2013.

10/11 fri 10/14 mon

F Venue Sun port takamatsu Exhibition Hall 1Floor

 Long Time No See

Gr e e ti ng

1 1

2010 3

Long Time No

See( )

ArtLink Project matches an artist with a person with a

disability who has great potential of creativity as a pair
and two of them bring forth a new form of expression
that was spawned by the long term interaction. The
world two of them create is vastly different from one
that one person would make alone, and this world
expands to infinity. The design of the project is to put
the relationship of the two absolute individuals into
some form of art and to think about new values and
potential based on the history of the two persons.
The two persons meet for the first time and this
encounter serves as a springboard for the families and
stakeholders to gain new perspectives. When art is
considered as a vehicle to expand world views, artists
can be concept creators and persons with disabilities
are ones born with a concept that challenges us.
T h i s Ta k a m a t s u A r t L i n k p ro j e c t i s o r g a n i z e d
three years after its first one. The theme of this
time around is Long Time No See. Through the
interaction with others and the relationship with
them, one can find new self.
Since the first ArtLink, Takamatsu keeps contacts with
the ArtLink organized by NPO Creative Clay in St.

NPO

NPO

N P O

Petersburg in Florida, a sister city of Takamatsu. This

is an initiative at a citizens level. One individual artist
meets with a person with a disability who lives in a
local area and art works and the relationship that the
two persons generate impact the local community by
providing new values.
We believe what is important in this modern society
is growth of intellect, sensibility, and the depth of a
soul, rather than physical materialistic growth. What
we would like to achieve is the restoration of all types
of link through happy interface between person
to person, person to region and person to nature.
A key ingredient for that is art and it would create
new values by leveraging its potential. In a space of
expression, disabilities and age can be one distinctive
characteristic. We carry out ArtLink hoping that their
self expression would bring more breadth to the
creation of colorful civic culture. I hope this exhibition
would give you a sense into their inner possibility.
In closing, I would like to express my most sincere
gratitude for all the people who provided us with
support for the organization of this project.

T o mo ko T a no , Re pr e s e n t a t i v e D i r e ct o r
NPO Heart Art Okayama
Undertaking related to Setouchi International Art Festival 2013, Takamatsu Heart Art Festival 2013
Org an ized b y : th e City of Tak amatsu
P lan coord in ator: NP O Heart A rt Ok ay ama
S u p p orted b y : S etou ch i In tern ation al art Festiv al Ex ecu tiv e Committee




Journey of Father eel Seasons of animals Everyone at the workplace

( )

Journey of Father eel is a world that I wanted

t o d e p i c t f o r s o m e t i m e n o w. F a t h e r e e l g o e s o u t
to a trip to find a girl that he was very close to.
On his way he meets many different people and
g ro w. H e f i n d s o u t t h a t t h e g i r l h e i s l o o k i n g f o r i s
dead for his sorrow but at the last hear t-moving
scene is he is encouraged by all the people he
meets on his way tells him that he is not alone.
Seasons of animals depict ways of animal life
i n d i ff e re n t s e a s o n s c e n t e r i n g a ro u n d a c a r p e n t e r
cat. Each animal has their specific occupation and
personality and distinctive attribute of the animals
a re d e p i c t e d . E v e r y o n e a t t h e w o r k p l a c e i s a b o u t
the reminiscence over an institution, Ajisai that Yoko
works. These episodes are based on facts but they
are viewed through her filter of kindness. They seem
like pages from a beautiful picture book.

SOGO Yoko KATO Naoki

( )


We will become ocean a n i m a l s .

KONDO Koshiro TAKAMATSU Asuka

T h re e o f u s, Ko sh i ro Ko n do, his mother, Narumi and

m y s e l f p o r t r a y e d o c e a n a n i m a l s . K o s h i ro h a s l i k e d
insects and ocean animals since he was a child,
a n d i t i s h i s i m po r ta n t h a bit to g o to aq uariums and
c o l l e c t f i g u re s o f o c e a n a n i m a l s . H e i s a g o o d a t
pa i n ti n g a n d m a ki n g c r a fts. S o I asked him to d raw
h i s fa vo r i te a n i m a l s a n d c haracters and whales and
dolphins by looking at his figures. When he was
dr a w i n g, h e w a s m a ki n g a p ose same as the fig ure
th a t h e w a s dr a w i n g. I di d not realize it, b ut Narumi
pointed out to me. While rehearsing for picture
taking, to our surprise, he was very accurately
making the same pose as the figure, without looking
a t th e m . T h a t i s w h e n I re alized that how much time
a n d e n e r g y h e s p e n t l o o k i n g a t t h o s e f i g u re s u n t i l
i t sa n k i n to h i s m e m o r y. I hop e that the p ose of this
a r t w o r k w i l l l e t y o u h a v e a f e e l f o r K o s h i ro s g a z e
to w a rd o c e a n a n i m a l s.

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Hirokis Words

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Twitter Fecebook

Hiroki draws when I am with him. He bakes bread with

cheese when he becomes hungry. He must sniff when he
opens a Magic Marker. We seem to be talking, but we do
not seem to be connected sometimes. He says something
out of blue and out of context. It is fun to think why he
says such a thing. It is all natural to him, in which I sense
liberty and cuteness. That is something adults cannot do
if we want to. It seems to be out of context but it seems to
be something he has been concerned. Or something he
learned somewhere else and he fell in love to a degree to
form his own fad. Or he may be responding to the Disney
channel that he is listening while drawing. They are all
connected in him. I wondered and thought it possible
t o m a k e s o m e t h i n g s i m i l a r t o Tw i t t e r o r F a c e b o o k
Timeline by converting such expressions he uttered into
calligraphy writing and connect them.

SATO Hiroki CHIBA Naomi

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Undecided

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MATSUBARA Junya KU Minfa

ENTRANCEMENT

When it comes to artistic quality expressed by the body,

it is so natural to Hayato. Beauty is readily expressed in
his manners, bearing and facial expressions. My initial
challenge as a producer was to figure out what else I
could do to make it even better. We, artists, see that his
purity is drawn out so liberally and we are making every
effort in our trial and error to have it come down on us
like shower. Fortunately there is an axis of time before
our eyes extending into infinity and in that course of time
things heterogeneous can get the flavor of one another. We
wanted to do different things like expanding space along
that line of time, reeling it in, scratching it, drawing it nearer
and letting go of it. I wanted to experiment that type of
bodily expressions together with the grace of time. It was an
extremely sensitive attempt. It quietly started from the two
persons facing vis--vis, then connect with more and more
people secretly into an expanded large spider web type of
relationship. It is our hope that tentacles reach out to you.
Performance: Katsuko Uchida, Yoko Nishitaki
Decoration: ENTRANCEMEN

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Mona Lisa to continue

Mona Lisa and a fighter aircraft and the Virgin

a n d C h i l d T h e y w e re c re a t e d f ro m t o t a l l y d i ff e re n t
artistic intent but I sense some connection among
t h e m s o I p h y s i c a l l y p u t t h e m t o g e t h e r. I a p p l i e d
t h e m t o c a n v a s e s t h a t w e r e j o i n e d t o g e t h e r. I t
is Mona Lisa but feels different from it. Different
sm i l e . It i s a fi gh te r l o a de d with b omb s b ut it is just
a cool thing that never fights. It was never intended
to h a ve a n yth i n g to do w i th Christ b ut the p ower ful
Virgin and Child. When you simply put them
t o g e t h e r, t h e r e s e e m s t o b e a s t o r y a m o n g t h e m .
Yo u t r y t o v i s u a l i z e s o m e t h i n g t h a t e x i s t s a m o n g
th e m . Yo u do so w i th so m ething invisib le. It may b e
i t, o r m a y n o t be i t.

19

KAWAKUBO Akitaka ITO Genki

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youtube

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Artlink Japan/Free Museum Day

NPO

Mayor Bill Foster will visit Creative Clay during Free Museum
Day, Saturday, Sept. 28, at 1:30 p.m., to accept a letter from
Mayor Hideto Onishi, of Takamatsu, Japan-St. Petersburg's
s i s t e r c i t y. T h e l e t t e r e x p re s s e s M a y o r O n i s h i ' s g r a t i t u d e
for the city of St. Petersburg's continued suppor t of Ar tlink
J a p a n , a n o n g o i n g a r t i s t i c c o l l a b o r a t i o n b e t w e e n C re a t i v e
Clay member artists and artists with disabilities living in
Japan. During the event, Creative Clay will exhibit ar twork
from their Artlink international collaboration, and visitors will
have an oppor tunity to par ticipate in a Japanese Ink Brush
Drawing Workshop (1 - 2 p.m.), led by Jonathan Hobbs, a
C re a t i v e C l a y t e a c h e r a n d f o r m e r re s i d e n t o f J a p a n . T h e
e x h i b i t a l s o w i l l f e a t u re h i s t o r i c a l o b j e c t s f ro m Ta k a m a t s u
on loan from the St. Petersburg Museum of History. Creative
Clay will be open on Free Museum Day from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.

2010

From Creative Clay, Inc

T h e A r t L i n k J a p a n w a s v e r y s u c c e s s f u l t o d a y. T h e R a b b i t
Angel ballon was raised and the Mayor of St. Petersburg was
in attendance. Mayor letters exchanged. The artist members
of Creative Clay produced a very excellent exhibition.Thank
you again for the opportunity to participate with my friends and
artists in Japan. You all are in my thoughts daily.

Angel Rabbit
/ Mai Uehara + Naoto Shimizu

Seeing Angel Rabbit that Mai drew, a simple association of angel
equals sky crossed my mind. A hidden work or concealed idea kept
in the mind of a girl would be lifted in the sky and look down on the
audience below. The heart of Mai who looks up and those of the family
and friends would influence people around them and joined hearts
would move together to create a big wave. It would appear to embrace
as an angel would.It is my hope that Mais message would come across
and a new social value be created by keeping her balloon continuously
exhibited in various events inside and outside Kagawa Prefecture even
after the ArtLink Exhibition finished.

G r e e t ing f r om the organizer

Dear Mayor Foster,
I would like to express my deep gratitude and respect towards your
efforts in our friendship between the city of Saint Petersburg and my
city of Takamatsu.
I would like to note a special gratitude for the occasion to have
your local artist, Mr. David Williams for the very successful 2010
Takamatsu Artlink Project 2010 which I believe deepened our
friendship between the two cities.
This year, our city Takamatsu as well as the islands for the Setonaikai
will be presenting a contemporary art festival Setonai International
Fine Art Festival 2013, and in relation to this event, we will be
featuring Takamatsu Heart Art Festival 2013, and as before,
conducting the Takamatsu Artlink Project as we did in 2010.

A u gu s t
23

This year we will again exhibit the giant balloon Rabbit Angel.
For this project, people at Creative Clay in Saint Petersburg will be
sending messages to the citizens of Takamatsu through this project.
This project mirrors the art link statement Through art making as
creative means, the links between people, cultures and their sensibilities
will create new concepts. This experience is deeply purposeful where
citizens from both Takamatsu and Saint Petersburg will be able to further
deepen their friendships and ties between the two cities.
On beh alf of the project coordinators, I would like to send my
gratitude for your generous interest and cooperation for this event.
We look forward to viewing the heartfelt messages from the citizens
of Saint Petersburg this October at Takamatsu Artlink Project and the
widening of the circle of friendship between our cities.

2 , 2 0 1 3 Mayor

of Takamatsu Hideto Onishi

24

NPO

2013

2010

2 0 1 3

78

2013

NPO

2006

( )

balloon

7 30 7

25

26

Creative City

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C r e a t i v e N e t w o r k

PR

( )

80

( )

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Talk: Linking local development with the local cultural capacity

To consider local community through a pin hole of the expression of oneselfMr. Hideto Onishi (Mayor of Takamatsu) & Mr. Taneo Kato

Tano: As we are to talk at the venue of

Takamatsu ArtLink Project 2013, I would
like to ask each of you to talk about your
impressions of the exhibition.
Mayor Onishi: I would like to thank all the
stakeholders for their effort of organizing
Takamatsu ArtLink 2013 for the first time
since three years ago to coincide with
the Setouchi International Art Festival
in Fall Season. Now let me explain why
this exhibition began three years ago.
W e c a m e t o k n o w t h a t Ta n o - s a n a n d
her group have been creating ar t in an
attempt of exploring it through various
forms and ways of linkage, collaborating
with NPO Creative Clay in St. Petersburg
U.S.A. which is a sister city of Takamatsu.
So we request that they do an Ar tLink
project for the same time as the Setouchi
I n t e r n a t i o n a l A r t F e s t i v a l . T h i s p ro j e c t
was participated by five pairs of persons
with disabilities and professional artists.
An artist from St. Petersburg took part in
the last project. A larger than life rabbit
balloon in the venue had an overwhelming
presence. It was an art piece that started
from an idea of a girl with a disability who
was a high school student then. It was
amazing how the idea evolved through the
collaboration with an artist and resulted
in that art work. The venue was filled with
various ar t pieces, including paintings
and installation. The American artist from
St. Petersburg created a hanging scroll
together with a person with a disability
f ro m Ta k a m a t s u , t h a t h a d a J a p a n e s e
flavor to it. That was also a pleasant
surprise for me. This is the first exhibition
since three years ago. Just like the last
t i m e p e r s o n s w i t h d i s a b i l i t i e s c re a t e d
wonderful art works through linking with
artists. The entire space itself is an art

29

Representative director of Association for corporate support of the Arts, Advisor for local capacity
building for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and communications

work this time around again. I am ver y

impressed by the space, which involves a
movie, too.
Kato: It is great pleasure to be here in
Takamatsu. It was seven or eight years
ago that I met Tano-san and learned that
she was working on this kind of initiatives.
I am grateful for this opportunity to talk
with you.
It is interesting that the mayor used the
word installation, that should be quite
u n u s u a l i n J a p a n . T h i s p ro j e c t p l a c e s
emphasis on encounter and link, thereby
an ar tist and a person with a disability
w o r k t o g e t h e r a s a p a i r. R e p e t i t i v e
expressions that persons with disabilities
use appear to be the same from end to
end but it has very persistent repeating
power that seem to overpower artists here
and there, which is quite interesting.
Setouchi Inter national Ar t Festival
affords space and forums to meet many
diverse people. A nice thing about it is
that it is associated with ar t activities.
T h e o t h e r d a y I r a n i n t o M r. F u k u t a k e
a t a h o t e l i n Ta k a m a t s u a n d t w o d a y s
a g o I h a p p e n e d t o m e e t M r. O h , a n
ar tist who makes bamboo domes. That
illustrates that this festival provides many
opportunities to meet. It also drives a
momentum to move festival associated
activities forward. Generally speaking,
there seem to be a lot of initiatives that
put light on the expressions that persons
with disabilities created. In this project,
h o w e v e r, a r t i s p r a c t i c e d b y a p a i r o f
persons, which is quite unique. This type
of linkage does not have to be confined
only to ar t by persons with disabilities
but has potential to form linkage with
anybody.
Tano: We find the strategies of the Mayor

of Takamatsu very appealing as he places

culture in the core of local community
development. It is the extension of what
happened in 2010. Mayor, how did you
meet culture?
Onishi: Culture can be the accumulation
of what people do in a broad sense.
Therefore it is important that good culture
is formed and developed.
In a narrower sense, I have always
liked music. Before running a mayoral
election, I scrutinize charms of the town
of Takamatsu. My conclusion then was the
Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum Japan
i n t h e f o r m e r To w n o f M u re ( c u r re n t l y
C i t y o f Ta k a m a t s u ) , a n d t h e s u c c e s s
o f t h e Ta k a m a t s u I n t e r n a t i o n a l P i a n o
Competition in 2006. With these two in
place, ar t and music, I thought, would
s u ff i c e t o re a c h o u t a n d c o m m u n i c a t e
a b o u t t h e f i n e q u a l i t y o f Ta k a m a t s u .
We have housed contemporary art
represented by sculptures of Isamu
Noguchi and Masayuki Nagare. Old
culture is represented by traditional
craft and art like Kagawa lacquer ware,
bonsai and the garden of the Matsudaira
clan. The old culture fuses with new
culture in the culture of Takamatsu. Mr.
Masanori Kaneko, one of the former
governors, known as a design governor,
had the prefectural government building
designed by an architect, Kenzo Tange
and enticed Isamu Noguchi to live and
work in Kagawa. We have many buildings
that have high artistic quality. Therefore I
thought it should be art and culture that I
should leverage to sell Takamatsu.
Let me share another reason, which
is a serious topic and it was about the
post-war rapid economic growth period.
Japan became an economic power but I

wonder if people could feel in person that

they were richer and happier. In Europe,
for instance, people seem to live a much
happier life while they economic status
is lower than Japan. That is because the
administration policies tilted too much
toward economic growth. The government
and politics did not heed so much to
p o l i c i e s t h a t c o u l d e n r i c h c u l t u re a n d
the heart of people. I thought we needed
more administrative strategies which
c o u l d e n s u re h a p p i n e s s a n d s p i r i t u a l
richness. Decades ago, Mr. Masayoshi
Ohira, a prime minister originally from
Kagawa developed a garden-city state
concept and tried to incorporate culture
into the administration. Reflecting upon it,
I was thinking we once again needed to
consider ways to incorporate culture as a
big component into the administration and
make the life of people spiritually rich.
Just then Mr. Soichiro Fukutake rolled out
the Setouchi International Art Festival. The
more positive the administration became,
more ideas people brought. This means
that the city of Takamatsu and Kagawa
P re f e c t u re a re g ro w i n g t o b e a n a re a
where culture flourishes.
Ta n o : F ro m a v i e w p o i n t o f h a p p i n e s s ,
islands in Seto Inland Sea have
contributed to the development of Japan
as one of localities. Mr. Kato, how do you
see the culture of Setouchi?
Kato: The goal of the Setouchi
Inter national Ar t Festival is quite clear,
which is to invigorate the elderly on the
islands. This perception is linked with art.
Before talking about it, I first would like
to talk about Isamu Noguchi. What makes
him great? His art, needless to say. He
discovered Aji stone and settled there. In

recent years rocks and stones from Seto

Inland Sea area are used as ingredients
for concrete in pebble and sand forms.
But Isamu Noguchi discovered its
greatness from a creative point of view. He
established his studio in an old traditional
house which was formerly a warehouse
and relocated it to its current site. He
clothed, ate and lived through very
intimate dialogue with nature. He lived
with nature and tried to find and express
new values. He valued a way of life which
did not cause any conflicts with nature,
which was a wholesome life that human
had lead since ancient times. In this
regard, the discovery of Isamu Noguchi
means to recognize that expressions are
es s enti al for a creati v e l i fe. Then w i th
that recognition in the heart, people want
to care for people in their last phase of
their lives. The art festival enticed young
people to islands and make older people
on the islands reinvigorated. Continuing
this initiative, it should advance to a next
step. It would be nice if older people are
convinced that they themselves can be
creators. Artists need to design a process
to let older people express themselves.
There is a good example of Onba Project
on Ogishima. The beauty of this project
is the collaboration between an artist who
made Onba (pushcarts) and their users,
older women on the island. The fact that
they use the pushcarts in their daily life
i t s e l f c o n s t i t u t e s a r t i s t i c e x p re s s i o n s .
F u r t h e r m o re , a r t s h o u l d p l a y a ro l e o f
keeping them healthy and happy until
the last day of their life. In this project
the artist realized that and cared for that,
there lies the greatness of this project.
So far people with disabilities are simply
thought to be beneficiaries of care and
support. But this ArtLink helps us to

u n d e r s t a n d t h a t t h e y c a n b e c re a t i v e
beings expressing themselves. In some
instances their expressions overwhelm
professional artists. This is a great
opportunity. If art can give energy to the
elders, then I hope artists set a goal of
letting the elders become artists. I would
like to suggest Tano-san to develop a new
version of ArtLink to connect older people
and artists.
Tano: We are seeing that art goes beyond
generations and boundaries between an
ordinary and an extraordinary life. All fuse
into art: persons who create art and those
who appreciate it, visitors meeting people
on islands and stories they create. By
contrasting past against present, one can
see the charms of a town. Please tell us
what is happening.
O n i s h i : P e o p l e f ro m b i g c i t i e s f i n d a n
extraordinary life on an island. A trip to
an island itself is extraordinary, but the
first thing you notice on an island is that
you do not find anyone of your age, you
find older people. Talking to people in
an older generation is quite refreshing.
For the previous event, 70% of visitors
were women, 70% of visitors were young
people up to their 30s, and 70% of them
w e re f ro m b i g c i t i e s i n c l u d i n g To k y o .
Those people come to islands and fell in
love with them, and some of them return
to the islands for another visit. Even some
of them come back to live. I think the art
festival enhanced the appeal of the local
communities.
To talk about the fusion of the old
and the new, Takamatsu is going to sign a
cultural and tourism exchange agreement
w i th K ana z a wa . We t h in k Ka n a z a wa is
our role model in Japan. Both cities used
to thrive as a castle town and old culture
has been preserved, that is similarities.

30

Difference is Kanazawa did not get

bombed but Takamatsu was destroyed
by bombing during World War II. So in
Kanazawa old traditional streets remain
b u t t h e y a re n a r ro w a n d c a u s e t r a ff i c
jam, whereas Takamatsu could implement
moder n urban planning to install wide
streets including the Central Boulevard
in a grid-like patter n. While Kanazawa
successfully preserved traditional culture,
it is attracting a lot of attention to its 21 st
Centur y Museum of Contemporar y Ar t.
Kanazawa went through a step change
with the help from modern art. Therefore
I wanted to appeal Takamatsu with old
culture including Bonsai, lacquer ware
and tea ceremony and with moder n ar t
represented by Isamu Noguchi and Kenzo
Ta n g e . T h e m i x t u re o f t h e o l d a n d t h e
new transfor ms into new creation. The
art festival itself brings art onto islands.
By connecting with older people on the
island, modern art works as catalyst
to cause chemical reaction to bring
for th new values. I think we are hitting
a good direction now. I look forward to
unexpected chemical reaction.
Tano: It truly is a town we want to live in.
Mr. Kato, you have traveled extensively in
Japan. You use an analogy of festival for
ways of forming art.
Kato: When I was a young man, I did not
care for festivals.(laugh) Having said that,
I was asking myself these days if there
was any concept that could turn around
what is going on now. In another word art
is perceived as undertaking created by a
great artist who presides at the top of a
pyramid and we, the audience look up to
him/her at a museum or auditorium hall.
That is why I paid attention to festivals.
A f e s t i v a l i s c re a t e d b y e v e r y o n e i n a
community. If there is anyone in audience,

31

that is just a deity only. In another word

art in modern days is perceived as one
created by one god and everyone else is
supposed to appreciate it. But a festival
is created a large of group of people to
show it a deity. As a festival is expected
to please a deity, they do not think just an
ordinary thing is good enough, so they do
their best. They decorate their costumes
and portable shrines to the best of their
ability and create an extreme situation
such as bumping into one another. With
c u e s f ro m f e s t i v a l s , I w a n t t o d e v e l o p
a festival type of creative activities and
f e s t i v a l t y p e o f e x p re s s i o n a c t i v i t i e s ,
in which a large group of people make
something to show to a small group of
people. Traditional theatrical performance
s u c h a s f e s t i v a l s a n d K a g u r a ( s a c re d
Shinto dance and music) can contribute
to community development.
Another impor tant requirement is to
p a y c l o s e a t t e n t i o n t o f o re i g n c u l t u re
that we are not ver y familiar with, one
of which can be expressive activities of
persons with disabilities. Their parents
and stakeholders are accustomed to them
but those who do not come to contact with
them need to be exposed. In the future,
all of us will become old and may end
up living with disabilities. So we need to
explore our own potentials, as well.
In that regard, Isamu Noguchi inevitably
might have gone through multi-cultural
experiences in himself as he had both
American and Japanese attributes.
Therefore we should be active in exposing
ourselves to different cultures. Takamatsu
is at an advantageous geographical
point. It has a por t. Foreign cultures
come from the port and export to other
areas is possible through the port. Going
forward, we may want to revitalize sea

transportation. So far people thought

about land transportation only. But if you
take a different point of view, you can see
Takamatsu is located at a very convenient
spot. It is at the center of Seto Inlans Sea
and seems to have high potential.
Tano: When you look at Seto Inland Sea,
it looks in different colors. I wonder if that
i s b e c a u s e o f a d i re c t i o n t h a t t h e s u n
is shining on or a tidal direction. When
something is looked at from a different
angle, different potential can be found.
What kind of future you are envisioning for
Takamatsu?
Onishi: Well, something related to the sea,
the revitalization of sea transportation. The
sea connects us to anywhere in the world.
From Takamatsu Port you can go anywhere
i n t h e w o r l d , s o I w a n t t o p l a c e g re a t
emphasis on connection. Early on I talked
about chemical reaction. By combining
things, new things can emerge. I hope
continuous innovation would enhance
t h e w e a l t h o f o u r l o c a l c o m m u n i t y. I n
that sense, media for connections will
become increasingly important. Also the
act of linking will become more important.
Mr. Kato mentioned about festivals. That
reminded me of a story I heard from Mr.
Oriza Hirata. It is said that a community
that reinstituted a festival sooner than
other areas succeeded in collective
relocation and reaching consensus within
the community before others. Apparently
festivals serve as a forum to connect
p e o p l e . T h e re i n s t i t u t i o n o f a f e s t i v a l
re s t o re s p e o p l e - t o - p e o p l e c o n n e c t i o n ,
t h e n i t b e c o m e s e a s i e r t o c o o rd i n a t e
opinions between them. Additionally, in a
large framework of community, opinions
of people can be built upon one another
or multiplied. Cities that have many of
that type of media are more likely to

d e v e l o p . We h a v e s e t u p t h e C re a t i v e
City Promotion Bureau. The concept
of Creative City is a city of many
mechanisms that could spawn diverse
possibilities, instead of us showing a
definite vision. What is important in
t h a t p ro c e s s i s t o l e r a n c e . W h a t m i g h t
c o m e w i t h m a n y d i ff e r i n g i m p l i c a t i o n s
should not be simply rejected. We want
a community of people who could accept
to some degree. That way, we expect, we
might be able to see a bright future.
Kato: When I was first involved in
developing a concept for Culture/Ar t
C r e a t i v e C i t y Yo k o h a m a , w e d i d n o t
think so much about a goal. In a course
of discussion we decided to aim for
developing a creative neighborhood.
Noteworthy was that we established a tag
line that goes, All citizens are ar tists/
expressionists. That is because we feel
if everyone tells one another who they are
and what they want and recognizes each
other, then they are all artists. When that
happens, something good happens to
economy. What I mean is that obligatory
expenses could go down. For example,
when a person with a disability or an
elderly person expresses himself/herself,
they all cheer up. Knowing that, artists try
to find ways to let persons with disabilities
and/or older persons express themselves
cheerfully at an early stage and offer that
to a wide range of citizens so that persons
with disabilities would not get isolated
or older people do not get bed-ridden. It
should be practiced not just from a viewpoint of care but for circumstances that
t h e y s t a y h e a l t h y e x p re s s i o n i s t s . A s a
result, we might be able to reduce social
obligatory costs.
Onishi: I think you are talking about the
health of a city: the health of a person

or a city. For example, food. Can people

stay healthy with just food alone? That is
not possible. People want to live with a
purpose in life. To be healthy, behavioral
change is required. In order to change
life style, behaviors need to change. An
every-day life needs to change. To have
people change their behavior, we need
to reach out to the hearts of people. If
we make a community which is enticing
enough for people to take a walk, or we
develop a mindset that people are artists,
I think a city becomes healthy. One good
trigger point can be modern art. It can
change ways people express themselves.
Recently we held a Street Performance
Festa. Looking at their performance,
children beamed. They got energized
and started to think that they wanted
to do the same, they wanted to pursue
their strength and they wanted to move
peoples hearts.
Culture and Welfare are connected.
C re a t i n g m e c h a n i s m s t o h a v e p e o p l e
s tay heal thy and s pi ri tual l y ri ch i s the
significance the administration can
achieve by pursuing art and culture. In a
welfare segment, as well, art and culture
has power. Mr. Oriza Hirata advocates
to invite people who are on welfare and
people who were discharged from prisons
to plays. Plays move their hearts and
have them start thinking that they should
d o s o m e t h i n g b e t t e r f ro m t o m o r ro w. I f
they want to get a permanent job, welfare
improves. Art and culture has that kind
of power, he says. I hope to make people
spiritually enriched and move their
behavior toward a healthy life.
Ta n o : Yo u a r e s u g g e s t i n g t o a i m a n d
achieve a tolerant and mature society,
dont you?

K a t o : Ta k a m a t s u i s b l e s s e d w i t h i t s
geographical location and the castle in
the city faces the sea. My dream is to
e s t a b l i s h a C re a t i v e N e t w o r k t o c o v e r
the entire Seto Inland Sea, ranging from
Osaka, Owaji to Bepu in west at Kunisaki
Peninsula and take a luxurious cruise to
visit all of them. Fur ther more, we want
to adver tise it targeting not Japanese,
but people overseas. I want them to
appreciate the value of Seto Inland
Sea and become envious of Japanese.
I want that type of cruise that no one
else has implemented to build a network
throughout Seto Inland Sea. The network
would need hubs and Takamatsu can be
one hub because it is promoting this level
of creative activities. Our expectation is
high. I sense we have a chance while Mr.
Onishi is the mayor.(laugh)
Onish: It so happens that next year will
be the 80 th anniversar y since the Seto
Inland Sea National Park, Kirishima
National Park and Unzen National Park
were designated in 1934. The landscape
v i e w e d f r o m Ya s h i m a c o n v i n c e d t h e
government to designate the Seto
Inland Sea as a national park and an
area covering Shodoshima, Mt. Washu,
M i t o y o a n d To m o n o u r a w a s s e l e c t e d .
This is exactly the same area where the
Setouchi International Art Festival is held.
I hope I can take a broader view for our
under takings for next year, taking into
account interchanges throughout the
entire Seto Inland Sea.
Tano: Wow, that is a grand plan. I hope
that I can be involved in that even in a
small way. Thank you very much for your
time today.

32



P3 art and environment

O N I SH I H idet o / Mayor of Takamatsu

K AT O H T aneo

Representative director of Association for corporate support of the Arts, Advisor for
local capacity building for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and communications
1990 (AAF)


2012
NPO NPO
( 2 0 0 2 2 0 1 0 )

20122008
In 1990 he rolled out Asahi Art Festival (AAF) and kicked off Asahi Beer
Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art and leads a wide variety of art and cultural
initiatives. He actively advocated cultural polices as the chairperson of
the Research Division of the Association for Corporate Support of the Arts
including New Compact. Since 2012 he is in the current post. He is a
director of art NPO Link, Art Resource Development Agency (ARDA), outside
a d v i s o r f o r J a p a n N P O C e n t e r, M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r f o r Yo k o h a m a A r t F o u n d a t i o n
(2002-2010), and director for Chishima Foundation for Creative Osaka. He is
also serving an art and cultural advisor for the City of Hachinohe, the City of
S a i t a m a , O k i n a w a P re f e c t u re a n d Wa k i m o t o . H e i s a n c o a u t h o r o f m a n y b o o k s
including Soft Power that change the Globe(Seigensha Art Publishing, 2012).
In 2008 he received the Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts.

33

3
Long Time No See

AAF

2004

15
5

NPO

2008
2009

34

2010
30

2004

1990

35

15 6

3000

50

36

Looking into ArtLink from modern a rt perspectives

Serizawa :It is important that people

who were bor n and raised in Japan,

others deteriorates, people cannot

with disabilities carr y out expressive

withdrawn people, the elderly

address imminent issues/challenges

P3 art and environment

activities and some people try to

and abused children are brutally

i n a creati ve w ay. Wi thout i magi nation,

position those types of expression

categorized as the same and they

people do not think about issues in

as part of modern art. But ArtLink is

fin d it d iffi cul t to voi ce thei r opi ni ons.

front of them on thei r ow n ter ms. W hat

t r y i n g t o a c h i e v e s o m e t h i n g d i ff e r e n t

Even their existence receives

we fear is not the physical contraction,

from that, which is interesting.

indifference. The linkage with things

but the contraction of imagination.

Generally speaking we tend to think

that are heterogeneous in nature

what art can do for them. But here

w o u l d p ro v i d e d i ff e re n t p e r s p e c t i v e s ,

The talk was participated by the

ar tists change in the relationship of

that in turn will expand potential and

a r t i s t s w h o w e re i n v o l v e d i n t h e p a s t

the pair which consist of a person

diversity of a society that we live

Ar tLink projects including Hiromichi

with a disability and an artist. That

in. This development will strengthen

H a n a d a , N a o t o S h i m i z u , Ta k e s h i

is probably because they take up a

relationship and imagination of a

Okada and Shinji Fujiwara. The talk

f o r m t h a t i s d i ff e re n t f ro m t h e i r u s u a l

society as a whole. That will restore

even touched upon the magic that art

s t y l e a n d t h e re l a t i o n s h i p i t s e l f t a k e s

what is fractured into pieces. That

has and rol es of ar ti sts.

a new form. That mutual inspirational

is the significance that ArtLink can

S e r i z w a c o n c l u d e d p o w e r f u l l y, W e

inte r a c t i o n i s q u i t e in te re stin g .

b r in g a t thi s ti me i n hi stor y. We do not

have to invent a new permanent

want to interpret social challenges

system that places emphasis on

I n t h e A r t L i n k p h i l o s o p h y, p e r i p h e r a l

that face us as suffocating. We want

various values that we have already

implications can be interpreted in

to lin k th e m to ar t. Is i t not the ti me to

discarded. Because the time is in

a m o r e b r o a d a n d d e e p w a y. T h e r e

revisit individuals in the context of

s u c h w a y, a r t i s e s s e n t i a l f o r t h e

exists characteristics of others and

relationship? Ar t can be exercise for

f o r t h c o m i n g f u t u re o f t h e g l o b e . I f e e l

heterogeneity that are not readily

imagination. When ability to imagine

that i s our mi ssi on.

perceivable. Korean descendants

and to value the relationship with

37

SE R IZAW A Takashi

1989 P3 art and environment

( 2 0 0 2 )
2 0 0 3 2 0 0 5

2 0 0 9 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 2

H e es tabl i s hed P3 ar t and env i ronmenti n 1989. H e has rol l ed out numerous proj ects
primarily for moder n ar t museums and environmental plans. General director for
D emeter (2002, Obi hi ro) Secretar y general for A s ahi A r t Fes ti v al (2003- ) C urator
f o r Yo k o h a m a Tr i e n n a l e ( 2 0 0 5 ) , G e n e r a l d i re c t o r f o r M i x e d B a t h i n g Wo r l d ( 2 0 0 9 ,
2012, B eppu), D i rector general for D es i gn C reati v e C enter i n K obe

38

DVD
HANA

40

39

38 2000

1995

1995

CD

HANA

50

world

40

Humans are animals who sense

light and design the brilliance.

41

needs

15

Goodjob
By
solution

Web

In the spring of 2003, members of NPO

people in Asian countries through culture to

Creative Clay visited Japan who conduct

build networks.

ArtLink in St. Petersburg, US. Since then,

He advocates that it is a right of all humans

NPO Creative Clay keeps contact with NPO

to lead a happy and rich life through art and

Heart Art Okayama. Yasuo Harima was a key

culture. He has been exploring ways to live

person for this interaction to take place. He

a rich and happy life through art and culture

has been leading efforts of offering new values

irrespective of disabilities. The Able Art he

generated from expressive activities by people

started is interpreted as art of potentials. He

with disabilities for some 40 years.

believes that art makes an every-day life deep

40 years ago, Harima met people with

and beautiful for an individual and groups of

disabilities while he was working as a

people who live in it. He sees art in the life of

newspaper reporter in Takamatsu through a

a person with disability, their hang-ups, and

person who provided painting guidance to

their ways of living. Each person has a role to

people with disabilities and another person

play. Each individual has his/her own story to

who let those people camp on an island.

tell and that is depicted in art. When your own

Not even a word, volunteer was not well

story meets with that of somebody else and

recognized in those days. Through interviews

becomes socialized, that individual becomes

he came to realize that Many problems

a human.

were embedded in a society. Art and Culture

Therefore it is important to establish a

were the most effective remedy for them

relationship that embraces the integrity of a

and established a foundation in Nara, which

person. Japan is moving toward a mature

rolled out Wataboshi Concert and Able Art

society. ArtLink can be a model in that context.

Movement. The expressions are full of energy

People with disabilities are not just recipients

and have been highly received as they are

of care but have their culture and roles to play.

believed to restore human integrity. In recent

They are emerging energy. We need to find

years he has been promoting interactions with

new energy, not for economic growth, but to

42

lead a new life.

Takamatsu has a fine environment

H A R I MA Y a s u o

receptive to art. They have a link with artists

internationally recognized and at the same
time traditional had crafts of Sanuki in many
genres have been handed down. It is a town
with high potential of cultural tradition that is
quite sensitive and embracive of beauty.
A perception of mutual respect is essential
for a society. ArtLink demonstrated once

Yasuo Harima (Director of Tanpopo-no-Ye)

2 1 1995

21

to let people interact with others going

house for disabled persons to live. In 2004 he established an art center HANA for persons with disabilities,

the needs to continue ArtLink. It is our

hope that the continuous activities will
provide more opportunities for both sister
cities of St. Petersburg and Takamatsu to
explore potentials of each city through the
friendly relationship. (Edited by and taken
responsibilities of working and content by:
Tomoko Tano)

/ SO GO Y oko

1999

He worked as a newspaper report before becoming a freelance journalist. He developed Tanpopo-no-Ye, a

the passive thereby we recognize acutely

PROFI LE

2004 HANA 1991

again that art and culture made it possible

beyond the boundaries of the active and

the first of its kind in Japan. Since 1991 he has been holding Wataboshi Musical Festival in Asia/Pacific area
once every two years. In 1995 he proposed Able Art Movement to create a new relationship between art
and a society in efforts of enhancing cultural competence of general public. Since 1999 he has been engaged
in research about care for careers as a civil research. In this initiative he is proposing to develop creative
relationship between citizens, diversified values and a community that embrace culture from perspectives of art
and care. In 2009 he was awarded Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award,

She loves drawing illustration and is collecting her works
so that she can be a professional illustrator. She is very shy
and sometimes becomes uneasy, but depicts ver y delicate
relationship manifested in subtle dialog between parents and
child, siblings, and friends. She belongs to Ajisai, the Village
of Nazareth, Social Welfare Service Corporation.

/ K AT O N aoki

P o t t e r. H e h a s b e e n m a k i n g p o t t e r y w o r k s w i t h a m o t i f o f
g r e e n p e p p e r. S o s o m e t i m e s p e o p l e c a l l h i m M r. G r e e n
P e p p e r. R e c e n t l y h e i s m a k i n g b o n e s a n d s h e l l s . H e i s
hanging in there. Lives in Okayama Prefecture.

43

44

/ KONDO Koshiro

/ SA TO H i r ok i

/ MATSUBARA J u n y a

/ KA WA KU B O A ki taka

CS
I pod

He likes all sorts of animals ranging from enormous

dinosaurs and whales to small insects like beetles
and praying mantis. He stares at an illustrated
encyclopedia and keeps working on his dinosaurs
and whales with his pencils while listening to music.

He loves his home better than anything else. He also

likes painting while listening to the Disney Channel
on CS and listening to music in his Ipod. Enormous
amount of illustrations, decisive outlines and colorful
depiction. Where does his perception come from?

Ve r y a t h l e t i c , b e i n g g o o d a t m a r a t h o n , b o w l i n g ,
badminton, ping pong, swimming, skiing and others.
H e t o o k p a r t i n H o n o l u l u M a r a t h o n i n D e c e m b e r,
2013. He belongs to Wind Hill, a support facility for
persons with disabilities.

H e l o v e s M i c h e l a n g e l o , E l G r e c o , To s h u s a i S h a r a k u .
He loves renowned artists and produces oil paintings,
w h i c h a r e h o m a g e s . E l G r e c o s a n n u n c i a t i o n d r a w n
on a corrugated cardboard seems even divine.

/ TAKAMATSU Asuka

/ C H I B A N ao m i

/ KU Min fa

/ ITO Genki

2009

A r t i s t . S h e w a s b o r n i n Ta k a m a t s u , K a g a w a P r e f e c t u r e
i n 1 9 8 4 a n d l i v e s i n t h e s a m e c i t y. S h e g r a d u a t e d
from Onomichi City University Graduate School. She
is searching for the outline of a thing called art while
producing painting, but it is not yet confirmed.

45

Artist. She was born in 1979 and lives in Kagawa

Prefecture.People often point out that I look like
my works. I was not conscious but I may be making
myself. I want to be even closer to my works.

She attended open classes of Biwakei lead by Setsuko Yamada
since the end of the last Century. She took part in a theatrical
performance Musk and Spica as a performer which was directed
by Megumi Ohashi. At present she is carrying out activities in a
performer unit while exploring impromptu expressions unique to
the East together with local expressionists.

Artist. While painting, he becomes concerned about

its surrounding, then about something he did right
before and the painting itself. That is his typical
w o r k i n g p r o c e s s . L i v e s i n O k a y a m a C i t y.

46

Editor's Note

2013

Five pairs participants of the ArtLink met in a season when the Seto Inland
Sea was covered by spring haze. The seasons changed from summer to
fall. The expressions they generated for the ArtLink involved the families
and people around them and connection evolved three dimensionally.
The artists pay close attention to their partners expressions in their daily
life and their life itself. They tried to find true messages such as what the
partner truly likes, what the partner expects from them and what they
want to communicate to someone else. Each time they met, the actions
accumulated and formed overwhelming power, and ultimately crystalized
in shapes of the works they exhibited. We could sense natural
gentleness, strength, suppleness, just like islands of the Seto Inland Sea
have embraced and developed diverse cultures. Through the talk, I came
to realize we need a tolerant and mature society for any new culture to be
brought forth and person-to-person relationship for the creation of new
values. ArtLink helped a pair of two persons to form new world views. By
contributing to a community, their potential blossoms and profound charms
of art can be reflected in a day-to-day life.
We want to watch carefully how new values that five pairs of
participants of the ArtLink generated would take roots in the community.
We want to keep creating connectivity and relationship from person to
person in such ways as tides of the Seto Inland Sea and winds blowing
over the sea would do.
In closing I would like to thank everyone who was so supportive for
the Takamatsu ArtLink Project 2013.

2013

Takamatsu ArtLink Project 2013

2013

Exhibition period: October 11, Fri. through 14, Mon., 2013

Venue: Sunport Takamatsu exhibition hall on the first floor
Organized by: the City of Takamatsu (Contact: Section of Social Services for the
Disabled, City of Takamatsu)
Planning coordination: NPO Heart Art Okayama
Event associated with Setouchi International Art Festival 2013,
Takamatsu Heart Art Festival 2013
Supported by: Setouchi International Art Festival Executive Committee

2013

Takamatsu ArtLink Project 2013 Record

Edited by: Tomoko Tano

Designed by: Naoto Shimizu

2013 10 11 10 14

NPO
2013 2013

NPO
700-0982 2-5-22-102
TEL090-5698-4933
FAX086-221-3119
E-mailinfo@heart-art-okayama.net
URLhttp://www.heart-art-okayama.net
2014 2 28

Translated by: Hiroko Ogasawara

Published by: NPO Heart Art Okayama
2-5-22-102 Nakashimada-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-0982
Phone: 090-5698-4933FAX: 086-221-3119
E-mailinfo@heart-art-okayama.net
URLhttp://www.heart-art-okayama.net
Published on: February 28, 2014