blogBACK

Thank you very much for your warm support to the activities of AIT this year.

In 2022, 20 years since beginning MAD (Making Art Different), which AIT has been offering since 2001, we are happy to announce that all of the on demand online courses for TOTAL ARTS STUDIES Premier (TAS Premier), are now open to the public. Our new TAS courses consider all of the arts together, including crafts, music and theatre, to express a holisic vision for the role that art can play today in our increasingly complex world.

This year, AIT’s first book, ‘DEEP LOOKING: A Guide to Deep Observation to Revive the Imagination’, by Roger McDonald, was published through AIT Press. We hope that in today’s difficult situation of climate change, war, and widening inequality, reclaiming the power to “look” will serve as a guide for adapting to the future. In addition, as the first Japan based member of the Gallery Climate Coalition [GCC], AIT is now envisioning a small platform to think about the climate crisis and art with other stakeholders. There is much to be done, but we begin with the slow but crucial work of changing consciousness.

The residency program was supported by the Backers Foundation, which supported the activities of two artists. We look forward to their future activities, such as realizing what they have been interested in but have not been able to explore in depth. In addition, an artist from Finland who came to Japan to research spiritual experiences reminded us once again of the warmth of dialogue and heart-to-heart communication that transcends our national borders.

The second year of the Mitsubishi Art Gate Program, following last year’s renewal, continued the mentoring and learning opportunities for Scholarship, Breakthrough, and Activation recipients, each with their own experiences and outlooks. Starting next February, an exhibition of new works by six Breakthrough artists will be held at the Daikanyama Hillside Forum.

The Monex Group-sponsored “ART IN THE OFFICE,” for which AIT has provided operational support since its inception, continued this year with programs and workshops to encourage the production of up-and-coming artists. In addition, to celebrate its 15th anniversary, AIT has released a series of videos and interviews introducing its activities to date.

The “Mercedes-Benz Art Scope” program has newly started with the conclusion of a collaboration agreement with Tama Art University. Through exchanges between resident artists and Tama Art University students, the program aims to nurture the next generation of artists and create diverse learning opportunities. As part of the new program, an exhibition of past participating artists was held in Roppongi. We will continue to focus on re-engaging with the many wonderful artists who are the key legacy and core of this project.

This year, dear Me again took advantage of support and donations from Shiseido, Shinsei Bank, Kirin Welfare Foundation, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and through collaboration with KIDSDOOR and other child support organizations, created a space for expression for a diverse range of people. Through sound workshops on the theme of environment and art with elementary school students with overseas roots (in cooperation with Roland), and through art appreciation and creation with children and youth with disabilities in collaboration with atelier A, we were able to learn about the unique perspectives and expressions of individuals. Most recently, we have received support from more companies that share our vision, such as a donation from Burberry, which will help us expand our activities even further.

AIT will continue to work together with you to create various opportunities for dialogue and thinking about art, society, and the global environment.

We sincerely wish you a healthy and prosperous new year.

AIT Team

We will be closed for Winter holidays from Monday, December 26, 2022 through Thursday, January 5, 2023.

IMAGE: Drawing by Tsuyoshi Inasaka (atelier A) , cocktail series, 2022