanding, active exchange of opinions, and networking. More than 180 participants came from 20 countries across the world. The majority were from North America, followed by Europe. The rather small Asian representation included two organizations from Tokyo—Tokyo Wonder Site and Youkobo Art Space—and three organizations from Korea.
The next general meeting in 2012, scheduled to take place in Japan (Tokyo Wonder Site will be the host) looks forward to wider participation from Asian AIR organizations.
Artist-in-Residence NOW 10
Ceramic Wonderland: Artist Residency in a Pottery Town ”Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park”
Michio Sugiyama (Section Chief of the Institute of Ceramic Studies, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park)
As you may know, AIR (artist-in-residence) programs are not original to Japan. I understand them as one of support systems for art, which was introduced from the West. Wikipedia mentions that early residential programs already existed in the US by1900.
Prototypical Artist-in-Residence Programs
Approximately 18 years have passed since Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park adopted the imported system of artist residencies in the filed limited to ceramics. When the residency program was first implemented 20 years ago, the program was simply called “taizai-gata kobo” (workshop with residency) instead of “artist-in-residence” program, then. After several different names were applied to the program over the years, the term “artist-in-residence” has gradually taken root in Japan in the late 1990s.
In the rather unique environment of this pottery-manufacturing town, Shigaraki, artist residencies in a broader sense already existed substantially in the mid-1900s.
It is said that in older times, ceramic artists from Kyoto frequented Shigaraki’s yakiya (ceramic manufacturers). The artists would produce molds for products like flower vases for the yakiya, and in return were permitted to use the yakiya’s kilns to produce their own original works. The yakiya and ceramic artists had an informal, yet firm relationship. This system may be also regarded as a prototypical artist residency in the field of ceramics.
Exterior of Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park
AIR and I, 01: Starting from Anxiety and Setbacks
Shinji Ohmaki (Artist)
Participation in the exhibition “Viewpoint from Galleries: Focusing on a New Generation in Tokyo 2002” (held at contemporary art galleries in Ginza, including Gallery K, Gallery Yamaguchi, Galerie Tokyo Humanité, Gallery GEN and Gallery Kobayashi) provided me the opportunity to consider an artist-in-residence (AIR) program. An artist who was a guest speaker at a symposium accompanying the exhibition saw my exhibit and introduced me to the residency program at Vermont Studio Center in northeastern United States, the largest institution of its kind in the country.
Inevitable setbacks
Having received brochures and other materials, I started preparing my application. But I remember being at a loss for what to write in my “statement” (descriptions and explanations of one’s own work), which was a struggle to complete. Applicants were asked to submit two reference letters, a résumé, the statement, and 20 slides (replaced nowadays by digital images or Power Point data, I suppose). All this had to be translated into English and signed by referees, which was more time-consuming than expected. I did not have anyone close at hand with AIR experience to consult, which compounded my anxiety. The application I finally managed to send off arrived several days after the deadline due to airmail service delays and postal circumstances in the recipient country. Although my application for a fellowship was thus invalid, the Center proposed an alternative slot that came with housing, studio space and meals. This was very tempting. However, I thought that I would be putting myself at huge risk if I quit my job to participate without a guarantee of employment upon my return. As my preference was for residency with a scholarship award, I resisted the temptation, made up my mind to decline the offer, and emailed the Center that I would re-apply next time. I was able to prepare my second application, submitted the following year, much more smoothly.
Glitches are an inevitable part of any new challenge. I think it is crucial not to give up in the face of such setbacks. Heriberto Quesnel, a Mexican artist I met in Vermont, told me he had applied for many residency programs simultaneously. Overseas artists are very self-motivated. At the Center I came across participants exchanging residency information, some even preparing their next residency applications. Such artists seemed to deliberately choose to develop their artistic careers by going from one residency to another.
Artist-in-Residence NOW: 09 Creative Alternative Space in Belgium and Paris
Atsuko Hisano, Program Director, The Saison Foundation
From April to June 2010 I had the opportunity to visit Europe as part of an Agency for Cultural Affairs program. One of my objectives was to search for a “creative space” that can serve as a model for a new artist-in-residence (AIR) development at the Saison Foundation where I work. This came about after the Foundation decided to open a small studio, lounge and accommodation facility for artists and staff from outside Tokyo and overseas, on a plot of land next to Morishita Studio, a theater training facility the foundation owns in Morishita, in Tokyo’s Taito Ward.
I will write about two organizations I came across during visits to France, Belgium and elsewhere. Both are small organizations but conduct unique activities. They do not limit themselves to one genre, and provide support extending beyond artist residencies. One is Les Laboratoires d’Aubervilliers in France, the other is wp Zimmer in Belgium.
Artist in Residence NOW 08 : Aomori Contemporary Art Centre (ACAC) Takes a New Step
Teiko Hinuma, Curator Aomori Contemporary Art Centre Aomori Public College
Aomori Contemporary Art Centre (ACAC) is surrounded by the groves of red-pine trees on the hills of Moya, Aomori City. To accommodate residential, creative, and exhibition activities, ACAC is comprised of three buildings designed by the world renowned architect Tadao Ando: Exhibition Hall with two galleries (large and small); Creative Hall for woodwork, printing, and other creative activities; and Residential Hall for long-term residents. These buildings blend in the surrounding nature.
With a population of 300,000 people, Aomori City is one of the heaviest snowfall areas in the world. When the long and harsh winter ends, spring comes with flowers in full bloom and trees and grasses sprouting. After short summer passes, autumn colors leaves in red and yellow, and before long, winter comes again. Art exists with such seasonal changes in nature. Aomori is blessed with the wealth that can’t be found in big cities.
Appearance of ACAC
Artist in Residence NOW 07 : NPO S-AIR and City of Sapporo
Mami Odai, Art Producer, NPO S-AIR staff
S-AIR was launched in 1999 as an organization to run the first artist-in-residence (AIR) programs in Hokkaido. In July 2004, S-AIR was registered as a NPO (Non-Profit Organization); in 2008, it celebrated the 10th anniversary. For the past ten years S-AIR has invited 57 international artists from 27 countries to Sapporo.
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Artist in Residence NOW 06 : Youkobo Art Community ── The Little Art Space that Could!: My Belief in the artist-in-residence activity at Youkobo Art Space
Tatsuhiko Murata, Co-Director, Youkobo Art Space
I. Outline of Youkobo Art Space
Youkobo Art Space is a comprehensive art facility comprised of a gallery, working studios, and residential spaces. In particular, the Youkobo Artist-in-Residence program not only provides overseas artists with an opportunity to expand the scope of their activities in the unique and exciting metropolis of Tokyo, it also provides the people of the area with an opportunity to experience and enjoy a variety of genres of contemporary art. Up to the 1970s, the building that is now Youkobo Art Space was a clinic and sanatorium, and it has served as a space for a variety of art activities since the 1980s.
The Youkobo Art Community is a wide range of community activities centered on Youkobo Art Space, whose comprehensive art facility provides a platform for the cultivation, development, refinement, and transformation of diverse modes of artistic activity and communication. The fruits of this activity are seen in gallery exhibitions, contact among overseas and Japanese artists, and in art-related events in the local community and beyond.
