"Social Support through Arts and Culture" is a program that supports artistic activities in which people from various social environments can participate together and demonstrate their creativity while respecting each other's individuality, and activities that address various social issues by utilizing the characteristics of arts and culture and the abilities of artists. On February 21, 2022, an online debriefing session was held to examine the significance and effects of the grants and to share the results and future challenges.
In the activity report of the first part of the event, "NPO Everyone's Dance Field" talked about the possibility of co-creation and the challenge of facilitation to elicit free expression. In the following presentation, "NPO Tokyo Soteria" introduced its activities to promote understanding of people with mental disabilities through theatrical activities with an Italian theater company.
In the second part, performers from "Everyone's Dance Field" and "Tokyo Soteria" reappear and report on the second round table which was held in a relaxed atmosphere with the participants.
> Part 1: Continuing Online Activities in the COVID-19 Pandemic (Part 1): Everyone's Dance Field
> Part 1: Continuing Online Activities in the COVID-19 Pandemic (Part 2): Tokyo Soteria
Is there anything else you need help with besides money?
After the presentations of the two groups were completed, the second round table, which included the participants, began. The facilitator, Ms. Tomoki Ogawa, asked, "Of course, there are grants, but are there other things besides money that you wish there was such support?."
In response, several people said, "I would be happy to consult with you when I am in trouble about business matters." The activities of the organizations applying for this grant include many cross-disciplinary collaborations. As a result, from the perspective of the welfare sector, for example, there are things that people do not understand about the customs and production methods of the art sector, or they do not have many personal connections. There were opinions such as and "In terms of public relations, I would like to receive wisdom to inform people in the art field." When consulting with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Board of Education, the Council of Social Welfare, and even those in charge may be different, so there were requests for information and contact points to be organized.
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In addition, an organization that conducts theatrical workshops and performances suggested, "We are not studying welfare professionally, but there are some difficult aspects in the workshop where we have to touch on issues and taboos that the participants have from their own experiences. There may be more things we can do if we exchange beyond groups and share our concerns."
On the other hand, money is a big concern. In particular, there was a request to improve the system in which subsidies are granted after events or other subsidized projects are held, and to grant subsidies before projects are implemented. (* 1) "If you spend a lot of money at one event, the balance will be fine, but over the course of a year, it would be great if you had the flexibility to change things, such as what you want to do a month later and what you want to do a half year later." and "It was approved for a three-year project, but we have enough funds because we are developing a small project due to the coronavirus pandemic, but if we want to do a large-scale project in the third year, we are worried that the budget might be tight until the time when the grant comes in." (* 2). There is a compelling reason behind this: "I don't want to end up as a blip hitting a big event just once. Changes and new things cannot be created unless we accumulate small things, and we cannot face constantly changing social issues." Problems with the timing of payments and requests for subsidies for daily activities have been heard in many places. We wonder if it would be possible to create a system that works best for each organization, rather than a uniform distribution system.
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*(1) With regard to the "Social Support Subsidy through Arts and Culture," the amount of the subsidy will be determined after the project is implemented and the performance report documents and associated payment documents are reviewed. However, it is possible to receive a partial advance of the grant under prescribed conditions and procedures. (As of June 2022)
*(2) In order to actively support activities with a long-term perspective, the "Social Support through Arts and Culture" has a 2 year or 3 year plan, including projects for which applications have been made, and since FY 2021 has established a policy of giving priority to projects with expected results for up to 3 years.
An official at the Arts Council Tokyo said, "We are also in the position of worrying together. I believe that by sharing the knowledge gained through consultation with other people and "connecting" them, we can help them move forward together toward the goals of the activities they are working on."
"There is an advance payment system called estimated payment for the subsidy, but there are various conditions and procedures to use it. While adhering to these rules, I would like to be able to support your activities as much as possible." he continued.
Ogawa said, "I understand that you would be happy if you could consult with the Arts Council Tokyo about various needs, such as consultation about problems and internal affairs, local networking, distribution about events, production, public relations, props, finding specialists in music, etc. On the other hand, it may be difficult for the Arts Council Tokyo to accept everything." If an unpredictable project is to be supported outside the form of a subsidy, it may be necessary to have a separate consultation desk within the Arts Council Tokyo, while each organization is still the main body.
First of all, the open hearing seems to have reassured some groups that had been unsure whether to talk about the situation. It is hoped that this conference will help expand networks that transcend the fields of welfare and the arts.
Public applications for social support through arts and culture are accepted 2 times a year. Applications for the first period in FY 2022 have already been accepted, but applications for the second period will be announced on the website around July 2022. (Projects eligible for funding will run from January 1, 2023 to December 31).
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(Reporting and writing by Yuri Shirasaka)