Do you know about the Tokyo Art and Culture Consultation and Support Center (Hereinafter referred to as "Arts Council Tokyo".), which supports the activities of artists and the bearers of art and culture through cooperation with experts, mainly online, by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Foundation for History and Culture Arts Council Tokyo?
In the field of arts and culture, where many artists work as freelancers or in small organizations, we offer free consultations on contracts, financial issues, harassment and more.
This time, we asked the members of the Consultation and Support Division of the Activities Support Department of the Arts Council Tokyo, which operates Art Note, which started in October 2023, to talk about specific initiatives and future prospects.
Supporting the Sustainable Activities of Artists and the Bearers of Art and Culture
For a long time, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Arts Council Tokyo have been providing various support to artists through subsidy programs, human resource development programs, and art projects. However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the voices of artists who say that it is difficult to solve problems alone or that they do not know where to consult have become more apparent. In October 2023, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Arts Council Tokyo jointly established the Tokyo Arts and Culture Consultation Support Center (Hereinafter referred to as "Art Note".). Art Noto is committed to supporting the sustainable activities of those who are responsible for the arts and culture through three functions: consultation services, information provision, and schools. The consultation desks provide solutions to the various concerns and difficulties faced by artists and those who support the arts and culture.
"Since its launch in October, Art Note supports artists and others engaged in artistic activities with their concerns and problems related to their activities. Since then, we have received various consultations from people working in various genres, such as contracts and harassment issues."
Ms. Chie Otsuka, head of the Consultation and Support Section, has experience in stage production and artistic activities for people with disabilities. At the Art Noto Consultation Desk, counselors with experience in art and culture and specialized knowledge respond to such inquiries over the phone and online. If necessary, we will contact outside experts, such as lawyers and tax accountants, and work together to find a solution to each individual's problem.
The school currently offers five courses: legal affairs, business skills, accounting and taxation, harassment prevention, and capacity building. KONNO Mariko, head of the course project, says, "We want to provide opportunities for learning to a wide range of people, including those who are confident in their expression activities but have never had the opportunity to learn about administrative procedures and how to prepare documents related to such activities."
"While the Legal Course, Business Skills Course, Accounting and Tax Course, and Harassment Prevention Course are designed to provide students with skills and knowledge that are useful in the practical work that supports their creative activities, the Capacity Building Course is designed to deepen their thinking in order to consider the relationship between themselves and society, and to sharpen their skills in verbalizing the significance of their activities. We want to provide programs that can be used by many people, ranging from practical courses to courses that help people take a step further and advance their activities with a larger purpose."
Art Noto has three functions: Consultation Desk, School, and Information Service. The main characteristic of Art Noto is that these three functions are closely connected, says Rio Nakata, head of the General Information Section in charge of Information Service.
""Consultation desks" and "schools" tend to wait on the initiative of the counselor or the student, but "information provision" is conscious of the role of "delivering" information to those who are not aware of their own problems or who are in a situation where it is difficult to obtain information. In addition, through the "Consultation Desk" and "School," we receive the awareness that "I was worried about this kind of thing" and the voice that "I want to know more about this kind of thing," and we give back the necessary information. I think it is important to brush up by connecting and circulating the three functions."
ITO Keita, who is also in charge of providing information, said, "I think the strength of Art Noto is that there are many ways for people with problems to access it, such as consultation desks, schools, and information services."
The nickname "If you open this door (= door of art), we want to be a place where you can solve various problems related to art and cultural activities and obtain new information and knowledge." was named after the feeling that "Art Noto." The city is also intended to be a "city of art" where artists and the bearers of art and culture are active and further captivate the world.
"It is said that about 1/3 of all artists and people working in the arts gather in Tokyo. First of all, I want to tell those people that there is a place like this. In addition, there are other organizations that support freelancers in various ways, regardless of art and culture, so I would like to connect with people who are facing the same direction, so that many people know about it. Above all, I want to make it a place where many people who use Art Note say "I'm really glad to have this place."" Otsuka said.
Harassment and other problems are emerging in the art world these days. It is important for individual artists to know that there is a place like this in order to continue better expression activities.
Introducing the staff who provide various support behind the door
The staff of the Consultation and Support Division, which operates Art Note, are people who have been engaged in various forms of work connecting art culture and society. Based on their past experiences, we asked each of them about what they would like to achieve with Art Noto.
"I want to increase contacts with people involved in arts and culture and create more accessible venues."
Ito Keita (in charge of providing information)
After graduating from college, I was involved in artist management for classical music. I went around the country with artists to experience concert sites, as well as concert production, sales, and interview. After that, I worked as a public relations officer at a concert hall.
In the field of art and culture, not only music, but also art and culture are often performed by individuals or small groups, and I know that there are many situations in which the burden on each individual is heavy and it is difficult for them to solve problems by themselves. Some people may have the impression that "consultation services related to art and culture" are "consultation services for artists." But Art Note is also very open to those who work to support artists in that field.
As for the job of providing information, in addition to sending out information on our website, we plan to create content for official notes and YouTube, and in the future, we plan to increase our sending tools to reach more people. We also visit events to introduce Art Noto's initiatives and hold on-site consultations. We held on-site events in December last year and January this year, and I was impressed by how many people working in the art field felt free to come to us for advice. While providing useful information to everyone, we hope to increase contact points to make the forum more accessible.
"Delivering information to those who cannot reach it."
Rio Nakata (Information Provider)
I am interested in how arts and culture affect the revitalization of a community, and until recently I was working at a public cultural institution rooted in a community in another city.
In the area where the facility was located, the population is rapidly aging and the birthrate is rapidly declining, and the majority of users are elderly. At first, we often heard from elderly people in particular that "Even if you're interested in painting or listening to music, you can't afford to ..." As I tried and tried to find ways to provide such people with opportunities to appreciate the art, I felt a sense of satisfaction and joy in changing my approach and taking time to work on it over a long period of time, as the situation and environment changed.
After that, I had to take care of a family member myself, and while I was looking for a job that would allow me to balance caring for a family member, I had a chance to get involved in providing information at Art Noto. A major pillar of our information provision is the dissemination of information on our official website, which provides information in cooperation with our consultation services and schools. On our website, we often see content about raising funds for activities and laws related to copyright.
On the other hand, based on my past experience, I believe that there are many people who cannot reach the information on the website by themselves. We would like to deliver information to such people, and we would like them to use the information and knowledge for their own activities. In addition, support systems for people involved in the arts and culture field are expanding throughout the country, so I hope that by making Art Note widely known, people will know that there are such initiatives nationwide and that they are necessary.
"I plan the course while remembering the difficulties I had."
Mariko Konno (in charge of "School")
I entered an art high school from high school and went on to college at the University of Fine Arts, but I became more interested in the need to create an environment that supports creative activities rather than in my own creative activities. So I wanted to study the relationship between society and art and culture from the practical level, so I studied cultural policy in England. I was able to learn how art is positioned in society, and how art and culture should be from the political and social backgrounds of Britain and Europe. I think that learning from such a broad perspective gave me an opportunity to think about the role of art and culture in considering the social structure of Japan after I returned to Japan. At that time, I also learned the term "intermediate support," which made me want to pursue a career that supports the relationship between art and culture and society.
On the other hand, after graduating from university, I worked as a production assistant at a dance company and was involved in the planning and production of an international art festival, but I felt that my aptitude was not there (laughs). I wanted to find out what I could do as an intermediary.
My learning so far has been very biased [laughs], so for example, how to handle taxes and how to raise funds for activities. I had limited opportunities to study things like that, and I'm still not good at it. There are probably many people who are not good at creative activities. I feel this from my long experience of managing subsidy projects. What can we do to reflect on these experiences? That's how I work.
The School has an interesting course called "Business Skills Course" going on. I think there have been opportunities to learn about art management in the past, but we are now holding a course that is a little different from the conventional framework and includes topics such as “Do you really need to earn money?” and “the capital around you ” by inviting people who are engaged in supporting start-up companies as lecturers. "Art and culture" and "startups" are two areas where it is difficult to find a connection, but in fact their starting points of "creating new things" are very similar. For those in the arts and culture, it will give you a new perspective on business skills, so please watch the archived videos.
"I want to be a strong ally for people involved in the arts and culture."
Chie Otsuka, Manager of Consultation and Support Division
I used to work in stage production and was a freelancer, but there were times when I felt that it was difficult for me to live in that world. After that, I got involved in arts and culture business in the disability welfare administration, and while studying as a social worker, I learned about various systems and mechanisms. I sometimes thought that people in the arts and culture field, including myself, might not be able to benefit from these systems and mechanisms because they are not aware of them. I think it would be better for people who inspire and give happiness to various people through their artistic activities to be supported more and more socially by utilizing systems and mechanisms.
There is a global definition of the social work profession, and social work is described as "Promote social change and development, social cohesion, and people's empowerment and emancipation" or "with social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversity at its core" I am very attracted to that as a way of life. And I think it has something in common with art and culture.
Everyone knows that art has an immeasurable value in a market economy. That's why it would be great if we could create a society where people who are responsible for the arts can think that they deserve to be protected and cared for.
I hope that Art Note will become a good partner for those involved in arts and culture, providing useful information and knowledge. First of all, it is important to accumulate results one by one in order to win the trust of everyone. For this reason, the counselors at the Counseling Desk have a common understanding that they should not generalize about individual problems, but should treat them as individual problems.
We are here to answer all kinds of questions, not only about individual problems, but also about creative activities and presentations, as well as about funding and incorporation. In addition to providing consultation services, we also distribute archived courses to help you acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for your activities. We hope you will come and knock on the various doors at Art Note.
Text: Chikiko Chino Photo: Yosuke Hoshino
Tokyo Arts and Culture Consultation Support Center "Art Note" Official Website
"Art Note" official note
"Art Note" Official YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@artnoto_tokyo
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