Progressing From “People Who Set Projects in Motion” to Cultivating “People Who Can Weave Words out of Projects”

The School of Thought, Skill, and Dialogue embodies the skills required to drive art projects. This year, it will be reincarnated as a new program. In recent years, numerous art projects have been launched throughout Japan. In these art projects, people work together to tackle social issues. The opportunities to experience such projects have grown, but it’s hard to understand their appeal if one only comes into contact with their superficial aspects.

What kind of attitudes and skills are required to weave words together while understanding the context and processes involved in art projects and studying communities? One could say that processes for cultivating people who can talk about art projects are still at the development stage. Starting this year, the School of Thought, Skill, and Dialogue will start to tackle this situation through a program centered on cultivating “people who can weave words out of projects” to spread the message about the appeal of art projects.

Exploring the New Approach of Verbally Expressing the Appeal and Perspectives of Art Projects and Connecting Them to Communities

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games just three years away, urban redevelopment and technological innovation are gathering pace in the metropolis. As a result, systems and the cityscape itself are being transformed at a dizzying rate. Amid this situation, many art projects are embarking on programs that offer a response to social needs or issues. In addition, art projects that welcome diversity, casting a new perspective on our daily lives, have abundant potential to provide new insights for future visitors to Tokyo, whether from within Japan or overseas.

Now, with art projects being undertaken in a range of locations, one could say that the ability to weave words and experiences into an understanding of the appeal and value of art projects that confront issues of our times or society is the power to connect art projects to communities. The approach of “weaving” an art project requires those behind it to have thoughts about a current issue, combined with the necessary skills, and to engage in dialogue with others to achieve breakthroughs. Writing and talking are not the only ways to weave an art project together. Those who get things moving on the front lines of art project management also require skill in weaving together words and visitor experiences in various situations, in order to communicate the objectives and content of such projects.

Over the course of the year, this program will feature a series of lectures aimed at cultivating “people who can weave words out of projects,” focusing on weaving words and weaving experiences. Following on from the earlier programs, it will also incorporate extension classes on enhancing art project management skills, aimed at “people who set projects in motion,” as well as seeking to broaden networks of connections among those involved in art projects. If you want the chance for unexpected encounters with art projects and mutual learning with others with similar interests and a diverse array of guests, why not come and acquire the ability to weave art projects together at the School of Thought, Skill, and Dialogue?