Education
*You can view the guidance videos from the links below.
Since its foundation in 1993, the Art Center has pursued a number of inter-disciplinary activities relating to the fine arts, music, bodily expression, and literature. At the same time it investigates the possibilities and problems with the current state of creative and cultural activities, such as arts management and archival practices in contemporary society. Since 2007, we have placed a particular emphasis on organizing courses related to our various research expertize, both through courses at the Art Center, and through the various lectures and seminars offered by Art Center fellows, at Keio University Mita Campus.
Colloquium: Archival Research / Seminar: Archival Research
The aim of this course is to develop a methodology for observing, recording, preserving, communicating, including, and expressing diverse current events and their expressions, based on the state of art archives and the pursuit of artistic research and activities through art archives. Specifically, we think about various events related to art and the materials organized around them through the theory and practice of "Archive". "What is an archive, what are the conditions under which an archive is established, what an archive can do, and how to build an archive" This thinking is organized around these 4 questions. The main task of this lecture is to learn the basic methods of building an archive through these ideas based on a practical model of specific artistic activities, and to think about art. We expect the participation of students, not only those who study art, but also from a wide variety of research fields.
Guidance Video for Fall Semester 2024
Entertainment Communications
This course will examine the future of Japanese entertainment and the way it is transmitted to the rest of the world. It will also provide students the opportunity to gain insights on the topics of creating entertainment that is not only fun for viewers but also enriches people's lives, and how to expand the market for such entertainment.
The growth of the entertainment industry in Japan—a country currently faced with a declining birthrate and an aging population—is becoming stagnant. Meanwhile, other sectors across the globe, such as the music industry, are expanding, even in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This course will be taught while looking through a global lens, inviting a host of players in the entertainment industry as guest speakers, including creators, producers, managers, and executives.
In addition to lectures featuring these speakers, the course will employ an active learning style, asking students to work together in one or more of the following four groups and to present their assigned topics in group discussions:
(1) Creators/Artists, (2) Producers/Management, (3) Entrepreneurs/Entertainment Licensing, (4) Fandoms/Research
The best works and ideas generated through this active learning exercise will continue to be taught in the "Entertainment Communications Lab" (tentative name), which is set to be established at the Keio University Art Center (KUAC).
This course takes "entertainment" to mean not only amusing audiences but also encompassing hospitality. Additionally, we explore the different nuances contained in the word “communications.” The course will pose the question: How do we both entertain and inform people around the world while also pushing the frontiers of culture and technology? We invite you to join us on the journey to find that answer.
This is an endowed course made possible by the Japan Association of Music Enterprises and NexTone Inc.
Introductory Video for 2024 Orientation