Co-operation born out of crisis<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nPrompted by shared hardship, we find many groups of different scales starting to form and work together towards a cause, such as the art for all<\/em> community, using the internet as one place to gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJapan was slow in providing support for the art industry impacted by COVID-19, particularly in the field of contemporary art. Thus, art for all<\/em> was started with the hope of creating something akin to a union for people working in this field. While collecting approximately five thousand signatures for a petition calling for \u2018emergency measures for art\u2019 we recognized the need for identifying and addressing the issues that surround the lives of artists, including the improvement of working environments, and started the aforementioned Practical guide for artists<\/em> workshops. In the future, we plan to explore themes like \u2018issues surrounding working conditions for artists\u2019 and discuss the role of unions in theatre and film industries, the history of labor movements in the art world, and examine various union activities overseas to consider how we could create a practical support network that fits with contemporary culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\nRestructuring residency programs<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nMami Katsuya envisions residency programs that serve a public purpose and give something back to the community. She speaks of the importance of integrating the resident artists\u2019 activities with something that also benefits the public. This year at the Kyoto Art Center, two groups of incoming residents had to postpone their plans. As part of their pre-residency research, they interacted with local citizens of Kyoto online. Using Zoom, where the faces of the participants appear on screen, made the artists more conscious of their research subjects and provided a rare opportunity to zoom in on the idea of \u2018community\u2019, which can often become abstract. On the other hand, it highlighted the fact that online interactions have limited reach and it may require residency organisers to proactively include the general public, for example, by filming and showing artists\u2019 activities on a large screen at the residency facility or even taking the screen out into public spaces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Conversing with artist Jenna Lee online<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nInteracting with a lantern artisan through the screen All images provided by Kyoto Art Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Teiko Hinuma has been interrogating the public value of cultural activities. At KESEN AIR, known for fostering long-lasting connections between artists and the local community, Hinuma reflects on how they managed to deliver an online workshop where effective communications between artists and participants could be observed. For wider public engagement, she plans to send out newsletters in the hope that they would be welcomed as though receiving a newspaper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
The artist, Yusuke Komuta and students created playdough sculptures and exchanged them along with hand-written letters via post. Once they were delivered a few days later, both parties added to what they received to complete the pieces. A remote workshop that created space for listening to each other and communicating feelings through working with their hands.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAll images provided by KESEN AIR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Tenjinyama Art Studio residency program normally avoids the emphasis on presenting work. However, in the pandemic context, Odai noted that putting on an exhibition was successful in engaging the community. By installing artwork in a town center often seen as disconnected from art, they were able to proactively cultivate connection. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHeejung Choi\u2019s moving image being played at Odori Park West 6 Chome Outdoor Stage Photo: Yoshisato Komaki Copyright: Heejung Choi Image provided by Sapporo Tenjinyama Art Studio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nRe-writing the residency blueprint<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWith the conversation between Murakami and Shirakawa as a starting point, Tokairin hopes that the dialogue between residency organizations and artists will continue and shape new models for art residencies. While he has high hopes for the future, he also questions what can be done now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Odai points out that requirements for grants, a source of funding for residencies, need to be updated. She suggests a shift away from a business-like, outcome-driven model that requires the presentation of work, to a model that looks at the artists\u2019 activities themselves. Hinuma states that experiences of joy through an art practice, or \u2018good memories\u2019, become the motivation for attending another art festival or another residency, and that good memories are generated from writing your own story. She adds that she wishes to embody stories that belong to both artists and community members on public platforms. Katsuya considers online residencies not as a replacement for the on-site model but as an expanded option with a purposeful intention, and feels hopeful that extending the scope of art residencies could benefit both artists and hosting organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To conclude, the two observers also share their opinions based on their own perspectives and experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ishii supports artists to participate in international AIR programs at a newly launched institution, ICA Kyoto. He responds to Murakami\u2019s discussion on artists and mobility by commenting that when seeking out the \u2018best place\u2019 for an artist, it\u2019s not a question of whether there is a residency (accommodation\/program) at the destination, but rather, ensuring that artists can successfully carry out their projects at that location is at the core of art residencies. Kanno, a researcher of cultural policies who has closely watched the residency scene in Japan over the years, points out three key factors moving forward: improving infrastructure, diversification, and utilization of digital media. She also encourages the creation of more opportunities like this where artists and residency organizers can be in dialogue with each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What do travel and residency mean for artists? The roundtable with artists and other residency organizers tries to re-write the residency blueprint.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7263,"template":"","blog_projects":[152],"blog_category":[167],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.a-i-t.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/7243"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.a-i-t.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.a-i-t.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.a-i-t.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.a-i-t.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/7243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7288,"href":"https:\/\/www.a-i-t.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/7243\/revisions\/7288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.a-i-t.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.a-i-t.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"blog_projects","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.a-i-t.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_projects?post=7243"},{"taxonomy":"blog_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.a-i-t.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_category?post=7243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}